Initial Thoughts on WVU's Loss to Houston

Some quick analysis on West Virginia's loss to the Cougars.

West Virginia dropped their first league game of the year to none other than former WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen and the Houston Cougars. Here are some quick thoughts on what transpired tonight in Houston.

Neal Brown got conservative way too early

West Virginia dominated the first quarter and change of the game, yet had nothing to show for it. Instead of pushing the envelope and putting pressure on Houston, Brown decided to play it conservatively and it backfired. When you win the time of possession by as much as WVU did, there's no reason your team should be trailing at the half.

Bright spots in the passing game

All season long, West Virginia has lived underneath when airing it out. Rarely did they even attempt to throw anything intermediate. Tonight, we saw Garrett Greene connect on some passes both over the middle and deep down the field. The receivers stepped up and made plays after being rightfully critiqued through the first five games. Devin Carter, Preston Fox, and EJ Horton all made tough contested catches.

Special teams weren't great

I have no idea why WVU decided to kick the ball to Matthew Golden at all. Throughout the whole week, we had heard about how dangerous of a returner he was. That kickoff return for a touchdown was just the start. Golden nearly popped another one loose but was dragged down at around the Houston 35. The seam was there. Preston Fox took a good shot on a punt return that was a dangerous one to field without calling for a fair catch. 

The ground game needs more explosive runs

Hammering the ball over and over and over and over and over again does take a toll on the opposing team's front seven, but there were a handful of runs that West Virginia could have and should have gone for 15-20 yards or more. You can't just methodically work your way down the field every time. You've got to be able to generate some more explosive plays on the ground. I'm sure it would help, though, to have Wyatt Milum and Tomas Rimac.

Defense 

Lesley's unit came out of the half strong, similar to the win over TCU. After that first possession? Eh, not so good. Donovan Smith became a problem with both his arm and his legs. The Cougs got the ball in space and WVU had no answer for their speed.

Lack of fire/confidence in the second half

Once the momentum started leaning toward Houston, WVU began to play extremely sloppy taking bad angles on defense, not running the ball with confidence on offense, and just didn't play with the same energy we normally see. Losing to arguably the worst team in the league AND in front of a 20% full stadium is certainly concerning.

Fool's gold?

Maybe the 4-1 start wasn't as impressive after all. This team wasn't going to be and won't be a serious contender in the Big 12 until they find more consistency on the offensive side of the ball.

You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on X:

Facebook - @MountaineersNow

X - @MountaineersNow and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.