Mike Casazza of the Daily Mail argues that preparedness was the key in West Virginia’s record-setting 70-33 shellacking of Clemson in the Orange Bowl Wednesday night.
Last night, the defense sniffed out a lot of stuff before it happened and those two turnovers at the end of the first half were literally things the players said would happen. They said Tajh forced passes when he was frustrated. They said he exposed the ball when he ran. Offensively, lots of checks and just a long list of moments when WVU paused, communicated and either won the down or forced Clemson to do something to get out of whatever it was in that the offense spotted.
The Mountaineers were very, very ready and they were just wildly, ridiculously better. They turned a primetime showcase into Laugh-In.
This is a fun article to read, and I suggest you check out the whole thing. This win has to feel great for new West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen. Not that West Virginia fans have really doubted him much, but the Mountaineers are about to head back to Holgorsen’s old stomping grounds in Texas to play in the Big 12, and after that performance, they certainly look ready. The Mountaineers will have to come down at some point soon, look at their two Big East losses this season and acknowledge there’s still work to be done, but for now, they have every right to feel great. They came to the Orange Bowl ready to play, and they really, really played.
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