Records be Falling (Updated)

In Year One of the new offensive scheme that Dana Holgrosen brought with him, the Mountaineers have performed well. Yes, there have been some hiccups, mistakes, a few too many turnovers. But, considering where they were at this time last year, it's night and day. Actually this season has been so productive through the air that passing and receiving records are going to be broken all over the place. Here are just a few of the major ones that should be changing hands over the next few weeks.

UPDATE: Here are the latest numbers for WVU. Some of the records have already been broken.

(records courtesy of wvustats.com)

Geno Smith

Total Yards

Record: 3,515 yards (Marc Bulger, 1998)

2011 Geno: 3,662 yards (NEW RECORD)

Passing yards

Record: 3,607 yards (Marc Bulger, 1998)

2011 Geno: 3,741 yards (NEW RECORD)

Pass Completions

Record: 274 (Marc Bulger, 1998)

2011 Geno: 291 (NEW RECORD)

Pass Attempts

Record: 419 (Marc Bulger, 1998)

2011 Geno: 448 (NEW RECORD)

Passing Touchdowns

Record: 31 (Marc Bulger, 1998)

2011 Geno: 25

Tavon Austin

All-Purpose Yards

Record: 2,104 (Steve Slaton, 2006)

2011 Tavon: 2,086

Receptions

Record: 77 (David Saunders, 1998 and Shawn Foreman, 1997)

2011 Tavon: 82 (NEW RECORD)

Stedman Bailey

Receiving Yards

Record: 1,043 (David Saunders, 1996)

2011 Stedman: 1,117 (NEW RECORD)

Receiving Touchdowns

Record: 12 (Darius Reynaud, 2007 and Chris Henry, 2004)

2011 Stedman: 11

Former Mountaineers in the NFL, Week 12

Anthony Becht, TE, Chiefs: Was targeted once, and had one tackle in loss to Steelers.

PacMan Jones, CB, Bengals: Registered two tackles and had one pass defensed in win over Browns.

Brandon Hogan: Was inactive for the Panthers. Yet to play this year.

Ellis Lankster, CB, Jets: Was inactive for the Jets this week.

Pat McAfee, P, Colts: Had five punts, with an average of 45.6 in a loss to Carolina.

Corey McIntyre, FB, Bills: Started, but didn't register any stats in Buffalo's loss to the Jets.

Ryan Mundy, FS, Steelers: Finished with the team lead in tackles with 11. Also had an interception in win over Chiefs.

Chris Neild, NT, Redskins: Registered one tackle in win over Seattle.

Robert Sands, FS, Bengals: Inactive again for the Bengals. Has yet to suit up this year.

Owen Schmitt, FB, Eagles: Didn't register any stats in loss to Patriots.

Steve Slaton, RB, Dolphins: Was inactive this week for the Dolphins.

Injuries:

J.T. Thomas: Injured Reserve

It's Gameweek! Week 14 Primer

Matchup: West Virginia at South Florida

When: Thur, 8p, ESPN

Line: WVU -1

West Virginia Players to Watch:

Geno Smith, QB: 3,741 yards, 25 TD, 5 INT

Tavon Austin, WR: 82 rec, 2,086 all-purpose yards, 6 TD

Stedman Bailey, WR: 60 rec, 1,117 yards, 11 TD

Bruce Irvin, DE: 24 total tackles, 13.5 TFL, 7 sacks, 2 FF

South Florida Players to Watch:

Bj Daniels and Boby Eveld, QB: 2,713 combined pass yards, 18 total TD, 10 combined INT

Darrell Scott, RB: 722 yards, 6 total TD, 5.2 YPC

Sterling Griffin, WR: 40 rec, 493 yards, 2 TD

DeDe Lattimore, LB: 87 total tackles, 7 sacks, 1 INT, 2 FF

Storylines:

The BCS mess continues into the final week for the Big East. What needs to happen for WVU? First thing is a win. The Mountaineers can't afford to look past this game. A win gives them a chance to go BCS bowling. A loss puts them in Charlotte. Yes, they have to rely on Cincinnati to win, but the Mountaineers need to bethinking about one thing only this week: South Florida.

Tampa hasn't been kind to WVU. The Mountaineers have only won once at USF since the Bulls joined the conference. That one time was WVU's first conference trip back in 2005. There have been some disappointing losses that mostly have to do with lots and lots and lots of mistakes. WVU has to play more fluid and confident if they want to roll out of Tampa with a win.

Will B.J. Daniels be back? That's the big question going into Thursday night. Daniels posses a major threat against WVU. He is a duel-threat that has had success against the 3-3-5 defense in the past. Bobby Eveld is capable of winning, but is certainly not the talent that Daniels is. Either way, WVU needs to keep the pressure on. Look for Jeff Casteel to dial up the four-man rush with a linebacker joining the front to go after whoever is in the game.

What will the crowd look like? I imagine it will look much better than what we saw Friday against Louisville. The stadium was practically empty. But, it was the day after Thanksgiving so many were home for the holidays. But, still...that was weak. It looked like a Temple home game. Thursday night, with the students back should be much better. Plus, WVU should have a solid base of fans as well. Thursday night is going to be fun.

WVU-Pitt Final Thoughts

It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win. And, it's a win over hated Pitt, so you take it no matter what it looked like. And, boy was it ugly. The Mountaineers did everything possible to lose that game, but just found a way to win. It was a frustrating, but great night to be a Mountaineer.

Most Valuable: Julian Miller and Corey Smith. Miller was exceptional on the Mountaineer front. He broke a WVU single-game record with four sacks, and finished with 12 total tackles. Miller has had a fine career in Morgantown, and it was great to see have such an impact on Senior Day. Meanwhile, Corey Smith had his best day as a Mountaineer averaging 57 yards a punt. No one deserved to have a bigger day than a guy who has had to deal with the ups and downs like Smith has.

Least Valuable: Offensive Line. Granted, the unit played much better in the second half, but this group got beasted for the most part...again. Geno was sacked four times, and the rushing game was inconsistent. Overall, the Panthers finished with double-digit tackles for-loss. The line has had one great game this year, but that's about it.

Most Surprising: Corey Smith's Punting. I mean the kid just killed the ball. Who would have thought? Going in to this game he wasn't even expected to boot it, but got the job done when asked to.

Least Surprising: The West Virginia Sack Exchange. Yes, maybe 10 sacks wasn't expected, but the Panthers have allowed over 50 this year. So, really not that surprising that WVU would be able to get to Tino Sunseri. And, it was nice to see WVU able to keep guys in coverage, because they got plenty of pressure from just three or four-man rushes. It also helped that Sunseri holds on to the ball for five mins.

Play of the Game: 4th and 6. With only a few minutes remaining WVU faced a 4th and long in the redzone. Dana Holgorsen had to make a tough decision, and it was the right decision. Instead of going for the field goal, Holgs went for it. Geno found Tavon Austin right past the first down marker and the rest was history.

Grades:

Quarterback: Geno was pretty good. His numbers were solid. He didn't turn the ball over, and made the passes when it mattered the most. Was it a prolific day? No. But, it was enough to help his team win.

Grade: B

Running back: Tough day finding space, but that was more on the offensive line. Shawne Alston scored two more touchdowns, and Dustin Garrison had some nice runs in the second half.

Grade: B

Wideout: Not a bad day for this group. There were a few drops, and Tyler Urban did have a big fumble. However, also some big catches in crunch time as we have seen year.

Grade: B

Offensive line: Outclassed all night long. Geno was on the run, and the ground game struggled for the most part. This unit continues to struggle.

Grade: C-

Defensive line: Outstanding game. Created plenty of pressure, and helped the defense finish with 10 sacks. This is what we expected all year long.

Grade: A

Linebacker: The group did well, even getting in on the sack parade for a few. Did well against the run, especially in the second half.

Grade: A-

Secondary: A pretty good day for the unit. he safeties were all over the field, and the corners broke up some potentially big pass plays. A solid day for this group.

Grade: A-

Special Teams: Don't even know where to start. Great punting, good coverage, awful everything else.

Grade: No idea

Coaching: Play-calling wasn't great, but the 4th and 6 was the right call. Defensive play was outstanding, and Special Teams is a complete wonder at this point.

Grade: B+

Big East Preview, Week 13

It's a holiday edition of the picks, so I don't have a ton of time to get in depth. Hope everyone out there has a wonderful Thanksgiving! To the picks...

Last Week: 2-1

Overall: 38-23

Bye Week: None

Rutgers at Connecticut: The Knights are still holding on to BCS hopes after a great win last week over Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the Huskies are fading back into oblivion with no quarterback, and an inconsistent defense. Expect the Knights to have much success through the air, which should open the run just a bit. Rutgers should be able to score enough to keep ahead of the Huskies, who will probably make enough mistakes to take them out of the game.

Prediction: 23-16 Rutgers

Cincinnati at Syracuse: This is a dangerous time for the Bearcats. The offense was awful with Munchie Legaux, and one more loss will surely kill their BCS hopes. Fortunately for them they play a Syracuse team that hasn't one since Oct 21st. The Orange have been wretched the last month, and nothing truly tells you that it will turn around. This game will be ugly.

Prediction: 17-14 Cincinnati

Louisville at South Florida: The Cardinals should win their final game of the season, which will put them in the best spot for the BCS bid. B.J. Daniels is probably out this week, which means Bobby Eveld takes the starting responsibilities for the Bulls. Look for Louisville to bring some serious pressure. This will burn USF, as the Cards finish up a good regular season with a big win.

Prediction: 28-20 Louisville

Game of the Week: Pittsburgh at West Virginia: The Mountaineers will look to dismantle their rival in what could possibly be the final Backyard Brawl. Expect some serious points going up in this one. However, the Panthers just don't have the firepower to stay with WVU. Full preview tomorrow.

Prediction: 34-24 West Virginia

Flying Dub-V Top 25, Week 12

Here is this week's Top-25

1. LSU (11-0)

2. Alabama (10-1)

3. Arkansas (10-1)

4. Oklahoma State (10-1)

5. Stanford (10-1)

6. Boise State (10-1)

7. Virginia Tech (10-1)

8. Houston (11-0)

9. Oregon (9-2)

10. Michigan State (9-2)

11. USC (9-2)

12. Georgia (9-2)

13. Oklahoma (9-2)

14. South Carolina (9-2)

15. Kansas State (9-2)

16. Michigan (9-2)

17. Wisconsin (9-2)

18. Baylor (7-3)

19. Clemson (9-2)

20. Penn State (9-2)

21. TCU (9-2)

22. Nebraska (8-3)

23. Notre Dame (8-3)

24. Georgia Tech (8-3)

25. West Virginia (7-3)

Big East Power Rankings, Week 12

1. West Virginia (7-3, 3-2 in conference): Two must-wins left if they want to be BCS bowling. Next Step...Backyard Brawl on Friday.

2. Louisville (6-5, 4-2): The Cards still have a great chance to get the BCS bid, and have the tiebreaker over WVU in a head-to-head macthup. Next Step...on the road to South Florida

3. Rutgers (8-3, 3-2): A great win over Cincinnati still has the Knights believing in winning the conference. Next Step...Road game in Storrs.

4. Cincinnati (8-3, 4-2): Need to find ways to win with new quarterback, Munchie Legaux, or BCS chances disappear. Next Step...In the Dome taking on Syracuse.

5. Pittsburgh (5-5, 3-2): The Panthers have been playing better, and still have a shot at the BCS. Next Step...In Morgantown for the Backyard Brawl.

6. Connecticut (4-6, 1-4): The Huskies have no consistency, and need to find an offense heading in to the offseason. Next Step...Looking to spoil Rutgers' season.

7. South Florida (5-5, 1-4): The Bulls are just looking to finish the season at this point...especially after losing to Miami 6-3 last week. Next Step...Looking to spoil Louisville's BCS hopes.

8. Syracuse (5-5, 1-4): A very disappointing season continues for the Orange, who haven't won since the big game over WVU. Next Step...Facing a vulnerable Cincinnati team.