It was a tough loss last week against a good Oklahoma State team. Now it’s time to shift our focus against a team that I am not quite sure I know definitively if they are either good or bad. I am of course talking about the Iowa State Cyclones. If Oklahoma State has handed West Virginia some bad losses over the years, then Iowa State is right behind them. So of course we ge them back-to-back.
This is another big opportunity for Rich Rodriguez 2.0 in year two. A win gets you to 4-1 which matches your
win total from year one, you pick up your first conference win of the season, it sets you up nicely to be bowl eligible, and it probably gets you some AP votes depending on how you take care of business. Here’s some things you should look for Saturday at noon.
What’s the Response After Losing a First Conference Game
Dropping a game is never fun, and dropping a conference game is even less fun. Both WVU and Iowa State has the displeasure of dropping their first Big XII Conference games last week. While starting out 0-1 isn’t ideal, it doesn’t necessarily end your hopes of playing in Arlington, Texas at seasons’ end. However, starting 0-2 to open up Conference play DOES significantly impact your hopes of playing in Arlington.
Both of these teams had good opportunities to open up conference play with a win against quality competition. However, when you look at each team’s’ final scores last week, 41-24 for WVU and 31-17 for Iowa State, you wouldn’t think that. We all know how WVU’s game against Oklahoma State went but the gist of it is they had their chances and squandered it. Iowa State had their chances against a ranked Utah but squandered too many opportunities in the first half and had too big of a deficit to overcome. I am interested to see how each team comes out this Saturday afternoon. Like I said, 0-1 is doable, 0-2 is less so.
Struggling Defense vs Struggling Offense
It’s no secret that WVU’s defense struggled last week, especially in the second half. They couldn’t get pressure, they couldn’t make contact, they tackled poorly, and they struggled in coverage. Pretty much, the second half of last week’s game is everything you DON’T want to do as a defensive unit. We’ll know what this defense’s makeup is made of this week. Are they ticked off at their performances last week? Will they take it out on the Cyclones? If they do that then at the very least you feel good knowing you have guys that won’t simply roll over. However, if they come out flat and they make similar mistakes, then their is an overarching problem and then you can worry.
Fortunately for the mountaineers, they aren’t facing the Pokes offense for a second week they are taking on the Cyclones. If WVU fans are worried about their teams’ defense, then Iowa State fans are worried about their offense. Entering week five, the Cyclones have passed for a total of 659 yards and five TDs and rushed for 722 yards and eight TDs. For reference, Cam Cook himself has 510 yards and three TDs. It’s been a struggle for the Cyclones. This is an opportunity for both of these units to “win the day” and give themselves some confidence. Either one of these units is going to have to dig deep and give their teams a chance. I’m curious to see which unit is able to come out on top.
Which Quarterback Can Make a Play (Through the Air)
Michael Hawkins Jr. has been electric to start the year, especially on the ground. He’s been able to be a consistent threat on the ground to go with Cam Cook. He has also, at times, been able to showcase his arm and get big plays. However, last week, he wasn’t able to make plays throwing the football when the offense needed him to. It started to unravel at the end of the first half with his first interception of the season, and continued to be disorganized in the second half. When he struggled to throw, Oklahoma State’s defense was then able to key in and limit his abilities as a runner which halted the offense as a whole. Hawkins needs to be able to pass to keep up his dual threat capabilities. He doesn’t need to have long throws every pass attempt, if he simply takes the layups consistently it will force defenses to start playing the receivers better which will open up lanes for Hakins to run all over.
Jaylen Raynor had some dual threat capabilities as well, but not to the degree of Hawkins.Raynor has struggled with his accuracy as hes only completed 54% of his passes on the season. He also has to take better care of the football as he has three interceptions on the year, including two last week against Utah which was a big reason they found themselves in a hole deep. Raynor has shown he can play at high level when he was at Arkansas State the past few seasons, it just hasn’t all clicked in Ames.
One of these quarterbacks is going to have to make plays to give their teams a shot. Whichever one can beat the defense through the air consistently is going to give themselves a good shot.
Let’s hope the Mountaineers can get back on track! Let’s Go!
