A Big Primetime Game Once Again WVU's Kryptonite Under Neal Brown Era

The Iowa State Cyclones would visit Morgantown, WV, this Saturday in a game advertised by WVU as a "Coal Rush." The team would debut its new uniforms for a primetime matchup on Fox. The all-black uniforms looked great with the reflective numbers on the field, and the stadium mostly blacked out as well.

The Cyclones came into the game ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and were 5-0 for the first time since 1980 and were trying to get to 6-0, which would be the first time the team had met that mark since 1938. The halftime show would present the 55,000-plus fans in attendance with a drone show. The excitement was abundant, but would WVU pass the vibe check against an undefeated Cyclones team?

Unfortunately, the answer to that question proved to be no. Once again, the big stage under the lights during the Neal Brown era proved to be the team's kryptonite.

WVU elected to receive the kickoff to start the game. The team put together a drive of 14 plays for 75 yards that chewed up 7:42 off the clock to take a 7-0 lead with 7:18 left in the first quarter. On the ensuing drive for Iowa State, Rocco Becht found Jayden Higgins for a 37-yard completion, but the drive stalled with the Cyclones missing a 47-yard field goal attempt. After a WVU missed field goal, WVU would still have the lead after the first quarter at 7-0.

With just over thirteen minutes left in the 2nd quarter, Rocco Becht would find Jaylin Noel for a 60-yard touchdown pass to knot the game a 7-7. The Iowa State drive would consist of 3 plays for 86 yards in only 56 seconds.

After a 17-play drive, the Cyclones took the lead 14-7 with 2:39 left in the first half after running back Carson Hansen scored an 11-yard touchdown. WVU would manage a field goal to make it 14-10 at the half.

In the 4th quarter, Carson Hansen would scamper for another touchdown, making it 21-10 Iowa State with 11:47 left in the game. WVU could not recover from a couple of untimely Garrett Greene interceptions, and Iowa State would leave victorious by a score of 28-16. WVU could not force any turnovers on the night, and the Cyclones would force two turnovers which resulted in 14 points on the board. Now WVU has lost eight straight games to ranked opponents, and despite the excitement over the week leading into the game, Mountaineer Nation is once again left wondering if Neal Brown has what it takes to win big games.