The mistakes that made Brendan Sorsby WVU football's most important player on Saturday

As West Virginia and Cincinnati battled on Saturday things weren't going too well early for WVU.

With Cincinnati up 7-0 early in the second quarter and the Mountaineers showing a lack of execution on both sides of the ball, things were looking bleak for the old-gold-and blue. Fortunately for the Mountaineers, they benefitted from miscues from Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who arguably became the team's MVP by the end of the game. Let’s take a look at the impact from three crucial mistakes Sorsby made that ended in a 31-24 WVU win.

Mistake #1

With a 4th & 1 from the WVU 20-yard line, QB Brendan Sorsby looked for room to run and just before being sacked he threw up an inexcusable pass that was intercepted by Anthony Wilson Jr. and returned for a 79-yard touchdown. Prior to this, West Virginia’s offense and defense were struggling tremendously. This mistake led to the Mountaineers tying the game at 7-7, even though the game had no business being tied at that point.

Mistake #2

On the third play of the following Bearcats drive, Sorsby helped the Mountaineers again as he let the ball hang a little too loose, coughing up a fumble recovered by Kekoura Tarnue at the Cincinnati 37-yard line. West Virginia’s ensuing drive resulted in a field goal, giving them a 10-7 lead. Sure, it was only 7-0, but things were not going well for the Mountaineers before consecutive turnovers by Sorsby allowed the Mountaineers to take command of the game.

Mistake #3 - Momentum Killer

West Virginia once led the game 24-7 late in the third quarter. Fast forward to around the mid-point of the fourth quarter, and the Bearcats had possession of the ball, trailing 24-21. After creating big plays on offense, causing a turnover, and getting critical stops on defense, Cincinnati had all the momentum in the game. Sorsby and the offense had a chance to march down the field and either tie or take the lead. 

After picking up two first downs, Brendan Sorsby once again proved to be a savior for the Mountaineers. In an eerily similar play to the one in the first half, Sorsby was once again under pressure and attempted to get rid of the ball but did so in a backward pass as he was about to be sacked. Tyrin Bradley got the scoop and score to give the Mountaineers some breathing room and a 31-21 lead with 3:30 to play. 

Aside from these Brendan Sorsby turnovers, Cincinnati outperformed the Mountaineers. Cincinnati racked up 436 yards and 24 first downs compared to WVU’s 248 yards and 9 first downs. Sorsby’s turnovers resulted in 17 points for the Mountaineers, something that he and Cincinnati simply weren’t able to overcome.