Photo Credit: Bob Williams
Have you ever wished for a mulligan? You know a “do over”, a chance to go back and correct the mistake you made. For example, I would like another chance at my first on-air live shot, I was so nervous my top lip quivered like a woodchuck. And let’s not even joke about an opportunity to erase my freshman year in college known as the “awkward times.” My point is that even if you want to; you can’t take it back. You just have to get through it.
The West Virginia University football team would love another shot at the then unranked Texas Tech Red Raiders.
“The bottom line is this…,” said WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen, “they played better on all three sides of the ball than we did. They played harder than we did, their effort was harder and they out- coached us.”
WVU got embarrassed in a 49-14 loss in Lubbock, Texas. The final score was indicative of problems experienced all day on both side of the ball for WVU. The Red Raiders posted 49 points because of WVU’s missed assignments, poor tackling and blown coverages. This is the same Mountaineer defense that already allowed a total of 175 points this season, averaging 35 points allowed per game. Add to that a Mountaineer offense that was not running on all cylinders, unable to consistently move the ball, scored only two touchdowns, and seemed to be absent for the better part of the game.
You could blame it on a windy Saturday afternoon, injuries, or the fact it was the Mountaineers’ second consecutive road trip to the Lone Star State. But, that’s not Dana Holgorsen’s style.
“We are never going to use weather or injuries as an excuse,” said Holgorsen, “we just didn’t play very well.”
This week the Mountaineers return home and it couldn’t come at a better time. WVU dropped ten spots in the college football polls and is ranked #13 in the first Bowl Championship Series (BCS) poll of the year. The only problem with returning home … the Kansas State Wildcats will be on the opposing sideline. This is a squad that is ranked #4 in all of the major polls and comes in with an undefeated record (6-0). A team that rocked the Kansas Jayhawks by 40 last Saturday and a win on the road vs. highly ranked Oklahoma.
West Virginia is not out of the Big 12 picture just yet, there is still plenty of ‘ball to play. They have a week to practice, watch film, and correct the flaws which made them so vulnerable against TTU. But what they can’t do is ask for a mulligan. Just like all of us who have failed or have fallen short of a goal … they need to learn and move on.
