Another primetime nightmare for WVU | News, sports, jobs

West Virginia running back Jahiem White (1) is tackled by Kansas State defensive tackle Damian Ilalio (56) and cornerback Jacob Parrish (10) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Morgantown . W.Va. (AP Photo/William Wotring)

As the minutes ticked by in the fourth quarter on Saturday, the line of cars stretched from the parking lot of Milan’s Puskar Stadium to the street. The 54,327 spectators announced in the stands were almost completely sold out.

The West Virginia University football team’s golden chance – two nationally televised night games against nationally ranked opponents – turned out to be pure gold in the end. At the final whistle on Saturday, the Mountaineers dragged themselves back to the locker room, victims of a 45-18 loss to No. 17 Kansas State.

If this sounds familiar, all you have to do is look back to seven days ago, when WVU’s “Coal Rush” was defeated in a 28-16 loss by now No. 9 Iowa State, which in reality wasn’t at all seemed so close

In both games, early hopes of competing with some of the best the Big 12 has to offer were dashed by the same tsunami. The Mountaineer offensive was unable to avoid each other as it was thwarted by self-inflicted wounds. The Mountaineer defense didn’t get off the field and watched as both opponents converted third and fourth downs at a deadly pace.

It was obvious in these two games. WVU wasn’t ready for prime time.

Some of WVU’s problems against KSU were due to injuries. Defensive players Aubrey Burks and Ayden Garnes did not dress for the game. At halftime, Brown learned that tackle Wyatt Milum, running back Jahiem White and quarterback Garrett Greene would not play in the second half. Four players were sidelined with head injuries, but Brown did not specify which players they were.

“This is a run-down locker room,” Brown said. “That’s probably the most injuries I can remember in the first half.”

But despite those injuries, Brown admitted after the game that Kansas State simply gave the Mountaineers the win in the second half. The Wildcats outscored West Virginia 28-8 in the final two quarters and sent fans heading for the exits at the start of the fourth quarter.

“Even if we get the equalizer (at halftime), I’m not sure we have enough left in the tank in the second half,” Brown said.

After West Virginia came back to beat Kansas, Brown was asked what impact such a win could have on a team’s momentum. He said it was difficult to maintain the momentum but such wins do wonders for the players’ confidence.

But the types of losses WVU has faced over the past two weeks could sap players’ confidence, especially given the injury list that surfaced Saturday night.

Brown said they need to do everything they can to make sure something like this doesn’t happen.

“You just have to let it settle down,” Brown said. “This one we’re going to look at a little bit because you have to learn that teams like Kansas State and Iowa State have played against two elite defenses in a row.

“We have really good people in the locker room,” he added. “They are disappointed. You realize Kansas State really beat us in the second half. You don’t deny it. But we have to get healthy and give ourselves a chance.”

As disappointing as the last two losses have been, the Mountaineers still have a chance to pick up some wins and have a strong finish. But where do these victories come from? The Cincinnati team that just took care of Arizona State? The Baylor team that was just 59 points ahead of a Texas Tech team that entered this weekend undefeated in conference play? And as badly as the Red Raiders lost, they are still 5-2 so far this year. Then there’s the UCF team that failed with a last-second touchdown drive against No. 9 Iowa State this weekend.

The only thing that is certain about the rest of WVU’s season is that nothing is certain. Well, one thing is for sure: The Mountaineers still have a lot of work to do to turn their fortunes around and restore the fan base’s faith in the program with five games left in the season.

It couldn’t have felt good to watch fans make a beeline for the exits in the middle of a KSU choke Saturday night. It’s up to the players to boost the mood in the dressing room.

“We just have to stay positive,” linebacker Trey Lathan said, “we have to lift each other up and not let the negative energy get into us.”

“We are all we have.”