Rapid Reactions: West Virginia loses season opener to Penn State

what's going on everyone Wesley Shoemaker joined by Keenan Cummings football was back in morgant town however it did not go the way that the Mountaineers or Mountaineer fans wanted to today West Virginia opened the season with a 34-2 loss to Penn State there was a lot that went on a rain delay that lasted over two hours but overall Keenan uh I I think we both can agree that it just looked like pennstate was the better more talented team yeah and it there's that on the surface and then there's also the fact that West Virginia really didn't give themselves a chance to win this game you know they looked out of sorts on offense the defense struggled at times uh you know at times they look pretty good against the Run especially in the first half second half it kind of came unglued a little bit couldn't get they couldn't get off the field couldn't get stops offensively you know it was at times of disaster you know you get the early turnover on The Botch snap from Penn State think and you over on the uh on just stuff that should not happen with a senior Laden team a veteran team uh there wasn't a lot of penalties in this game for West Virginia but just alignment assignment you name it everything else just it looked off and we can debate forever you know as to what's the reason for that you know was the moment too big for West Virginia was the was were they too amped up you know there's a lot of reasons what did they just have a bad day uh I think that all that's fair fair you know you look at the numbers and they're they're just they're not very flattering West Virginia at all you know Penn State out gained them 457 to 246 34- 12 on the scoreboard third Downs West Virginia was abysmal yards per play 7.6 to 3.7 I mean go up and down you know West Virginia hung their hat on that 140 yard rushing streak 16 straight games you know it's something that Neil Brown's talked about a lot you know a lot of people around the program have talked a lot they had 85 yards in this couldn't couldn't even crack a 100 no they averaged 2.3 yards per carry uh that hasn't happened since 2022 I believe uh against Texas and that's back when JT Daniels was slinging the Rocks so I think that this this all around was just deflating in a sense if you're a West Virginia fan just because you know you thought this was your chance and I think me and you were were both cautious you know heading into this game there was this kind of I don't want to call it I guess a wave of euphoria in a sense where a lot of fans a lot of people around like around this game were kind of pretending as if West Virginia should just WS in and win and I never thought that was the case I thought this would I did think this would be a close game I picked Penn State I did not see this outcome coming I think anybody around the program if you ask them you Neil said at this postgame press conference just you they didn't play well enough they didn't give themselves a chance to win and that's not what you expect I think it's kind of shocking it kind of makes you take a look back and Wonder it's the type of loss you know yes West vir losing to Penn State that's not the problem here uh Penn State's a good team they were favored in this game on the mountainer field but it's how the game unfolded was this a oneoff was this just a bad performance on a bad day for West Virginia or is this a troubling sign of things to come and that's going to be the question that needs answered and you're not going to probably answer it next week against Albany but you know once this schedule flips and gets harder we've talked about how hard the schedule's going to get you're not going to play anybody on paper that's Penn State's caliber with athletes and kind of where they're ranked right now but it's concerning there's no there's no other way around it you know it's it's either a bad day at the office or a bad sign of things to come I think I think the biggest thing for me to start with is that I think when you speak of the narrative that was built of a lot of fans kind of like expecting West Virginia to win this game or be in this game I think that was a lot built because of the national attention this game had when you bring in mcafe show when you bring in big noon you're like okay those places go to these schools and go to these games because it's two good teams playing now to your to your point I think we both firmly fully agree that Penn State won this game but West Virginia did not even give themselves a real chance to kind of be in this game I don't think I think it starts in that first quarter on offense right like you get the ball in a great spot after a fumble and then boom bad snap and the game and then there's a score opportunity gone then you have a couple fourth Downs a couple drives later where they just can't convert there either and while it was a questionable spot to some not questionable to others right like that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things but they they had the opportunities and going back to your thing about this team being old the like your your whole offense kind of returned that was the big selling point is that you've got the quarterback back the running backs back a lot of the receiver rooms return and it it just looked like there was really no mesh there like there it was just like kind of choppy there was never a flow to the offense the whole day just looked off it's and it was weird like Aubrey Burks from the jump at the at the coin toss said what he said like we're gonna go score and then the first play happens and it's a catchable ball that tray and Ray drops and I think we kind of looked at each other in the Press Box like oh that's an opportunity right like those little things they add up and I know Neil referenced it after the game he said there were four explosive play opportunities there was obviously the one with Cole Taylor one with tray like there was just it was just a mess and I think that's where the troubling sign is is that you've had a month to prepare not only for the season but kind of specifically for this game it's not like you were facing a a lower level group of five or even an FCS school to open like everyone knew the quality of opponent and it felt like Penn State was prepared to play today and that they were ready for the moment and that West Virginia just simply was not and I I want to be clear here when I say that fans fans should expect to win these type of games I mean it's year six of Neil Brown I'm not being critical when I say that I'm just saying that the the games are there there's lines on the games for a reason you know West Virginia was an underdog whether you know we expected it or not but there is no excuse and Neil Brown to his credit you know the guy does take a beating sometimes from from fans and some other people but he did he's pretty much just blamed himself blamed his coaching staff blamed his team you know it's their fault that the fans were ready to go they had 62,000 there today the atmosphere was incredible to start that game now we're going to take out the rain delay that kind of killed a little bit of thing it's hard to blame people I mean it was hot and then it got really cold and rainy and that and it was thundering and thundering and raining and sideways and winding yeah and I just you know I think the thing that is most shocking to me personally and probably fans and you know that read my work or other people on the Beats work your work this isn't something anybody saw coming you know you expected the offense you know you thought the defense could have some makeup we've talked about the concerns with some of the new secondary pieces you know and and how's the defensive line going to respond you know we know they have depth but how quality is it you know those are all questions that you had you didn't have questions about the offense or Garrett green or the only questions you really had on offense were you know is is Brandon Yates gonna be able to play center is Nick Malone gonna be able to play tackle and that's pretty much it and I think and Nick Malone to his cred he looked fine at the tackle position but then the question mark of the of the snaps puts Yates into question and I and I Garrett green took blame for both of those I think it's all timing and like there's a lot that goes into it however every single time Neil gets to the podium during fall Camp he says we practice those those those those Concepts those mesh points those handoffs a ton and it just didn't look like that today yeah it's and and sometimes that happens you sometimes you don't have your best man I do want to drive that home to people I don't think that this is a better football team than they showed today and they played a football team that could expose them for playing poorly I mean Penn State was better up front I mean any way you slice it they were and they knew it and and they had enough Playmakers and enough things to to be able to move the football and I think that they did that defensively that's a really fast team you know how many times set next to you in the Press Box and I go man they are hitting hard especially early especially early fast and strong and athletic and I think that really showed up especi that that's a good defense I mean I I would that kind of I knew they were going to be impressive that might be a better defense than the one they had last year just in terms of speed and before the game you you said it was going to probably be the opposite you thought yeah I I mean I was I'll admit it I was impressed with with what I saw today uh they had they really kind of shut West Virginia down and Garrett green did not play his best today and they needed him to you know we discussed that leading up to this game we discussed it all the way up to the game uh two times they've played Penn State in the last two years and uh it's not quarterback vers quarterback but Drew Aller was a Difference Maker and Garrett Green in the west virgin offense was not and you know yeah go to green the thing that was kind of just confusing puzzling troubling like he just didn't run the ball right like a big a large facet of his game is his legs and not only the design runs but the scrambles and it seemed a lot of times he was try he he like there were probably opportunities to run and I know they were they were spying a lot for the most part and they kind of had a backer there but like go make a play like if if you're not helping your team and his throws were pretty like I think we can both say like his throws were all over the place it was like the accuracy was certainly not there today um and as as as you said the question is why like we we obviously don't know if it was because the moment was large if pen is just a really good defense like what the case is like they are a good defense yeah and sometimes it just happens like I I think the one thing I will say though as I think the encouraging thing is we've seen this group be good before don't think that you know to answer my question before uh kind of a little spoiler I don't think this is a sign of I don't think this football team is as bad as they look today uh I they're not gonna play Penn State every week obviously uh they're not gonna make some of these mistakes they made today I think that it's just kind of everything compiled sometimes you have bad days at the office and I think this is that to me at least you know everything I'd heard you know around this team coming into the season Everything Neil Brown had said the coaches had said was encouraging so that's the part to me that is alarming just because it's kind of like Neil Neil addressed this in his press conference after the game he didn't see this coming it just kind of they just were not up to task today and it's hard enough to beat a a team that's ranked in the top 10 you we can argue where Penn State fits in the playoff picture blah blah blah we can do that all day long that's a good football team uh that's definitely talent-wise one of the better teams West Virginia will play this season uh just look at all the guys on their roster you know I do a feature every week you I didn't I didn't even list all of them this time because there were so many that West Virginia tried to get and weren't able to get I mean they just they're loaded with good players and I think you saw that play out today but I do think we can credit Penn State all we want uh you gotta point the finger it West Virginia I mean I really do think that Penn State beat them but West Virginia didn't help themselves yeah and I think when you go to to your point about having a bad day at the office I think it just sucks when you have a bad day at the office and it's compounded with the stage that this game was right because because the expectation was that you could compete and keep this a close game and have a shot to win when you have a bad game on that stage it's like all the red flags go up because everyone expected one thing and got a totally different thing however I as you said I'm I'm not I'm not down on this team we're GNA get into big picture later but like just talking about this game right line of scrimmage Penn State controlled it those sides of the ball they were able to stop the run and they and they ran the ball really really well and then as you said Drew Aller man he made plays and that third quarter what stood out to me is that drive where it West Virginia like if you wanted to get back in the game you have to get a stop on that first drive and then go score and they had him in third and seven and third and eight and they have it greatly covered on the back end and Drew Allard just makes a play and he just uses his legs extends the play um a couple of the throws early for him I think we were like oh like it wasn't great but there were also a couple throws where he just really just ripped the ball put it on the money and did exactly what he needed to do and so you can see the talent from him those two backs Nick Singleton Kon all they did their thing um and yeah Penn State was is a good team there's no way around that and West Virginia obviously didn't have their a game today but at least offensively for Penn State like I'm not really upset with West Virginia's defensive performance I think outside of that botch 32nd period at the end of the first half and a couple of those big runs like outside of those two like the 40-yard touchdown run and that play like West Virginia's defense played pretty well and there were a lot of bodies going in and out like the depth was certainly tested and we we don't have snap counts or anything like that yet but I I was more impressed obviously with the defense and the offense and I think the defense played much better than the offense for West Virginia despite the 34 points they gave up yeah they got him on that 50y yard touchdown too with with a nice concept you something I think they did that a little bit last year too and they called a good game offensively I can't believe we made it almost 13 minutes into this podcast without top talking about that sequence that it's easy to say one play two plays changes the game but you just you felt it in the stadium if that makes sense if you were there you felt it and it's like it's a seven-point game it's a 14-point swing theoretically you played you played awful and it's a seven-point game yeah yeah and and then it's a for it's a 14-point swing of you go from down seven at the half with some momentum because you just scored to now down 14 to two and a half hours later pen the ball back right like so if it's a seven-point game after that delay there's probably more fans there there's probably a little more juice in that building there there's a chance that okay maybe someone then steps up and make a play and then your offense has the ball down seven but when your offense touches the ball for the first time after they scored and you're down 21 you're you're never going to win a football game like that yeah it was tough I that was just a tough sequence for West Virginia especially how it happen you stuff him on second down then you give up a 50 yard and then you give up a touchdown I agree with Neil I was surprised that wasn't reviewed but that's water under the bridge at this point and I think that really for West Virginia now I asked gar green about this you know they got to rely on their leadership you know you've talked about your leadership you've talked about how you're a veteran Team all offseason that's never more important than now I mean you've got to show that youve got to be able to move on from this you can't do anything about this you know people are going to be mad rightfully so because West Virginia they they they went face down you know they fell face first in this game and yes Penn State it's a good team but we've talked about it you got to be able to take care of business too and they didn't do that so I think fans are going to be frustrated but really for this team you got to block that noise out you know they're used to this in a sense like you the the I guess the one part here for me just from a big picture is you build so much momentum the fan base is I would say as United as it's been in some time uh and this happens so you got to hope that this is just a blip on the radar and not a think that's not you know not a sign of things to come so we'll see what happens I think that there's a lot of football left to be played you know I picked a nine and three season and I picked this game as a loss so everything is yeah everything is still in play for me do I think this team's gonna win nine games if they play like they did today absolutely no they're not going bowling yeah I'm not trying to fool anybody here I mean I'm not trying to paint roses and sunshine but I think this team will be better than what you saw today but we're definitely going to find out but we're going to do this more in depth we're gonna take a little bit we're look at some of the film go back and kind of look at what happened in the game look at some more of the count and I want to get kind of an immediate reaction out there to you from what we what we saw from the Press Box what our feelings were after the game and uh kind of you know just a little bit us talking with you a little bit of fireside chat here on a Saturday night yeah so we'll be back Monday afternoon with a new podcast episode kind of talking as Keenan said more big picture kind of a a bigger breakdown of this game uh one housekeeping note for those who might not have seen it yet Wyatt milm did miss the entirety of the second half and played great played great yep uh but he did he was he was cramping so nothing obviously passed this week with him it doesn't appear on on the outside by any sh to of the imagination jimo got banged up he came back in other than that they kind of stayed healthy there were bodies that went down but I don't think there was anything too crazy there so physical football game that happens it does so West Virginia Unfortunately they fall week one to Penn State 34 to2 we will be back with a lot more of the podcast on Monday as well as tonight and tomorrow on West virginas sports.com with uh a ton of content right like football's here and so read about it so that's that's all I could say so for myself I'm Wesley showmaker joined by Kenan Cummings we do appreciate you listening and this is the West virginas sports.com podcast