UConn vs West Virginia: 5 Halftime Adjustments the Mountaineers Must Make

West Virginia fans shouldn't be anything but disappointed in the score of this game right now. Tied 3-3 at the end of the first quarter, and not much better at halftime. The Mountaineers have yet to take advantage of a solid effort by their defense or the opportunity to capitalize on UConn's mistakes.

A costly fumble and a huge personal foul in the first quarter doomed West Virginia and allowed the Huskies to hit their field goals.

This is a game that West Virginia needs to win in order to make a statement in the Big East and to stay in the BCS race. To pull away and seal the win, here are five big adjustments the Mountaineers must make at halftime:

1. Stuff the Run

 Uconn averaged almost four yards a carry on its first drive. Even though it's tapered off a bit, that's something to keep an eye on for the Mountaineer D. They must stuff the run so that the Huskies can’t use it to beat them on play-action passes.

Even if UConn doesn't get huge chunks of yardage, it can wear down the defense. Three yards here, four yards there, and the next thing you know, Lyle McCombs is taking handoffs in the red zone. They average just south of 130 yards per game on the ground, so if West Virginia can contain McCombs and hold them around that number, they should be in a good position.

2. Keep the Momentum

This is a should-win game for the Mountaineers. By that I mean, the 16th-ranked team must and SHOULD win this Big East home game. As long as they are playing well, the home crowd will stay with them, but if they get lazy and start making mistakes, they lose the crowd and possibly the game.

A loss to UConn would be devastating to West Virginia's BCS hopes. In the end, a conference win is huge no matter what the score. But, a single-digit victory isn't going to impress the pollsters. The Mountaineers trailed with under five minutes left in the second quarter and still just have ten points to show on offense. That is not going to cut it.

3. Don't Be Stupid

Two huge mental mistakes have cost the Mountaineers two possessions, and allowed UConn to put six points on the board. The helmet to helmet hit in the first quarter was absolutely idiotic. It gave the Huskies new life at a time when their offense was sputtering, plus a fresh set of downs. Then a few minutes later, they hit a field goal.

Ivan McCartney made a mistake of his own at the end of the quarter when he fumbled the ball on a catch and run in the open field. I know he was trying to make something happen, which is all fine and good especially considering his skill set. But he should know to wrap the ball tight and brace for a hit with both arms over the pigskin in a situation like that. The turnover led to UConn's second score.

4. Keep the Defense Off-Balance

Geno Smith is a big, mobile weapon on offense and should be utilized more like Denard Robinson is at Michigan. Not to the same extent, of course, but he does have more ability than he is allowed to show. West Virginia should be running more roll outs or options here and there to confuse the UConn defense. Let Smith use his legs to create space and his arm to find the open man after the defense is on its heels.

We saw flashes of that in the first quarter, but it's not enough. The kind of offensive performance we've seen in the first half is not acceptable for this Mountaineer club. I like what they started to do during the big drive in the middle of the second quarter, but the more the better.

5. Stretch the Field

 The Huskies pass defense was ranked 83rd in the nation coming in to today's game. So why are we seeing so much dinking and dunking from the Mountaineers? The way their defense is playing right now, the offense can afford to take some shots downfield.

They've been given plenty of opportunities that they need to take advantage of needs to take advantage of the opportunities they are getting and take a couple shots. One big play may take the wind out of UConn’s sails and win the momentum battle for WVU. Once that battle is in the bag, it’s a matter of good game management to get the win.