Obviously the second headline is much more important than the first. I mean that game was nearly flawless. Gameplan executed to the t, offense looked like the well oiled machine that we knew they could be this year. Some random thoughts:
-Dorian Graham? Dude is a monster. Not quite the monster ChanJones is, but wow. Went untouched on that return he took to the house. Had a couple great grabs to convert 3rd and shorts. He stood out to me on the offensive side of the ball and is going to be someone the offense can rely on in the years to come.
-Chandler Jones/D line. What else can you say? Having him back made all the difference in the world. Geno Smith couldn't find his rhythm all night, was on his ass for more than half the game, and if you take out his fluke 60yd bomb to Austin, had a terrible terrible night. The pressure upfront took the WVU offense out of the game before it began. They couldn't settle down, and the best they looked was the opening drive of the second half, where they rarely threw for more than a 10 yd gain, and decided to give the Cuse some of its own medicine and ran it down our throats. Either way, the D line and blitzing schemes Schafer came up with were fantastic, and prevented the score from being reversed. On the other side...
-The O-Line had its best game in I don't even know how long. Nassib got flushed out of the pocket a few times, but other than that a perfect game from the big guys up front. No sacks. NO SACKS. I think one holding call but that was it. I don't think anyone could have predicted that. Hackett and Marrone took advantage of WVU's 3-3-5 scheme and ran it through the gaps all night. When WVU overcommitted to the middle, the Oline stood tall, picked up blitzes, and Nassib threw swing passes and found Provo in the flats. The O line was what won us the game in my opinion. Which leads me to...
-Nassib's best game in his career. Not a ton of yards, but easily the best managed game he's ever had. No picks, 4tds, 75%. Had all day to throw and find open receivers, and that's a recipe for success. He was poised, smart, and aggressive all night and really showed how talented he is when he has time to throw. I mean how many balls did he throw that last year would have been tipped or in the dirt, that ended up right on the numbers? I can think of three off the top of my head. Nassib is good, and he proved that to everybody last night and hopefully those who doubted him are curbing those thoughts now.
Bottom line, aside from the bomb to Austin in the first half, and some miscues in coverage, I think top to bottom you gotta give the team a lot of credit for how they prepared for this game. Marrone, Schafer, and Hackett recognized ways that we could take advantage of WVU's schemes and capitalized. This win felt much more satisfying than last year's WVU game, because it showed that we are indeed improving, and can't be taken lightly in the Big East anymore. Last year's win was viewed as more of a fluke than anything, but repeated success against a perennially ranked Big East team solidifies the idea that we're an elite Big East team, for what that's worth. Now let's go crush Louisville.
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