West Virginia Mountaineers @ Syracuse Orange Football Preview

Will a nightmare persist this year for the West Virginia Mountaineers, or will a spell be broken? That’s the foremost question before this Friday’s night fight under the big top in upstate New York.

In 2010, a hot West Virginia team hosted an improved but inferior Syracuse team in a mid-October game that most felt it would win without much of a challenge. Instead, the Mountaineers were disinterested in the game and a swarming Orange defense smothered them in the second half and came away with an upset win that catapulted them to their first bowl since 2004. This year’s edition appears very similar to last year’s perceived mismatch. The Orange are winning games closely and the offense has struggled to find an identity, while the Mountaineers are the clear league favorite and have as explosive an offense as there is in the nation under new head coach Dana Holgorsen. Will the Mountaineers fall prey to the same overconfidence that cost them last year, or will a rejuvenated offense be enough to win the game and push the Mountaineers toward a Big East championship.

Last year, Syracuse rode a powerful running game and solid defense to a number of close wins. This year, the offensive line has been shuffled and beset by injuries, and the offense has had to come almost exclusively from senior quarterback Ryan Nassib and the Orange passing game. Nassib has relied on receiver Alec Lemon and tight end Nick Provo as his primary receiving targets. When they do try to run the ball, Antwon Bailey has been an adequate back, but isn’t quite the pile-mover that Delone Carter was last year. The defense has also struggled, partly due to injuries, partly due to inexperience in the secondary, and teams have exploited the Orange through the air. The Orange currently ranked 112th in the nation in pass defense, allowing 293 yards per game through the air.

A struggling pass defense is just what the doctor ordered for Dana Holgorsen’s offense. Through six games, including one against the nation’s best defense, the Mountaineers are 4th nationally in passing offense, 11th in total offense, and 13th in scoring offense. Quarterback Geno Smith is averaging 359 yards per game through the air and the rushing attack, which struggled mightily to get on track in early in the season appears to finally have stabilized. If Smith has time to throw and the running game is productive enough to make people fear it, the Mountaineers should be able to move the ball at will on Syracuse and win comfortably. If, however, West Virginia appears disinterested in the game as they did last year, it could yet another nail biter for Syracuse fans and another head-scratching loss for West Virginia in such a promising season.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer