WVU Football: 3 takeaways from WVU turning the lights out in Blacksburg

BLACKSBURG, VA - SEPTEMBER 22: Members of the West Virginia Mountaineers football team raise the Black Diamond Trophy following a win against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium on September 22, 2022 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan Hunt/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - SEPTEMBER 22: Members of the West Virginia Mountaineers football team raise the Black Diamond Trophy following a win against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium on September 22, 2022 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan Hunt/Getty Images) /
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“Rivalry and pageantry, that’s what college football is all about,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick couldn’t have said it better. From the moment that the Virginia Tech-WVU football game was penciled in on the schedule, the excitement was nothing less than galvanic.

The first half of the game was full of intrigue as both the Mountaineers and the Hokies traded long drives, great tactical moves on both sides of the ball, and, a multitude of penalties.

As the clock struck zero, WVU held a six-point advantage, going into the half, thanks to a 50-second drive, culminating with a Sam James receiving touchdown from J.T. Daniels.

Needless to say, there wasn’t much room for error.

The second half started the same way with the teams trading field goals in the third quarter. Missed opportunities combined with ill-timed penalties from the Mountaineers prevented them from extending their lead. Even with all of this, you could feel something was about to change. The fourth quarter proved to be just that as WVU took over on both sides of the ball, scoring on a Justin Johnson touchdown run, ending an impressive nine-play, 75-yard drive.

The Mountaineers proceeded to kick another field goal, following up with a pick-six by Jacolby Spells.

It seems the Mountaineers grew today, correcting many mistakes they made from their first couple of games. While there are still some areas of concern, it seems that the ship has righted for now.

Here are three takeaways from WVU’s 33-10 defeat of Virginia Tech in front of 65,000-plus raucous fans in Blacksburg.