West Virginia vs. Texas: Game Grades, Analysis for Mountaineers and Longhorns

This was the kind of performance that Texas head coach Charlie Strong has been searching for all season. The Longhorns played very well defensively, holding West Virginia to just 16 points and running the ball at ease at times in the 33-16 win.

The Texas offensive line deserves most of the recognition in this win, as the Longhorns rushed for 227 total yards. Johnathan Gray had 101 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and Malcolm Brown added 90 yards.

West Virginia attempted to make a comeback in the second half after trailing 24-3 at halftime, but ultimately the mistakes were too much to overcome. The Mountaineers turned it over twice and also took a safety on a sack of quarterback Clint Trickett.

The Longhorns move to 5-5 on the season, and they will look to become bowl-eligible with a sixth win next week versus Oklahoma State. West Virginia must recover from this loss quickly, as it faces Kansas State after an off week.

You can find the box score for the game here, courtesy of NCAA.com.

Game Grades and Analysis for the West Virginia Mountaineers

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	C	C
Rushing Offense	D	B-
Pass Defense	B	B
Run Defense	D-	C
Special Teams	C	D
Coaching	D	C

Passing Offense

It wasn't the best day for West Virginia, who only had 141 total yards at halftime. Trickett finished 36-of-49 passing with 248 yards, but he failed to find the end zone. The passing offense gets an average grade because Trickett averaged only 5.1 yards per passing attempt and threw an interception.

Rushing Offense

The run game gets a B-minus because of the struggles early on. The Mountaineers had only 42 yards in the first half, but they ended with 200 yards on the ground. Dreamius Smith broke off a 62-yard run, and he ended the day with 100 yards on 10 carries.

Pass Defense

The numbers weren't there for Texas quarterback Tyrone Swoopes, and that can be attributed to West Virginia's adjustments at halftime. The Longhorns weren't able to run the ball as effectively in the second half, and the West Virginia secondary made plays as a result. 

Swoopes averaged only 4.3 yards per attempt, and West Virginia forced him into an interception.

Run Defense

It was a tale of two halves for the West Virginia run defense. Texas ran the ball all over the Mountaineers in the first half, totaling 178 yards at the intermission, but was held to just 49 yards rushing in the final two quarters.

The Mountaineers forced Texas into passing situations on third down, and that helped them come away with some big stops.

Special Teams

The Mountaineers weren't able to get points on the board a couple of times, as Josh Lambert went 1-of-3 on his field goals. Punter Nick O'Toole punted four times, but he failed to pin any of them inside the 20-yard line.

Coaching

The coaching did a better job in the second half after making adjustments, but the first half was not pretty. The play-calling did not allow the offense to establish any kind of rhythm in the first half, as the Mountaineers failed to take many shots down the field.

The safety in the second half was a direct result of play-calling, so I blame coaching there also. With the ball on the 2-yard line, West Virginia should have got some breathing room with a run or called a short pass. Instead, Trickett dropped back three steps and was sacked before he had a chance to go through his progressions.

Game Grades and Analysis for the Texas Longhorns

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	B-	D
Rushing Offense	A+	B-
Pass Defense	B	B
Run Defense	B+	B-
Special Teams	C	B
Coaching	A	B-

Passing Offense

As good as Texas looked Saturday, Swoopes did not have his best day. He finished with just 124 yards passing and only averaged 4.3 yards per attempt. Late in the game, he made poor decisions, including one interception.

Rushing Offense

The Texas offense earned a great grade in the first half, but the second half wasn't as impressive. The Longhorns totaled 178 yards before halftime, and the offensive line made holes large enough for a monster truck to drive through.

The grade is a B-minus because of the way West Virginia's adjustments affected Texas in the second half. Gray finished with three touchdowns, but as a team Texas was held to 49 yards after halftime.

Pass Defense

The secondary played very well on Saturday, keeping Trickett from throwing a touchdown pass. Quandre Diggs played physical and came up with a big interception right before the half. 

Trickett was 36-of-49 passing, but many of his throws were screen passes and short tosses.

Run Defense

The run defense was very good in the first half, as Texas held the Mountaineers to 42 yards on the ground. Smith broke off a long run in the second half, and West Virginia finished the game with 200 yards rushing.

I still give the Longhorns a decent grade because of the way they held West Virginia in check in the first half.

Special Teams

Punter Michael Davidson booted punts for an average of 43.7 yards, and he pinned West Virginia inside the 20-yard line three times. Nick Rose went 1-of-2 on his kicks, but the kick before halftime was great for momentum.

Coaching

The coaching staff was not as impressive with their halftime adjustments, but the defense ultimately played its best game of the season. The offense questionably threw the ball deep at times, and the flow just wasn't there offensively in the second half.

When you take into account how well the defense played, though, it's hard to give this staff a grade lower than a B-minus.