Oh, how the tables can turn ever so quickly. Read more: Buyers and Sellers After WVU’s Improbable Comeback in the Backyard Brawl
This time last week, we were talking about West Virginia football’s (2-1, 0-0) embarrassing defeat against Ohio University. At the time, the season’s future looked bleak.
However, all that disappointment is comfortably in the rear-view mirror after WVU was able to take down its bitter rival, the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Let’s keep the good vibes going by continuing our weekly series of buyers and sellers, where, unlike last week, we will once again have more buyers.
Buyers
QB1: Nicco Marchiol
If there were any doubts about who the sole quarterback was before playing Pittsburgh, Nicco Marchiol has firmly put them to rest.
Throughout the first two games, and even against the Panthers, head coach Rich Rodriguez has remained consistent in his efforts to play multiple quarterbacks.
Whether it was Scotty Fox Jr. playing quality minutes against Robert Morris or Jaylen Henderson trying to create a spark against Ohio. Rodriguez has tried his best to keep the QBs rotating if necessary.
However, if there’s one thing he and everyone else learned in week 3, it’s that Marchiol has earned the right to fully command the QB job.
While he didn’t have the most efficient first half, Marchiol took the Mountaineers into halftime with a 7-3 lead. And then Rodriguez made the decision to start the second half with Marchiol on the bench.
Related: Brick by Brick: WVU Lays the Foundation for a New Era
Instead, Fox got his first real opportunity to lead the Mountaineers. While the young quarterback certainly has a bright future ahead of him, his youth and inexperience showed mightily against the Panthers.
After two ill-advised interceptions deep in their own territory, Fox was taken out for Henderson. And after he didn’t have much success, Rodriguez turned back to Marchiol.
This turned out to be the best decision of the night as Marchiol would force the game into overtime with a late touchdown pass to Grayson Barnes. It wouldn’t take long for Marchiol and the Mountaineers to close out the game with an overtime win.
While he wasn’t perfect, Marchiol proved that he is the best quarterback on WVU’s roster and the correct choice to lead this team.
The Defensive Line
As a whole unit, WVU’s defense played a remarkable game against the Panthers. However, if there was one group you could single out for its play, without a doubt, it was the defensive line.
A well-known downfall of Pittsburgh’s quarterback Eli Holstein is that he doesn’t handle pressure well. With that in mind, the Mountaineers took full advantage of that and kept consistent pressure on him throughout the whole game.
If you just look at Holstein’s stats —303 yards and one touchdown— you would think he had a really good game. And while that is somewhat true, Holstein was not on target for most of the game.
Especially in the first half, WVU’s defensive line pressure was consistently getting to Holstein and affecting his throws. There were a number of throws that Holstein normally makes that he didn’t because of the impact the defensive line was making.
They also helped to completely shut down Desmond Reid. The Panthers’ star running back had just 30 yards on six carries.
In total, the Mountaineers’ defensive line forced 2.5 sacks with a considerable amount of pressures. As a defense, WVU forced six sacks, but the rest were from its linebacking core.
The defense has remained a bright spot for West Virginia, and week three showed that the big boys up front are one of the driving forces behind its success.
Tye Edwards
Talk about a warm welcome.
After a long, exhausting legal battle regarding his eligibility, Tye Edwards got his first opportunity to play in the blue and gold. And his debut didn’t disappoint.
Let’s just start with his state line: 142 yards and three touchdowns on 25 attempts.
Not only is that efficient with 5.6 yards per carry, but he was also able to find the endzone multiple times in crucial situations. He not only scored WVU’s opening touchdown, but he also scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
He also had a rushing touchdown in the third quarter to extend WVU’s lead at the time.
All game long, the Mountaineers were able to count on the legs of Edwards. He demonstrated an ability to not only easily bounce off tacklers but also have the necessary burst to get those long runs.
Related: Major Takeaways From WVU’s Comeback Win Over Pitt
This was especially important as West Virginia’s passing attack struggled for parts of the game. In the midst of the uncertainty with the offense, Edwards remained a bright spot.
The injury to star running back Jahiem White was, and still is, a major loss for the Mountaineers. There’s no doubt that he will be missed.
However, the pain of that loss may have just been lessened with the emergence of Edwards.
Considering the Panthers have a good defense, especially their linebacking core, it was an even more impressive performance for Edwards.
If Edwards can continue this play, West Virginia’s rushing attack will not skip a beat, even with White out for the season.
Sellers
Before we get started with the sellers, I want to say that while this game was not perfect, ultimately the Mountaineers came out with a much-needed win despite them looking dead to rights.
With that in mind, it’s hard to be super negative about that. At the end of the day, they overcame a lot of setbacks to beat their bitter rival in front of a sellout crowd.
That said, I do have one gripe, beyond the rotating QBs I mentioned earlier.
Not Enough Targets for Cam Vaughn
If there’s one thing that can’t continue for WVU to have the most success, it’s not getting Cam Vaughn more involved in the offense.
In no means did Vaughn have a bad game against Pittsburgh. He totaled 34 yards on three catches.
Not bad, but not nearly enough for the caliber of receiver Vaughn is.
For the game, Vaughn had just six targets. That alone is an alarming number, especially considering the Mountaineers are already without their No. 2 receiver Jaden Bray.
The Mountaineers also rarely threw the ball up to him deep. One of the few times they did, he forced a pass interference call.
I understand that Vaughn is going to attract opposing defenses’ best cornerbacks, as well as safety help at times. However, that can’t stop them from finding him more opportunities to get the ball.
He has proven that he is a dynamic player with the ball in his hands. Not only that, he has shown that he is a threat deep down the field.
West Virginia is a run-first team, point-blank period. However, they can’t continue to forget about their star receiver on the outside.
It’s unlikely that he will warrant 10-plus targets a game in a Rich Rodriguez offense. But if he can consistently get to that seven to nine range with more deep shot opportunities, then I think that is a happy medium.
Vaughn has the potential to be one of the best receivers in the Big 12, and in order to show that, he needs more targets. If WVU wants to improve its offense, it should start with getting the ball to its star receiver more often.
Wrap
Come back next week as we break down buyers and sellers post-Kansas. On top of that, return to WV Sports Nation daily. WV Sports Nation is your home for all things WVU Athletics.
