How are West Virginia and TCU defenses adjusting to Big 12?

Geno Smith and the West Virginia offense have struggled, but what about the defense? Getty Images

Earlier today I took a look at West Virginia’s drop in offense now that they are in the thick of the Big 12 schedule to see if they can find their swagger this weekend when Oklahoma comes to Morgantown. As I noted, the Mountaineers had scored 56 points in the first quarter of their five wins to start the season but just 14 points in their recent four-game losing streak. The way this season started for West Virginia looked like they were going to have a rousing good time in their new conference home, the Big 12. That clearly has not been the case, with West Virginia still one win away from becoming bowl eligible. After a 5-0 start, who would have thought we would reach that point.

The offense is certainly going to be taking the brunt of the recent struggles of the Mountaineers, but you have to wonder if the defense is getting gassed as well. This was one of the concerns for the Mountaineers heading in to the season, and we now have an idea of whether or not this may be the case. Has the conference change caught up to West Virginia?

I hesitate to make year-by-year comparisons, and especially week-by-week comparisons because every game each week can have a different outlook on a weekly basis and the makeup of teams changes each year. Perhaps, though, we got a glimpse of the theme of the season in week one, when West Virginia faced in-state foe Marshall in the Friends of Coal Bowl. As you can see in the graph below, Marshall found success on offense against West Virginia and you can compare the offensive results for the Thundering Herd. West Virginia played Marshall in week one in 2011 as well, and the defensive success was, to put it kindly, noticeable.

Take a look at the chart below and you will see that once the Mountaineers got in to Big 12 play, it became obvious something was going to have to change compared to playing in the Big East. Last season just four teams all year put together at least 400 yards of total offense against West Virginia. So far this fall all six Big 12 opponents (and seven total) have put together over 400 yards of offense.

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West Virginia celebrates first Big 12 game with gigapixel image

West Virginia pulled out all of the bells and whistles as they played host to the first Big 12 game in conference history. Aside from celebrating a 70-63 victory over Baylor with a rousing rendition of “Country Roads,” the school set up a massive gigapixel image with a panoramic shot of Milan Puskar Stadium, and they want fans to go ahead tag themselves in it.

It’s really quite stunning. Click the image below to check out the full image. Yes, you can rotate and zoom the image as well, allowing you to be as creepy as you wish. Are you anywhere in this image?

Click image to view full image.

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College Football Week 5 Highlights

So many highlights, so little time

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Episode 131 – College football week 5 preview with Aaron Torres

Aaron Torres from Crystal Ball Run is shaky on West Virginia

Geno Smith and West Virginia are off to a good start, but are they for real? Aaron Torres does not think so.

The West Virginia Mountaineers will play their first Big 12 Conference game in program history this weekend, with No. 25 Baylor rolling in to Morgantown for what should be an interesting game to say the least. While Geno Smith and the Mountaineers have jumped out to a decent start it should be noted the level of competition they have faced has been lacking compared to some of the teams ahead of them on the schedule, including Texas, Oklahoma and TCU. Is West Virginia a legitimate Big 12 contender? With an offense fueled by Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey I sure think they have more than enough to score enough points to be considered in the mix, but do feel their defense could cost them at some point.

One college football mind who is not nearly as high on West Virginia as some is Aaron Torres, co-managing editor from Crystal Ball Run. Torress joins the podcast to explain why he is hesitant to buy in to the Mountaineers at this stage as well as discuss some observations from the first four weeks of the season and take a look at some key games being played around the country this weekend.

In addition to West Virginia’s Big 12 debut against Baylor, some of the topics discussed in this episode of the podcast include:

• After a second straight win against a Big Ten contender, is Notre Dame for real? (We discussed this last week with Ty Hildenbrandt, before Notre Dame’s victory against Michigan if you would like to compare and contrast)
• Can Florida State follow-up last week’s big win against Clemson by avoiding a letdown at South Florida?
• The SEC East race looks to be an enticing three-team race between Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Are Gators emerging as team to beat?
• Texas Longhorns arriving ahead of schedule?
• Ohio State faces stiff road test in Big Ten opener at Michigan State, while Wisconsin searches for offensive stability at Nebraska
• Oregon State out to prove 2-0 start is legit this weekend at Arizona

Have a listen to the podcast below, then make sure you are subscribed in iTunes! Follow Torres on Twitter @Aaron_Tores and follow Crystal Ball Run @CrystalBallRun (follow me @KevinOnCFB). And don’t forget, this podcast can be heard at anytime on Stitcher Radio (and click here for a promo code to get started and a chance to win $100)!

A portion of this podcast will be featured in our first ever encore presentation Friday evening, airing live on Pioneer Digital TV channels 150 and 152 in Oklahoma, and parts of Texas and Kansas where available. Click here for more information, and stay tuned for some announcements for the podcast and site coming soon.

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College Football Flashback: The Miracle in Morgantown

Mike Vick’s run may have saved a program

The Virginia Tech Hokies will open their 2012 season at home tonight against Georgia Tech with one of the many reasons we love college football to set the tone. The Hokies look to have another solid team ready to go this season, with Logan Lloyd under center, a dependable running game supporting him and a traditionally stingy Virginia Tech defense and special teams units under the guidance of Frank Beamer.

But before we get to tonight’s ACC opener between Hokies and Yellow Jackets in Blacksburg, let’s take a trip down memory lane with a look at one of the greatest moments in Virginia Tech history.

Today we look back on Virginia Tech’s 1999 victory at West Virginia (November 6, 1999). … Continue Reading