MORGANTOWN — WVU head coach Neal Brown said last week that you can pinpoint the 2019 game against Texas Tech as the turning point for the Mountaineers’ defense. After an awful start in the first half, it settled down and it seemed like something clicked.
It ended strong in 2019, then had a historic season in 2020 as one of the best in the nation.
Another strong start in 2021 had many wondering if WVU could continue building a strong defensive brand, but last Saturday against the Red Raiders yet again, it wasn’t the standard the Mountaineers set over the previous 20 games in a 23-20 loss.
While the offense didn’t do it’s job, either, unable to put any points on the board in the first half, the defense also struggled to get Texas Tech off the field. Senior safety Sean Mahone had an interception on the first drive when the Red Raiders tried to get fancy with a wide receiver pass, but on three of the next four series, TTU was able to get points, including two touchdowns, putting WVU (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) in a 17-0 hole.
“Our first half, our defense didn’t come out too hot,” senior defensive tackle Dante Stills said. “We let them score 17 points right off the bat, and that’s a big deficit. It was more us than them. We were sluggish at the beginning, were moving slow.”
The Red Raiders (4-1, 1-1) racked up 207 yards of offense in the first two quarters, including 59 on the final drive of the second quarter in less than two minutes, which allowed them to line up for a field goal to make it a three-possession game.
To the surprise of Brown, who said his team practiced well earlier in the week, energy was a big issue. Stills and Mahone said the same, even feeling the lack of intensity before kickoff.
The energy finally picked up in the second half, forcing Texas Tech to punt on its first two possessions, then held the Red Raiders to a field goal on the third.
WVU’s offense also got rolling, eventually evening the score at 17 and then again at 20.
With the game tied at 20-20 with just under five minutes to go, though, the Mountaineers knew it had to get a stop. Following a 42-yard pass from Henry Colombi to Kaylon Geiger of cornerback Daryl Porter Jr., TTU was able to run out most of the clock to kick the game-winning field goal.
“Our thought process before that last drive was don’t let them score, make them earn the yardage,” Stills said. “That big play hurt us really bad. It’s football, though, and that happens. We have to execute better. The second half we fought our way back, but it didn’t work out in the end. The second half we gave ourselves a chance to win the game. It just didn’t work out in the end. We’ve just got to move on to next week against Baylor.”
The Bears (4-1, 2-1) are coming off a road loss at Oklahoma State last weekend, and will host the Mountaineers at noon Saturday.
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