It wasn’t pretty, but the West Virginia Mountaineers pulled out a 29-22 win over the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, starting their first winning streak of the season and keeping their postseason hopes alive. Here are some initial takeaways from the win.
Scotty Fox Jr. Still Working Out Kinks, But Shows Impressive Resilience
There was a point in the third quarter after Fox had thrown consecutive interceptions, and was tasked with going back out with just a three-point lead and making sure the Mountaineers kept it. It’s just the type of situation where you’d expect a true freshman to falter or crumble under pressure, but Fox kept his composure and led WVU on a scoring drive to extend his squad’s lead once more – and he was critical in converting a run a fourth-down to keep the drive alive. Then, in the fourth-quarter, he led one more touchdown drive to help seal the win.
Fox’s two interceptions were ugly, and he made a number of puzzling throws. He went just 17-for-28 for 202 yards and one touchdown in addition to the picks, and added 58 rushing yards. But he did his best to keep his head in the game and keep his team in the lead, which is not something all quarterbacks with his experience level could manage to do. It might not have been a Heisman Trophy winning performance, but it proved that Fox has the resiliency needed as a Power 4 quarterback.
A Youth Movement
WVU did not play the best offensive game, but every time you saw flashes of greatness, it came from the young guys. Fox Jr. led the team to a second consecutive win as a starter, and redshirt freshman running back Diore Hubbard had 158 total offensive yards. Redshirt sophomore wideout Christian Hamilton got significantly involved in the offense for the first time this season, reeling in two catches for 25 yards, and redshirt freshman tight end Ryan Ward caught a touchdown pass. There are a lot of bright spots for the Mountaineers headed forward.
The Ben Bogle Show
When WVU’s defense looks good, it looks really good. But there are some concerns for the future given the amount of contributors who are in their final season of eligibility. An answer in the linebacker room for the future stepped up on Saturday, however, and his name is Ben Bogle.
Bogle transferred in from Southern Illinois, and has one season of eligibility remaining after this season. He had just 25 tackles and zero sacks through nine games, an average of less than three tackles per game. But he exploded for a breakout performance against Colorado, racking up seven tackles and two sacks in the win. If he can continue to play like that, the future could be bright for the Mountaineers’ linebacking corps.