West Virginia Edges Cincinnati: The Big East Is Wide Open Once More

After Cincinatti QB Zach Collaros was carted off the field and West Virginia blocked a field goal during the game's final seconds, the Mountaineers stand redeemed after an upset last week at home to Louisville.  

It wasn't at all the game many expected, as West Virginia and Cincinnati traded blows offensively in a shootout.  What was showcased today at Paul Brown Stadium was a a barrage of penalties and some of the most inept officiating this side of the MAC.  

Still, if nothing it was entirely indicative of what the Big East has become—completely unpredictable.  

After both teams scored on their respective opening drives, the game tempo dwindled considerably. That's not to say there weren't any performances worth mentioning.  

Geno Smith looked poised today and his trademark calmness in the pocket was on full display. He finished 30 of 44 with 376 yards and one touchdown, but it was the intangibles, not the box stats, that he impressed with today.

Smith's ability to hang in the pocket and deliver quality passes while under pressure is something to behold.  Few senior quarterbacks in the country can maintain and deliver with the poise that Smith (a junior) seems to possess.  

Yes, 24 points is pedestrian, especially for this Dana Holgorsen-coached offense, but you can't blame Smith.  The play-calling seemed uneven and dare I say bland at times; however, Smith has all the requisite tools to set up big plays at any moment.  

Of course, Geno Smith is only as good as his two biggest weapons—Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.  The two receivers teamed up for a combined 14 receptions, 227 yards and a touchdown.

While Bailey was his usual, reliable self, Austin simply exploded.  There's very little you can do to stop him and so it's up to the defenses to simply manage his presence on the field.  

Cincinnati got burned by Austin in excess of 220 all-purpose yards today, a reminder for the Mountaineer's next two opponents—Pittsburgh and South Florida—that it might be a more effective strategy to avoid punting or kicking towards Austin at all.  

Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel's defense, at times, seemed to get completely burned by the spread option that they knew so well during the Rich Rodriguez era.  

Interestingly enough, it was sophomore quarterback Munchie Legaux who seemed to have the Mountaineers' number in the second and third quarters, running and even throwing in some cases to keep the Mountaineers defense on its feet.  

Isaiah Pead also had a good day against the Mountaineers, running for 113 yards on 19 carries for two touchdowns, including a 40-yard dash in the early minutes of the game to give the Bearcats an initial surge.  

After the initial trading of blows in the first quarter, however, the game seemed to get bogged down by penalties (mostly on West Virginia), injuries and what can only be described as some of the strangest official time-outs in recent memory.  

The penalties were troublesome, as they have been all season long for Holgorsen's crew, and it is something that HAS to be corrected now going into the final two games of the season.  

Perhaps more alarming than the penalties piling up is the performance of the special teams, whose numbers are seemingly non-existent.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Holgorsen go hunting in the offseason for a little leg power;  Tyler Bitancurt was 1 for 3 today with a miss and yet another block added to the stat books. If West Virginia were to lose either of their next two games it could very well come down to how poor their special-teams performance is.  

Ironically, it was a special-teams play that sealed the win for the Mountaineers today in the final seconds of the game.  

With three seconds left, UC's Tony Milliano lined up for a 31-yard attempt to tie the game when safety Eain Smith broke off the edge to get his hands on the kick.  It was a fitting end to what became an unspectacular back-and-forth effort.  

I give credit to West Virginia's defense, especially seniors Keith Tandy and Bruce Irvin.  Tandy made several of West Virginia's biggest stops in the secondary, including picking off a floater laid out by Cincinnati's Legaux.  Irvin not only applied the hit to Collaros which sent him off to the sidelines but seemed to be in the backfield on almost every play.  

His and Julian Miller's presence around the line of scrimmage was key and will be essential in the next two contests if West Virginia hopes to win out and claim the conference BCS bid.  

As it stands, there's a traffic jam in the Big East as teams fight to get to the finish line.  

West Virginia can hold its head high knowing that they prevented the Bearcats from capturing their third come-from-behind win in as many weeks. Next week brings Pittsburgh, however, and there is definitely no love lost between those two teams.

There's plenty for Holgorsen and his staff to take away from this game and dissect in the next two days.  While their certainly were positives, it seems as though the same issues still linger: Special teams, penalties and play calling.  Had Collaros not been injured and Legaux sent in to take his spot under center, the outcome would likely look far different.  

There's nothing for the Mountaineers to do now but realize they've opened a door for the rest of the Big East and make sure they're the first ones through it.