It’s been a tough week to be a Mountaineer.
We had a spring in our step as we thought it was a lock that West Virginia would be the 14th team to be added to the SEC, only to learn about 48 hours later that not only had the SEC turned down WVU but so had the ACC.
Rejection is tough.
On Saturday, though, it could all be forgotten. Football victories have healed Mountaineer Nation before and now Dana Holgorsen and the 2011 Mountaineers could do the same.
All the 16th-ranked Mountaineers have to do is pull the biggest upset in Mountaineer Field history when No. 2 LSU (3-0) comes to town for a marquee 8 p.m. showdown.
Simple request, right?
Not so much, especially if you’ve watched any games that Les Miles’ group has played this year. The defense is quick and relentless and quarterback Jarrett Lee is actually playing about as well as any quarterback.
But WVU fans are dreamers and let’s be realistic; we all want to send a message to the SEC brass that passing on the Mountaineers was a mistake.
WVU has been in similar predicaments before and the Mountaineers delivered an upset – 2003 against No. 4 Virginia Tech, 2006 against No. 7 Georgia and 2008 against No. 3 Oklahoma.
Saturday’s game is different.
ESPN’s Gameday crew is in town up on the Mountainlair (West Virginia’s student union), and by kickoff Saturday night the WVU fans are going to be hyped. Miles said earlier this week that West Virginia has an SEC atmosphere, and he expects a tough go.
Of course, a little of that is coach speak. But he also respects the place.
For WVU to pull off an upset, it’s going to take the prerequisite breaks on special teams and with turnovers. The offense hasn’t put together a perfect game yet, but the Mountaineers are close. To beat the Tigers, the offense can’t make huge mistakes.
WVU’s defense is also going to have a tough task. LSU’s offense is going to try to push the Mountaineers around and run the ball down their throat. Maryland proved last week that you can actually do that against WVU.
However, I have complete faith in defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, who usually draws up his best plan when the stakes are high.
Holgorsen is going to put a lot of pressure on Geno Smith to read the defense quick and get rid of the ball even quicker. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Holgorsen try to switch it up on LSU by spreading the WVU is going to be tough.
On Saturday night, I’ll be in Mountaineer Field hoping to celebrate another great WVU victory.
It sure would make a tough week much sweeter.
