MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Analytics has become a trigger word across all sports over the last five years, especially when it comes to baseball.
Numbers rarely lie, so managers and coaches are using analytics to make decisions rather than getting a feel for the game, which for old school fans out, may put a shiver up your spine.
Baseball stats like WAR, UZR, BABIP, wOBA, DRS and wRC+ — don’t worry, these are not easy to understand — have become more popular than your regular ole batting average and ERA that have been around the game forever, but are used to show scenarios and habits that happen more frequently than not.
The trickle down effect was bound to happen across all sports, and West Virginia fans were front and center for what, at the time, seemed like an odd decision from coach Neal Brown on Saturday against N.C. State.
Following Leddie Brown’s fourth quarter touchdown that put the Mountaineers up 44-27, it made the score a three-possession game at 17 points. Holder Josh Growden took the snap on the extra point and promptly took a knee.
A confused buzz was heard Milan Puskar Stadium, but the decision was really simple — there isn’t much difference between a 17-point and 18-point margin, and a blocked return by the Wolfpack would make it a two-possession game again at 15 points.
“We use a data analytics company and they give you different scenarios at the end of a game,” Brown said during Monday’s Big 12 coaches teleconference. “At that point, that put us up 17 and the extra-point does you no good. There’s no difference between 17 and 18. Worst case scenario, you have the kick blocked and they return it, it’s back to a two-possession game, which means if they go down and score, they have a shot at getting the onside kick. It may be unorthodox, but it makes a lot of sense.”
Rotation at guard
Brown said left guard Michael Brown, who missed the N.C. State game with an illness, will be back for Saturday’s game at Kansas, but right guard Josh Sills is still questionable with an injured shoulder.
In their absence, Chase Behrndt played “his best game of the season, by far,” according to Neal Brown.
“He was critical in some of our big runs plays — I thought he strained, I thought he played physical, and I thought he was as big a factor in our turnaround as anybody.”
James Gmiter, who earned his first start in Michael Brown’s spot, is expected to remain in rotation, while John Hughes will do the same with Behrndt at right guard. Redshirt-freshman Briason Mays remains the starting center after making his first start.
“Gmiter played a little bit in the first game, but he’s relatively new to the position,” Neal Brown said. “He played a little bit of o-line in high school, but other than that, hasn’t played a whole lot. I thought he fared very well, but there’s obviously some things that he has to improve on, but I thought he stayed in good body position and kept his eyes where they needed to be. I thought the best thing Briason did was communicate. He played with great effort and really played that way through the whole game.”
Bush reinstated
Neal Brown confirmed that wide receiver Tevin Bush was suspended for the N.C. State game due to violation of team rules, but will be back at practice Monday.
“He violated some team rules and paid the price for it,” Brown said.
Bush was a key factor in WVU’s opening win against James Madison, catching four passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. In Week 2 at Missouri, he had two grabs for 21 yards.
In his place, true freshman Winston Wright got the nod vs. N.C. State, hauling in four passes for 13 yards.
