Monday, October 24, 2011

WVU-Syracuse Final Thoughts

Well, that was a fun Friday night...for Syracuse. WVU was completely ambushed by a fantastic game plan, executed perfectly by the Orange. The Mountaineers had no response, other than puking all over themselves. This was one of the worst losses in recent memory.

Most Valuable: Stedman Bailey.
The wideout went for over 100 yards for the fifth straight game, including a spectacular catch-and-TD run early in the ball game. Bailey continues to have an extraordinary year.

Least Valuable: Everyone else. Just an awful performance.

Most Surprising: No Fight. Syracuse punched WVU in the mouth early and often. The Mountaineers had absolutely no answer to that intensity. They were blown off the ball, run over, knocked around, and generally destroyed by the Orange. This team needs to toughen up as soon as possible.

Least Surprising: Special Teams faltering...again. Another wretched performance that saw Syrcause break one return for a touchdown, and nearly a second. And to top it off, Tyler Bitancurt missed a PAT. Whether it's scheme or personnel, somebody needs to take some responsibility for this shambolic play.

Play of the Game: The Final Whistle.

Grades:

Quarterback: Geno was hit early, and visibly shaken. He missed open targets, slow on the tempo, and had a few picks. Not a great night for Smith.
Grade: C-

Running back: Dustin Garrison and Shawne Alston combined for over 100 yards rushing, granted some was in garbage time. But, the boys did average over five yards a rush, and were successful on short yardage. Overall, not a bad day.
Grade: B

Wideout: Pretty good game for this unit, when WVU actually had the ball. Stedman went over 100 yards, Brad Starks made a great TD catch, and Tavon Austin did what he could. Sadly the game didn't warrant more opportunities.
Grade: B

Offensive line: A terrible night for pass blocking. Syracuse ate up the line, consistently hitting Geno all night long. The unit did run block well, but that gets lost considering Geno nearly died. This unit needs to get tougher.
Grade: D

Defensive line: Completely non-existent. No pass rush, struggled to slow the run, and picked up some foolish penalties. Took a major step back.
Grade: D

Linebacker: Didn't make a play the entire night. Couldn't stop the run, and did absolutely nothing to slow down the tight ends.
Grade: D

Secondary: Not a game to remember. The tackling was poor, and the coverage was even worse. Pat Miller alone might be responsible for three wide open Syracuse touchdowns. Just an awful performance.
Grade: D-

Special Teams: Well, the return was good. Everything else, disgusting.
Grade: D

Coaching: If there were adjustments made at halftime, they didn't show. Steve Dunlap might want to hide this week, considering his kick coverage failed once again. A lot of work to be done before Rutgers.
Grade: C-

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