WVU Football

Quarterback Clint Trickett and the West Virginia Mountaineers scored an impressive 40-37 victory over Maryland on Saturday, putting the rest of the Big 12 on notice.

The box score is generally the first place casual fans go to get a feel for what happened in the game, and Trickett's 511 passing yards to go along with his four touchdown throws are eye-popping indeed. Of course, it's only slightly better than par for the course for head coach Dana Holgorsen's lead weapon, who also had 300-yard games against Alabama and Towson in the first two weeks of the 2014 season.

But the real reason this is more than just a close victory over a middling Maryland squad is because of how the Mountaineers fought through adversity away from home, something the 2013 team would not have done.

After jumping out to a 28-6 lead, the Mountaineers saw the 22-point margin get trimmed down to just seven early in the fourth quarter before a William Likely punt return evened the score at 37. From then on, it became a matter of who wanted it more, and the Mountaineers defense held strong.

Maryland had the ball twice with a chance to take a lead, and both times the Terrapins went three-and-out. Instead of relying on Trickett to lead the offense on the final drive, Holgorsen went with a heavy dose of Dreamius Smith on the ground.

On 2nd-and-11 from their own 34, a 17-yard-pass from Trickett to Daikiel Shorts helped move the ball over midfield, and a 10-yard Dustin Garrison run moved the offense to the edge of field-goal range. Several small gains later, the Mountaineers were in a position to finish things off. Josh Lambert obliged, knocking a 47-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired.

When the dust settles at the end of the season, no one will point to a road victory over Maryland as a major accomplishment, but it signals to the rest of the conference that West Virginia is no longer a pushover.

While Trickett will undoubtedly capture headlines with his video-game numbers, don't ignore the 183 yards on the ground by West Virginia or the fact that Smith was able to churn out several tough runs during crunch time with Rushel Shell apparently dinged up.

Seeing Holgorsen's offense find its groove through the air is scary in itself, but if the Mountaineers can run the ball enough to force linebackers to keep an eye on the backfield, the points should continue to come fast and easy.

Don't forget, this is a Mountaineers team that had a real chance to knock off Alabama in the season opener. Trickett and company weren't able to come up with the plays necessary to steal the game late, but the 6'2" 186-pound senior did throw for 365 yards and a score with no turnovers.

Those are numbers that most quarterbacks who've played the Crimson Tide the past few years would be jealous of, and you'd expect the trend to continue in conference play.

Conference play, oh by the way, starts next week with a home game against Oklahoma. The Sooners will be coming off a game against an improved Tennessee squad, and if Bob Stoops' team plays like they're up against the Mountaineers of 2013, it could be in for a rude awakening.

After the contest against the fourth-ranked Sooners, West Virginia will alternate playing home and away, starting with Kansas in Morgantown, followed by Texas Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Kansas State and Iowa State.

Circle the Oct. 18 game against Baylor as well as the Nov. 20 matchup with Kansas State, which comes on a Thursday. Could those contests have implications in the race for the Big 12 title?

Next week should give us a clear answer to that question. Until then, it's time for the rest of the Big 12 to take notice of what Trickett and the Mountaineers are doing. Of course, the naysayers will continue to point to the defense, as was the case in 2012 with Geno Smith at the helm.

But holding the Tide to 33 is nothing to scoff at, and the late stops against the Terps ultimately paved the way for the offense to drive down the field and score the winning points. Again, this is a unit that we'll learn more about in a week when the Sooners come to town. But there are definitely signs that this is not the same team that gave up 63 points and 700 yards to Baylor in 2012.

Just look at how the third-down defense improved throughout Saturday's game:

As is the case with every team in the college football, the health of key players will play the biggest role in how far it goes and how many wins are piled up. Shell is the type of player defenses have to prepare for, and any sort of prolonged absence will likely clip the wings of the high-flying offense.

For now, Mountaineers fans can be happy that competitive football is not just on the horizon, it's arrived and ready for exciting league contests to begin. Will that excitement include a major upset or perhaps even a bid for the Big 12 title?

A win next week would be a step in the right direction.

The West Virginia Mountaineers were supposed to go to Atlanta and get thrashed by the dynastic Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Clint Trickett was supposed to have problems all day against the Tide's defense, and head coach Dana Holgorsen's spot on the hot seat was supposed to be solidified. 

But that's not the story that ended up being told. 

Instead, the Mountaineers gave fans in Tuscaloosa a shock to their system. The Crimson Tide struggled to put away a team that lost to Kansas—yes, Kansas—last year before finally walking away with a 33-23 win. For Trickett, he proved that he's the man for the job in Morgantown, as he racked up 365 yards through the air with a touchdown and no interceptions. 

But more importantly, the Mountaineers proved that they will be contenders in the very competitive Big 12 this season. 

West Virginia entered this season ranked just eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll, ranking above only Iowa State and Kansas, the former of which just lost to North Dakota State this week. In the poll, the team received just 170 points, 127 less than seventh-place TCU. 

Much of the doubt was based on WVU's performances last year, when the Mountaineers went just 4-8 overall and a horrid 2-7 in Big 12 play, with losses to both Kansas and Iowa State.

With not much talent coming in, 2014 was thought to be much of the same.

But what nobody anticipated was that, although they were a year late, Trickett and his receivers are finally starting to replace Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.

Not only did Trickett—who split starts with Paul Millard while struggling last season—put up impressive numbers, but five receivers had 50 or more yards catching against the Tide, highlighted by a nine-catch, 143-yard showing by Kevin White.

Now that the Mountaineers know that they can hang with the best college football has to offer, they can go into their next two games at home against Towson and on the road against rival Maryland with a real expectation that they can win. 

That'll set up a Big 12 opener at home against Oklahoma, the team picked to win the league. And that game could very well set the tone for the entire conference. 

Each of the last three Big 12 champions (Baylor in 2013, Kansas State in 2012 and Oklahoma State in 2011) have one thing in common—beat the Sooners.

It's no secret that the road to a Big 12 title goes through Norman each and every year. But the last two seasons, West Virginia's first two in the league, the Mountaineers have given the Sooners problems.

In 2012, a shootout in Morgantown ended in a thrilling 50-49 win for the Sooners. Then last season, Oklahoma squeaked by at home against WVU 16-7.

The fact that West Virginia looks like they can hang with Oklahoma isn't all that's working in their favor. As LostLettermen.com points out, all of the toughest games left for WVU are at home.

There are a few issues the Mountaineers need to address, but avoiding Alabama's NFL-caliber defensive line may be enough of a cure. For starters, WVU finished Saturday's loss with just 28 rushing yards on 24 carries. 

Granted, four of the carries were from Trickett, and he netted negative-11 yards. But even in Holgorsen's high-flying spread offense, you have to have some sort of rushing threat to counter the pass. 

The Mountaineers also allowed 288 yards on the ground. But as a whole, the Big 12 is a passing league and the team will likely not see an offensive line or a running back as high caliber as Alabama's the rest of the way. 

However, Alabama was also going through growing pains and still won the game by double digits. Blake Sims was starting his first-ever game for the Crimson Tide under a new offensive coordinator in Lane Kiffin, so to judge the Alabama team that showed up on Saturday to what it has been the past half-decade is unfair. 

Other concerns that surround the Mountaineers include their lack of depth at some key positions, including the offensive line and the secondary.

The blown series inside the 10-yard line to start the fourth quarter, including two bad passes from Trickett and a snap over the quarterback's head wasn't necessarily a sign of good things to come, either. But if enough guys step up, just like they almost did against the Tide, anything can happen this season. 

The Big 12 is known for having champions rise from the ashes. Baylor was picked fifth in the league last year, the year of its first-ever Big 12 title. A year prior, K-State was picked sixth before Bill Snyder won his second Big 12 title.

This season, with West Virginia proving on Saturday that it can hang with the elite, could very well see the Mountaineers be the Big 12's phoenix in 2014.

West Virginia kicks off its season this Saturday like any other program will: a soft-boiled, gimme game at the Georgia Dome against No. 2 Alabama.

Why do the Mountaineers have this one handily in the bag? For starters, their phenomenally named quarterback Clint Trickett knows the enemy all too well.

The son of Florida State offensive line coach Rick Trickett, Clint grew up around Alabama head coach Nick Saban’s family thanks to his father’s past roles on Saban-led teams.

Somewhere along the line, Clint met Saban’s daughter, Kristen, and according to the Mountaineers signal-caller, the two indulged in some young-love smoochery.

Clint admitted in a press conference Tuesday morning that Saban's daughter was his first kiss, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Stephen J. Nesbitt. Here are Clint’s comments in their full, less-than-steamy context:

They were six years old, guys. Let’s all have a snow cone and chill out.

Or we could take this side story and sprint for the hills with it, which Mountaineers fans will surely do come sign-scrawling time Saturday morning.

In any case, you can’t knock Clint for taking a trip down memory lane. Your first kiss is a special, Fruit by the Foot-flavored moment. Clint’s just happened to be with the daughter of the coach he’s playing against this weekend.

In regard to Saban, I’m positive he doesn’t mind. As a dad, you hope your daughter meets a nice boy named Clint Trickett.

Worst-case scenario is he turns out to be Daniel Boone's affable, pigskin-throwing sidekick.

Follow Dan on Twitter for more sports and pop culture news.

Follow @Dr_Carson_

Every victory counts for West Virginia, a program that hasn't done a lot of winning lately. And right now, the Mountaineers are winning on the recruiting trail. 

According to 247Sports rankings, West Virginia has the No. 5 class in the country for 2015, and the top class in the Big 12. Not Texas, not Oklahoma. 

In all, the 'Eers have nine verbal commitments, including a pair of 4-star prospects: safety Kendrell McFadden and wide receiver Jovon Durante. 

Of course, national signing day '15 is nearly a full year away. There is more than enough time for pledges to look around and commit elsewhere. Still, it's hard not to be impressed with what head coach Dana Holgorsen and his staff are doing in light of the downward trend the program has been on since 2011. 

West Virginia's biggest problem since joining the Big 12 two years ago has been depth. The starting 22 have been good enough for the most part; putting together a better two-and-three deep is proving to be the problem. 

Another issue has been staff turnover. In two years, Holgorsen has lost or fired nine assistants, the most recent departure being defensive coordinator Keith Patterson. 

As it turns out, though, Holgorsen is reaping the rewards for two recent additions to his staff. 

JC Shurburtt of 247Sports notes in his column for CBSSports that four of West Virginia's nine commitments are from Florida. The two names largely responsible for those commitments are running backs coach JaJuan Seider and defensive line coach Damon Cogdell. 

Both coaches joined the staff within the past year. Seider is a disciple of former WVU assistant and current Marshall coach Doc Holliday, who has a great presence in Florida. Cogdell, a former West Virginia player, was the head coach at Miramar High School—a south Florida pipeline for WVU that has produced signees like former quarterback Geno Smith—before joining Holgorsen's staff in January. 

It's not hard to see the connection. Holgorsen knows exactly what he's doing.

Texas serves as the Big 12's primary recruiting ground. However, the Mountaineers, a geographical outlier, still get a majority of their players from surrounding states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, etc.) and Florida. 

Since the Sunshine State serves as one of the best recruiting grounds anywhere in college football, Holgorsen hired assistants with strong ties to the area. 

There are other highlights in the '15 class. Defensive end Stone Wolfley, the No. 1 player in the state and son of former West Virginia offensive lineman Dale Wolfley, gave his verbal last year. 

Still, Florida is the key, and the early feedback indicates the strategy is working. That's good news for Holgorsen, who desperately needs more top-end players. 

Barring a complete disaster, 2014 shouldn't be a make-or-break season for Holgorsen since his buyout would still be $8.6 million. He should have a little more time to get things turned around. 

If the fast start to the 2015 recruiting class is any indication, Holgorsen just may be able to get West Virginia out of its hole. 

Ben Kercheval is the lead writer for Big 12 football. All recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports. 

Former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley was too good to stay out of coaching. Following a two-year absence, the long-time Nittany Lions assistant is back in the game. 

West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen announced on Friday that Bradley would be joining the Mountaineers' coaching staff—although not as a defensive coordinator. Instead, Bradley will assume the role of senior associate head coach. Bradley's other responsibilities have yet to be announced. 

Bradley has been an analyst for CBS Sports Network since 2012 after Bill O'Brien became Penn State's head coach. 

West Virginia's safeties coach since Tony Gibson was officially promoted to defensive coordinator, as Allan Taylor of West Virginia MetroNews first reported, and will oversee the linebackers.

New assistant Damon Cogdell will coach the defensive line and Joe DeForest will return to coaching safeties in addition to special teams.

Bradley said in a statement, per Taylor:

I am truly excited to join the West Virginia football program. I want to thank Coach Dana Holgorsen and Oliver Luck for this tremendous opportunity to contribute to the continued growth and success of the Mountaineer football program. Tony Gibson and I have recruited against each other in Pennsylvania for a lot of years, and it will be good to finally be on his side. I look forward to working with my friend to build a strong defensive unit at West Virginia.

Bringing Bradley aboard is a nice acquisition for Holgorsen, no matter the position. Bradley brings 33 years of coaching experience to West Virginia, all at Penn State, and was the Lions' defensive coordinator from 2000-11.

In seven of those years, Penn State finished in the top 20 nationally in both scoring and total defense, per WVU.  

Those are the kind of statistical improvements the Mountaineers' defense desperately needs. Since joining the Big 12, West Virginia's defense hasn't finished higher than 99th in either scoring or total defense. 

Bradley also provides a recruiting boost; he was named one of the top-10 recruiters in the country by Sports Illustrated in 2005. With his extensive ties to Pennsylvania and the surrounding area, West Virginia can continue to recruit close to home even in the Big 12. 

Bradley should have an immediate impact, but make no mistake, this is Gibson's defense.

By promoting from within, Holgorsen is putting an emphasis on continuity. That's been a major issue for the 'Eers over the past couple of years thanks to significant coaching turnover. 

If Bradley really wanted to be a defensive coordinator again—at West Virginia or elsewhere—he could have. His credentials are that good. Gibson's, meanwhile, are more scarce. Gibson served as the defensive passing game coordinator at Pitt in 2011 and was the DC at West Virginia Tech from 1999-00. 

Bradley isn't selling himself short, however. Coming aboard as an assistant is his choice and West Virginia's coaching staff is happy to have him. 

Now that the staff is complete, though, it's time to yield better results. It's likely too soon to label 2014 as a make-or-break year for Holgorsen, but it's a crucial year, nonetheless. 

Adding Bradley shows that Holgorsen knows just how quickly things need to change, too. After a disappointing 4-8 season, Holgorsen needs to get the program trending back in a positive direction. 

A key point of emphasis for that turnaround starts on defense. 

Ben Kercheval is the lead writer for Big 12 football. All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com unless noted otherwise. 

It's not official yet, but it may as well be.

On Wednesday, Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports reported what has been the worst-kept secret in West Virginia football for some time: Safeties coach Tony Gibson will be promoted to defensive coordinator. 

Gibson would replace Keith Patterson, who left last week to be the defensive coordinator at Arizona State. 

Gibson, a West Virginia native and a disciple of Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez, is entering Year 2 of his second stint with the Mountaineers. Gibson was an assistant under Rodriguez at the University of Arizona in 2012, at Michigan from 2008-10 and at WVU from 2001-07. Gibson also played under Rodriguez at Glenville State from 1991-94. 

Gibson has primarily served as a defensive backs coach throughout his career, though he does have limited experience as a coordinator. He served as the pass defense coordinator at Pitt under head coach Todd Graham in 2011 and was the DC at West Virginia Tech from 1999-00. 

For what it's worth, Pitt finished 72nd against the pass in 2011. West Virginia finished 99th in scoring defense and 102nd in total defense in 2013. 

That makes this a risky hire for Dana Holgorsen, who enters a crucial year as the Mountaineers head coach. It's far too early to call this a make-or-break season for Holgorsen, but the time needed to rebuild is slowly winding down. 

West Virginia will be on its fourth DC in as many years. Perhaps with that in mind, Holgorsen thought it was best to promote from within rather than install another system. Gibson is familiar with West Virginia's 3-4 defense, and according to Feldman, he will keep the same terminology. 

Turnover at the assistant level has been a problem for Holgorsen. Patterson was the ninth assistant to leave or be let go from Holgorsen's staff over the past two years. Only former quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital, now the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, left for a promotion. 

So what Gibson may lack in coordinator experience, he makes up for in continuity. That's something the Mountaineer program desperately needs right now. Many of the players on West Virginia's roster are on their second or third position coach. 

He's also well-liked and respected within the program. 

Still, Gibson will likely be on a short leash with fans, and the season opener against Alabama is not exactly the the best way for Gibson to ease into the job. 

A good defensive showing against the Tide would provide some cautious optimism, but the verdict on Gibson will likely be a season-long one. 

Gibson gives the Mountaineer defense a familiar face to lead them. That much is known. His play-calling chops, on the other hand, remain to be seen.

Ben Kercheval is the lead writer for Big 12 football. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com. 

West Virginia's defensive coordinator has been an interim job as of late. 

Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen confirmed on Thursday what Allan Taylor of West Virginia MetroNews first reported: Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson was leaving for a position at Arizona State.

“I want to thank Keith for his two years that he spent coaching in our program,” Holgorsen said in a statement through the team's Twitter account. “He was a valuable member of our staff, and we wish him nothing but the best.”

The Sun Devils had a defensive coordinator, Paul Randolph, but Patterson will assume the duties of defensive coordinator, linebackers and defensive special teams coach, according to an ASU release.

Patterson and Arizona State coach Todd Graham have a history together. The two played at East Central University and later coached together at Tulsa and Pitt. 

Assuming Holgorsen doesn't put special teams coordinator Joe DeForest back in charge of the defense—that seems like a stretch after the defensive nightmare of 2012—the Mountaineers will have a fourth different defensive coordinator in as many years. 

Therein lies a major issue as Holgorsen attempts to get West Virginia out of its downward spiral. 

With Patterson's departure, nine assistants have left or been let go since Holgorsen was handed the keys to the program in 2011 (wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway left in 2011 but has since rejoined the staff).

The first three to leave were former defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, cornerbacks coach Dave Lockwood and defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich. All three were members of former coach Bill Stewart's staff and were retained when Holgorsen was brought on as the head coach-in-waiting. After one season, however, they left to join former West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez at Arizona. 

More coaching turnover commenced following the 2012 season. Running backs coach Robert Gillespie took the same job with Tennessee, and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh left for Oklahoma under the same title (Bedenbaugh served under Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops at Arizona). 

Cornerbacks coach Daron Roberts and safeties coach Steve Dunlap, the final remaining member from Stewart's staff, were let go.

Quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital left for Texas A&M, where he is now the co-offensive coordinator and play-caller. He is the only former assistant who left for a promotion. 

And now Patterson. The only assistant remaining from Holgorsen's first year is offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson. 

Holding on to an entire coaching staff is difficult. Coaches come and go for a variety of reasons. That said, it would be delusional not to see that coaching turnover has been an issue for Holgorsen. New faces are coaching new faces. Many veteran players will be under the direction of their second or third different position coach. 

Additionally, player depth has been a problem for the Mountaineers since joining the Big 12 in 2012. It was especially problematic last season when the defense, noticeably improved at first, began wearing down midway through the year. Injuries, some season-ending, took out key players like safeties Wes Tonkery and K.J. Dillon and linebacker Jared Barber. 

That's not traditionally a formula for success. 

2014 will be an important year for Holgorsen. Hiring the right defensive coordinator, whether from within or from the outside, will be paramount on two levels. For one, that side of the ball has to improve anyway. West Virginia finished 99th in scoring defense last season, according to NCAA stats. Secondly, offense is a question mark; the defense may be asked to win a number of games next season. 

It may not be a one-and-done deal for whoever takes the defensive coordinator job, but there's no more time to rebuild. 

In a way, that's unfortunate. The one thing West Virginia needs as a program more than anything else is a break from coaching turmoil. 

Ben Kercheval is the lead writer for Big 12 football. All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise. 

As big, physical and athletic running backs go, Donte Thomas-Williams is one of the nation's best. Now, he'll have the chance to prove it at West Virginia after signing with the Mountaineers.

WVSports.com reported the news:

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Thomas-Williams stands 6'0" and weighs 220 pounds. He already has prototypical size for the position, but here's the kicker: He also runs a 4.40 40-yard dash. He's ranked as the 226th prospect in the country, the 12th running back and the 11th player from the state of North Carolina.

He was named to the 2014 Offense-Defense All-American Bowl and turned some heads with his performance. Here's what Jonathan Martin of Rivals.com thought of his performance:

Keenan Cummings of Rivals.com offered similar praise:

Thomas-Williams is listed as a 4-star prospect, and with his measurables it's easy to see why.

As a running back, the Durham Hillside product is a physical, downhill, one-cut runner who has nice burst once he finds the hole. He's not generally a home-run hitter but has excellent speed for his size and is very difficult to bring down once he gets rumbling.

The fact that he is already big and strong bodes very well for him in the short term, as he's physically ready for the college game, but he also has the potential to become a workhorse grinder that wears teams down late in games.

ESPN Insider (subscription required) has more on the scouting report of Thomas-Williams:

We do not see big play production at the next level—he's more a multi-carry workhorse who will occasionally spring a long run. Possesses the size to develop as a blocker and has experience in the passing game and as a returner. Thomas-Williams has the potential to develop into a very productive every-down back, particularly if lands in a downhill offense. A prospect who could continue to climb the board.

West Virginia secured a sneaky, low-profile signing with Thomas-Williams. He'll have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talents, and he has the look of a player who could become a household name in a few years.