The Tigers not only manhandled Oregon to all but end the Pac-12's relevance for the season, but they showed last week against a tough and explosive Mississippi State team that getting tough and nasty isn?t a problem.
They?ve been brutish on the lines, mistake free in key situations, and dominant defensively with the look of a national champion. It could be argued that no one has two stronger or more impressive wins than the victories over the Ducks and Bulldogs, and both were away from Death Valley. Now it?s time to walk into another hostile environment against a desperate team trying to make a statement with the season all but on the line. Of course West Virginia wants to win the Big East title and go to a BCS game, but this is it. This is the chance at respectability, and this, in every sense of the concept considering the goofy college football post-season, is a playoff game.
Last year, West Virginia was 3-0 with a dominant defense and strong offense going into the date at LSU. The game was there for the taking with Tiger quarterback Jordan Jefferson throwing two picks and LSU committing 12 penalties, but the Mountaineers turned it over two times, failed to get the running game moving, and stalled in the fourth quarter of a tough 20-14 loss. This year?s team is more explosive under Holgorsen, but this year?s LSU squad is far better, too.
The LSU run defense is playing at a whole other level, and the Mountaineers don?t have the lines to hold up. The days of the Rich Rodriguez offense with Pat White and Steve Slaton running wild are over. While Holgorsen made a point of getting the ground game going when he was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, he hasn't gotten much of anything so far from a running attack that's averaging a miserable 79 yards per game and can't seem to find any sort of a groove. The offensive line is full of veterans and has enough talent to be better, but it's not blowing anyone off the ball so far.
The WV return game has to be phenomenal. LSU's coverage teams have been special so far, forcing minus yards overall on punt returns and not allowing a thing on kickoff returns. West Virginia, though, has gotten explosive performances out of Tavon Austin, who not only caught 11 passes for 122 yards against Maryland last week, but is fourth in the nation averaging 22 yards per punt return and is 16th in kickoff returns, averaging 29.44 yards per try. If the Mountaineers are going to have any shot, they're going to need something special like a big return or a big defensive play. They're also going to need to bomb away.
What happened to the West Virginia pass rush? Last year the Mountaineers finished second in the nation behind Boise State with 45 sacks while finishing second in run defense and fourth in total defense. Bruce Irvin finished second in the nation behind Da'Quan Bowers in sacks with 14, while Julian Miller added 14 tackles for loss and nine sacks. So far this year Irvin has just one sack, and it's the team?s only one in the first three games, while Miller has just two assisted tackles for loss. That's not going to work. LSU's offensive line has been stellar so far, but it hasn't been a brick wall in pass protection. Tiger quarterback Jarrett Lee has kept the big mistakes to a minimum, mostly because he hasn't been under a ton of pressure and hasn't had to press. That has to change this week as the Mountaineers have to dial up the pass rush and have to be in the backfield all game long.
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what more can be said
I hate it when its this easy
