Another week, another Big 12 loss. WVU football was felled by the BYU Cougars 38-24 in Provo, Utah on Friday night in a game that stretched on until nearly 2 A.M. for Mountaineers' fans on the east coast. Here are some takeaways from West Virginia's fourth loss of the season – although not exactly initial takeaways this week, because no one wanted to read or write much by the time that game ended.
Khalil Wilkins Looked Like The Best Quarterback WVU Has Started Yet...But The Quarterback Battle Might Not Be Over
West Virginia has started three quarterbacks this year – Nicco Marchiol, Jaylen Henderson, and Wilkins. The offense looked like it could move more efficiently under Wilkins than either of the prior starters. It wasn't perfect, and going 7-of-15 for 81 yards, two interceptions, and no touchdowns is far from an ideal statline. Some mistakes were made, including an early interception that set BYU up inside their WVU's five-yard line for a score.
But Wilkins other interception came on an absolute dime delivered into Cam Vaughn's hands, which Vaughn then bobbled and lost control of before it was intercepted. Not only was it not Wilkins' fault, but it was likely a touchdown if Vaughn reeled it in. At one point in the third quarter, Wilkins threaded the needle between several BYU defender while being chase down in the pocket to hit tight end Jacob Barrick right in his hands in the back of the endzone – but Barrick dropped another potential touchdown.
Wilkins also led the Mountaineers in rushing attempts (23) and rushing yards (89) while adding a touchdown with his legs. The average there isn't great, but 3.9 yards per carry does get first downs. It's probably not great to use your quarterback as a power runner who takes 20+ carries per game, but Wilkins was tough as nails and resilient, popping back up from every hit and lowering his shoulder the next play and doing it again. He never seemed to lack confidence or be checked out of the game, even after his mistakes. In fact, he never gave up, even when the game was getting out of reach – he looked like a real competitor, and fully locked into the game.
But yet the quarterback battle isn't over mainly because Scotty Fox had to relieve Wilkins for a few plays in the first quarter, and got a drive at the end of the game once the final nail had entered the coffin for the Mountaineers – in his performance, he went 3-for-3 for 54 yards and one touchdown, dropping a perfectly-placed dime over Cam Vaughn's shoulder in the back of the endzone and also adding 22 yards on two carries. It seems these two will be chasing each other going forward, because both looked better than either Henderson or Marchiol.
WVU's Defense Can Win The Game, But They Can Also Lose The Game
There were bright spots defensively, as the Mountaineers forced three turnovers against the Cougars – including a Chase Wilson interception and Fred Perry channeling his inner Troy Polamalu. But the Mountaineers also gave a number of explosive plays both through the air and on the ground and gave up 518 total offensive yards, allowing true freshman Bear Bachmeier to go 18-of-25 passing for 351 yards and one touchdown, while adding 12 carries for 43 yards on the ground. Cougars' tailback LJ Martin also added 90 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead BYU in rushing.
The Mountaineers are aggressive, can force turnovers, and can get a little bit of a pass rush going – but they seem to lack to talent and physicality needed at times to compete against Big 12 offenses. It might not be time to sell your Zac Alley stock, or your Fred Perry stock – but it could be time to sell your stock in belief that this defense is going to keep the Mountaineers in many games.
Offensive Success Won't Come Without Offensive Line Changes
Whether it comes with trying new options this season or with a number of current starters exhausting eligibility after the year comes to a close, WVU won't see this offense find any real success without putting new players into the game in the trenches. Things were...slightly better against BYU. There were no sacks allowed, not as many blatantly missed assignments, and the starting five saw there combined average PFF grade raise to 56.68, which is higher than it has been since Week 2 – but still not sufficient.
The Mountaineers got stuffed in short yardage run game situations all night, even getting their heavy package with nine offensive lineman blown up at one point. When WVU needed less than a yard to earn a first down or score a touchdown at multiple points in the game, running backs got tackled in the backfield with several lineman standing around. You can blame WVU's running back stable for not being able to get yardage, or quarterbacks for poor decisions – but the truth is that WVU's offensive line plays poorly enough that it limits what the Mountaineers can do. None of the reserve offensive lineman that Rich Rodriguez said would "play more" saw more than 16 snaps, and it's hard to think you can keep watching these linemen put forth such a pitiful effort week-in and week-out without eventually making a change.