The West Virginia Mountaineers lost for the second straight season to an upstart South Florida team.  Turnovers and lack of execution doomed the Mountaineers last Friday night.  Despite the poor play and inability to hold on to the football, West Virginia still had a chance late in the game Friday, another chance that fell short and cost the Mountaineers their first loss of the season.

On paper in would appear that the West Virginia Mountaineers dominated the South Florida Bulls in both team’s Big East opener.  The Mountaineers had 8 more first downs, nearly 200 more total yards, only one penalty, and possessed the ball for almost 10 more minutes than the Bulls.  However, six turnovers, the most in the Rich Rodriguez era, and an inability to put the ball in the end zone cost the Mountaineers a victory.  But did the offense really play that poorly? Or did execution and play calling ultimately cost the Mountaineers a victory?

West Virginia likes to run the football, it is what they do best.  Steve Slaton is an All-American caliber running back, Pat White is the Big East’s all-time leading rusher at quarterback, and Noel Devine has Barry Sanders-like quickness.  However, the Mountaineers decided to come out of the gate throwing the football.  South Florida has one of the top defenses in the country and the best secondary in the conference.  They have quickness at the cornerback position and plenty of size and speed on the back line.  Nevertheless, Rich Rodriguez and the Mountaineer offense decided to try and throw the football.  It turned out to be a bad mistake.

Steve Slaton never found a rhythm and Pat White couldn’t find open receivers, or when he did it was on a bubble screen that was often blown up for negative yardage.  Combine that with six turnovers and there is no wonder why the Mountaineers lost to the Bulls.  On the other hand, you would have expected with those types of numbers that the game would have been a blow out, but it was quite the contrary.  West Virginia had numerous opportunities to take the game over, forcing four turnovers of their own and often pinning South Florida deep in their own zone.    However, it seemed that each time the Mountaineers had a solid drive brewing they made a mistake. 

Execution has been the focal point of the West Virginia offense during Rich Rodriguez’s tenure, while turnovers and lack of offense have been a rarity.  Players and fans alike couldn’t help but get that sickening feeling of déjà vu when Pat White threw an interception that resulted in a South Florida touchdown. A year ago in Morgantown Pat White fumbled near his own goal line which resulted in a score for the Bulls that helped lead them to victory on the road.  But despite all of the negatives that occurred during Friday’s game for the Mountaineers, they still had a chance late in the game.  South Florida could not put the Mountaineers away.

Did the Mountaineers simply shoot themselves in the foot? Or were the Bulls simply better?  South Florida disposed of Auburn on the road earlier in the season which proved they were battle tested.  They played a close game in which they missed four field goals but still came out with a victory.  It may simply be their season, they may be getting all the bounces so far, but the Mountaineers plainly blew the game.  They ruined numerous scoring opportunities and gave up a big play at a critical moment which, in due course, cost them the football game. This was not an easy game for Mountaineer fans to swallow, the National Championship is likely an afterthought, but a conference title and BCS berth are still a definite possibility.  The Big East is deeper than ever despite the turmoil of Louisville, and Rutgers loss to Maryland.  It is safe to say that there is a probable chance that no team goes unscathed in the conference this season.  The Mountaineers still have a number of big games to play, and dwelling on this past Friday will only prevent the Mountaineers from achieving greatness.