Big 12 Syllabus Series: West Virginia Mountaineers

Geographically speaking, the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Big 12 doesn’t seem to fit. It just seems odd for Oklahoma to travel 1,140 miles from Norman to Morgantown, or for WVU to travel 1,465 miles to Lubbock and Texas Tech. Whatever the travel arrangements or miles between their destinations, the Mountaineer brand of football is the perfect fit for WVU’s new conference, and the Mountaineers are geared up for a Big 12 title run in 2012.

Some Big 12 fans of teams probably don’t know much about WVU. The basic, quick and easy synopsis of them is they belong in the conference in terms of competition. They have a 95-33 record since 2002 with six conference titles and three BCS victories in as many appearances.

The 2011 season brought a new coaching era in Morgantown with the addition of Dana Holgorsen. Holgorsen has already proved he can construct an offense that will flourish in the Big 12, as he was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State in 2010. During his short time in Stillwater, he brought the Cowboys from the No. 61 ranked offense, to leading the nation in total offense, averaging 537.6 yards per game, was No. 2 in passing offense, averaging 354.7 yards per game, and No. 3 in scoring offense at 44.9 points per game.

Last season was an interesting one for the Mountaineers not only on the field, but it there was plenty of headline-worthy events. The first was when Dana Holgorsen was named head coach in waiting. This move was something former WVU head coach Bill Stewart didn’t find very appealing. Stewart was dropped from the team last summer, before a game was even played during Holgorsen’s “waiting period.”

Then, the program found itself in the headlines shortly after when it filed suit against their now former conference, the Big East. WVU sought to leave the Big East for the Big 12 without giving the 27-month notice the Big East required. The Big East had, of course, filed suit first because of the conference bylaws. The suit was eventually settled and now the team can focus on football.

3 & out

1st Down: Will the defense hold up?

When an offense features Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, it’s easy to overlook what’s on the other side of the ball.

The defense obviously needs to keep pace with the offenses in the Big 12, but the question is if it can hold opposing attacks enough to compete for a Big 12 title?

New co-defensive coordinators Joe DeForest and Keith Patterson know the task that faces the defensive unit and have been pleased with the results of the new 3-4 system. The biggest difference from last years’ 3-3-5 system is the freedom for the players to make plays. The focus is also on the movement before the snap to confuse opposing offenses.

Here’s the beauty when looking at the defense: last season the Mountaineers had to rely on the defense to bring home wins against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and South Florida. In those games, the defense was able to make stops when absolutely necessary and the offense was able to produce enough points to pull out a victory. This year’s version of the defense can do exactly that in their new surroundings.

The pass rush takes a big hit losing Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller, but there has been a lot of promise in Will Clarke at end and there certainly is quickness on the line. Clarke was able to record 34 tackles with two sacks and five tackles for loss while he was in a limited role. The line will also have Jorge Wright as the anchor. Wright has plenty of quickness to be a threat to opposing quarterbacks.

The strength of the defense comes from four veteran linebackers. What the line lacks, the linebacker group will make up in the pass rush. The concern does come up that since there isn’t much bulk up front, how dangerous can they be to opposing quarterbacks? The linebackers have the quickness and aggressiveness to control the pass rush and help out with stopping the run. Jewon Snow is one to watch within this group as he has the ability to be the hybrid playmaker.

The secondary features senior Pat Miller and junior Brodrick Jenkins. Miller was fifth on the team last season with 66 tackles and two interceptions. Jenkins had eight broken up passes last season and was a key contributor down the stretch. Darwin Cook is another veteran featured in the secondary. He was second on the team last year with 85 tackles and two interceptions

2nd Down: Geno Smith, the best in the Big 12?

There may have been a bit of discomfort expressed from Sooner fans when WVU quarterback Geno Smith was awarded pre-season offensive player of the year over Landry Jones. Fans inside the Big 12 may not have known much about Smith outside of his performance in last year’s Orange Bowl when he helped the offense put up 70 points against the Clemson Tigers. As I illustrated in a post last month, the hnor is well deserved.

Smith had a higher pass efficiency rating than Jones last year and with a 65 completion percentage, he has room to grow with his accuracy. That’s a very scary thing for an opposing secondary. He unloaded on defenses last season and with knowledge gained of the system, he can become even more dangerous.

If WVU is in the hunt for a Big 12 title, you can expect Smith to be in the hunt for a Heisman Trophy. With 4,385 yards, 31 touchdowns and only seven interceptions last season, he’ll have to put up even better numbers this season. He is more than capable of doing this in the Air Raid offense with both Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey returning.

Smith has a very favorable scouting report and depending on which report you read, Smith is a better NFL prospect than Landry Jones. His ability to lead receivers and time his passes right before a receiver breaks away from the defender is a quality NFL scouts love to see.

3rd Down: Can the Mountaineers win a Big 12 championship in their first year?

They certainly have the right schedule to make a run. Three of their first four games are at home. The fourth is a game against FCS opponent James Madison in Washington D.C. at FedEx Field. The Mountaineers can very easily start out 4-0, but then the biggest test of the season will come against Texas in Austin. The Longhorns’ defense will be tested by the WVU offense, but a similar challenge will come to the Mountaineers’ offense going up against the best defense in the Big 12.

WVU will need to be careful traveling to Lubbock in Week 7. This has all the symptoms of a trap game, including the fact that Lubbock is the farthest the Mountaineers will have to travel for a game in 2012. The Red Raiders have developed a niche for upsetting the best in the Big 12 recently, including last year’s derailment of Oklahoma’s BCS ambitions.

WVU also needs to be careful traveling to Ames in Week 13 as it is becoming a tougher place to play in the conference; ask Oklahoma State.

With seven official home games that include TCU and Oklahoma, WVU can use the danger that is Morgantown to help propel them to a Big 12 title. Oklahoma and TCU will be difficult games even though the home crowd will favor the Mountaineers, but the offense is more than capable of pulling out a victory in a shootout if need be.