West Virginia in Orange Bowl: How Can Coach Holgorsen Mentally Prepare Team?

The West Virginia Mountaineers are headed to the Orange Bowl to take on Clemson, thanks to the Big East Conference's automatic BCS bid.  Regardless of whether or not you feel that the Mountaineers deserve to be in the game, they certainly have the talent to compete with the Tigers.

Talent has never been an issue for West Virginia this season.  What the Mountaineers lack is consistent mental toughness.

On paper, the Mountaineers are a complete team.  They have a superstar quarterback in Geno Smith, solid running backs, speedy receivers with sure hands in Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, and large, powerful linemen on offense.  The West Virginia defense also has a great deal of speed, including standout defensive lineman Bruce Irvin.  Even the West Virgina kicking game looks good, with a reliable kicker in Tyler Bitancurt and spectacular returners with the potential to take any kickoff or punt to the house.

Despite having no obvious weaknesses in their lineup, the Mountaineers lost three games and were only able to clinch a share of the conference title in a mediocre Big East.

Any time a team as talented as the Mountaineers struggles, the culprit is a lack of mental toughness.  Simply put, the West Virginia Mountaineers are their own worst enemies.

Against No. 1 LSU, the Mountaineers hung 533 yards of offense on the vaunted Tigers defense.  However, West Virginia committed four turnovers and lost by 26 points. 

The Mountaineers also lost by 26 points to Syracuse, a program that finished the season with a losing record and failed to make a bowl.  The West Virginia defense was carved up by Syracuse tight end Nick Provo.  Having all the talent in the world and still not being able to contain a tight end reflects poorly on the Mountaineers defense.

If the Mountaineers played up to their potential this season and eliminated mental mistakes, they could very well be undefeated.  They certainly showed flashes of greatness this season.

Which begs the question: What is West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen doing in order to mentally prepare his team for the Orange Bowl matchup against Clemson?  If he is truly a good head coach, he should be worrying less about the X's and O's and more about making his athletes mentally tough and raring to go.