West Virginia vs Bowling Green Football Recap

It’s true that the West Virginia Mountaineers absorbed a big blow when the No. 1 LSU Tigers came into Appalachia and broke many hearts. It’s true that the fourth-quarter beatdown administered by the top team in the SEC was difficult to deal with. It’s true that losing a spotlight game on national television will generally take some spring out of one’s step and make it hard to refocus for the journey ahead.

With all of that having been said, what you saw on Saturday afternoon should give a lot of encouragement to all who call themselves Mountaineers.

It took them a few weeks to get comfortable in the brand new offense of head coach Dana Holgorsen, but now that they are, the West Virginia Mountaineers are on a roll. Even in defeat last week against LSU, West Virginia was able to move the ball extremely well through the air. Against Bowling Green, the final component of the offense, a dependable running game, finally emerged. True freshman running back Dustin Garrison carried the ball 32 times for 291 yards and two touchdowns as the Mountaineers blew out Bowling Green by 45 points.

The Falcons actually led the game 10-3 midway through the first quarter on a short field goal by Stephen Stein. WVU was understandably going through the motions, with memories of the LSU loss floating through the minds of many players wearing home jerseys at Mountaineer Field. After that sad-hearted start, however, this team was able to gather itself and play up to its quite considerable capabilities. The emotional resilience and competitive energy displayed by West Virginia after the opening minutes should serve as a source of ballast for the Big East season that’s about to kick into high gear. The Mountaineers scored the game’s final 52 points and won going away. The offense’s ability to lean on the ground game will pay dividends as Big East conference play begins next week.

The other positive development coming out of the game for West Virginia was the reemergence of a ball-hawking defense. After allowing a comeback by Maryland and tackling very poorly in a loss to LSU at home, the West Virginia defense looked a great deal more like the attacking defenses of the past few years. West Virginia held Bowling Green to just 217 total yards and forced five turnovers. Quarterback Matt Schilz was constantly flushed and hurried into throwing three interceptions. The Mountaineers improved to 4-1 on the year and begin conference play next week with a chance to win at Connecticut, the team that knocked them out of first place in the Big East in 2010.

> Find a great selection of West Virginia Mountaineers merchandise and more online along with Big East football gear from Big East Fans partner sites.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer