Liberty Bowl 2014: Game Grades, Analysis for Texas A&M vs. West Virginia

The Texas A&M Aggies defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers 45-37 in the 2014 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee, Saturday evening.

A&M's quarterback Kyle Allen was excellent for the Aggies, throwing for 294 yards and four touchdowns and adding 33 yards and one touchdown on the ground. 

Running backs Tra Carson and Trey Williams combined for 219 yards rushing, with Carson piling up 133 yards alone. 

West Virginia's offense clicked early in the first quarter, and the Mountaineers took an early 20-14 lead over the Aggies.

However, West Virginia's lack of success rushing the ball early on cost it, as the Aggies were able to control the clock and slowly add to a second-half lead that proved insurmountable in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Skyler Howard also struggled throwing the ball. Despite throwing for nearly 350 yards and three touchdowns, he threw far too many incompletions and missed too many wide-open receivers throughout the night for the Mountaineers offense to sustain drives.

Here are the game grades for both teams using statistics obtained from NCAA.com.

Texas A&M Game Grades

Position Unit	Halftime Grades	Final Grades
Passing Offense	A	A
Pass Defense	C	C
Rushing Offense	C	B+
Rush Defense	A	A
Special Teams	B	B
Coaching	C	B

Passing Offense

Allen was excellent in both halves of the game, throwing two 40-plus-yard touchdowns in the first half and another touchdown late in the third quarter to essentially seal the win for the Aggies.

He was also efficient with his passing, completing 22 of 35 passes for a 62.8 percent completion rate and only one interception. 

Pass Defense

The Aggies passing defense left much to be desired in the first half, giving up two 40-plus-yard touchdowns of its own.

However, despite giving up nearly 350 yards through the air, A&M held Skyler Howard to a dismal 44 percent completion rate, which was a major reason why the Mountaineers could never sustain drives.

Rushing Offense

After a first half that was also completely dominated by passing from both teams, A&M's rushing attack took over in the second half and both extended the lead and prevented the Mountaineers from getting back into the game.

Rush Defense

A&M held West Virginia to under 100 yards rushing throughout most of the game, and it wasn't until late in the fourth quarter that the Mountaineers run game finally came alive.

By that point, however, it was too little too late. 

Special Teams

The Aggies had a solid day on special teams. Josh Lambo made his only field-goal attempt and every extra-point attempt. Punter Drew Kaser averaged 40 yards per punt, which was marred by a 15-yard duck.

Speedy Noil and Trey Williams were both solid on kickoff returns, with longs of 33 and 30 yards, respectively.

Coaching

Head coach Kevin Sumlin and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital found a weakness in West Virginia's defense in the second half and exploited it to get the win.

Credit both for emphasizing the running game in a matchup that many expected to be an air raid shootout, as the ground attack was the turning point in the game for the Aggies. 

West Virginia Game Grades

Position Units	Halftime Grades	Final Grades
Passing Offense	B	B-
Pass Defense	D	D
Rushing Offense	F	C
Rush Defense	C	D
Special Teams	B+	B+
Coaching	B	C

Passing Offense

The Mountaineers started off strong in the passing game, with Howard connecting three times with his receivers for big touchdown plays in the first half. 

However, too many incompletions and overthrows or underthrows hurt West Virginia's offensive rhythm, and the Mountaineers left huge chunks of yards and points on the field Saturday night. 

Pass Defense

Although Allen didn't match Howard's numbers, he was much more effective as a passer and kept A&M's offense alive on many drives.

The Mountaineers didn't do enough to prevent him from moving the chains with his arm early in the game, and they paid for it once A&M got out to a two-touchdown lead.

Rushing Offense

West Virginia's rushing attack was dismal through 80 percent of the game. In fact, it was downright nonexistent until late in the fourth quarter when A&M went into a prevent defense.

Not having a reliable rushing attack or a second dimension to their offense both proved to be the Mountaineers' undoing in this matchup.

Rush Defense

The Mountaineers did well to keep A&M's rushing attack somewhat in check in the first half, but they allowed Carson, Williams and even Allen to pick up too many yards in the second half.

Once A&M got a lead, it was able to milk the clock on the ground, and West Virginia simply wasn't able to force the Aggies to punt quickly enough.

Special Teams

West Virginia's special teams unit performed well on Saturday. Kicker Josh Lambert was 3-of-3 on his field goals, including a long from 40 yards.

Mario Alford also added a 50-yard kickoff return that led to points for the Mountaineers.

Coaching

Dana Holgorsen called a solid game considering his senior quarterback, Clint Trickett, was on the sidelines due to repeated concussions earlier this season.

However, the lack of run game cost the Mountaineers dearly. While West Virginia's rushing attack isn't particularly fierce, it's better than what it looked like on Saturday.

With a little more emphasis on it early when it was clear Howard was struggling, the Mountaineers could possibly have put more pressure on A&M and kept drives alive.