Postgame report: Maryland
By Editorial Staff
Well, it was an excellent 1st half for the Mountaineers, and an alright 2nd half.
Maryland almost beat WVU, but in the end, as offensive of a game as it was, it took a defensive play to seal the game for WVU. More from The Deuce and me after the jump. (And, yes, this one is “and me.” Does it make sense for me to say, “More from I after the jump?” Only if I was one of those conceited message board writers.)
The Deuce’s take…
Geno Smith 36-49 388 yds (career high) 1 td 1 int 74% comp ….. Smith had 232 yards passing in the first half
Andrew Buie 7 rushes for 51 yds 1 td
Vernard Roberts 12 rushes for 36 1 td
Tavon Austin 11 catches for 111 yds
Stadmen Bailey 8 catches 113 yds 1 td
Ivan McCartney 8 catches for 101 tds
Terrence Garvin 37 yd int return for td
Just throwing it in..The “elite” Danny O’ Brian 34-52 289yds 1 td 3 ints
sellout crowd of 53,627
| West Virginia | Maryland | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 27 | 29 |
| Total Yards | 480 | 477 |
| Passing | 388 | 289 |
| Rushing | 92 | 188 |
| Penalties | 6-68 | 7-75 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 6-13 | 7-16 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 0-1 | 1-3 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Possession | 31:33 | 28:27 |
So, there’s the numbers for all you numbers and stats nerds out there.
Jim’s Final Thought:
So, would this game also qualify as a tale of two halves, but with a different story? Dominating the first half, and nearly losing it in the 2nd half?
Like I said in the beginning, there was obviously a lot of offense in this game, with Geno throwing for a career high 388 yards, with 3 different receivers topping the 100 yd mark (Stedman Bailey with 113, Tavon Austin with 111, and Ivan McCartney with 101), and what seemed to be a very improved running game with Vernard Roberts and Shawne Alston sharing duties, it seems the offense is good to go for LSU. The defense? Well, I trust the Casteel Curtain, it just wasn’t real effective today for most of the 2nd half until that interception to seal the game.
Will we be ready for LSU? Absolutely. Last year, we lost to them in a very sloppy game 20-14. This year is a different story. LSU is being talked about in the National Championship picture. There’s a possibility that College Football Gameday is coming to Morgantown. Anyway, if I continue rambling about next Saturday’s game, I’ll be stealing everything from the upcoming week’s posts.
Finally, I want to chime in on the latest in this round of Conference Realignment with Pitt and Syracuse reportedly sending in their applications to join the ACC.
Good riddance to you two. Hope you all continue to suck in football. While I will say the two schools have phenomenal hoops programs, they apparently forgot that football pays the bills in big-time college athletics. I’ll be enjoying my time in the south when WVU joins the SEC. However, WVU and Pitt should continue to play each other. South Carolina and Clempsum continue to play each other at the near end of the season despite being in different conferences, just like Florida and Florida State. WVU and Pitt need to do that.
Finally, I’d like to offer my condolences to the family of basketball legend Dave Gavitt, creator of the Big East, has died at 73 after a long illness. It’s unfortunate that his creation may come to a swift end.
Take care of yourselves, and each other. We’ll be back soon with coverage of the LSU game.
#firecraigjames