Virginia

WVSports – The Day After: West Virginia football at Penn State

Published

1 year ago

September 3, 2023

WVSports – The Day After: West Virginia football at Penn State

The West Virginia football team fell on the road at No. 7 Penn State to the tune of 38-15.

The Mountaineers fell to 0-1 on the season and and WVSports.com takes a look back at what unfolded in our weekly feature The Day After.

HOT:

Lee Kpogba. The senior linebacker was named the leader of the defense heading into the season and he backed up that with 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and constantly being around the football. Kpogba was highly active in the tackle department during the game but displayed the ability to get off blocks and make plays against a talented Penn State offense. West Virginia needed their linebackers to be better this year and this was a very solid start for Kpogba who filled the WILL position.

Didn’t beat themselves. Some of the biggest issues for West Virginia since head coach Neal Brown took over the program has come in the department of turnovers and penalties, especially those avoidable ones like procedure miscues. This game saw the Mountaineers not turn the ball over at all and record only one procedure penalty, albeit a costly one that erased a nice 15-plus yard play. The offense also seemed to handle the adversity of playing in a tough environment without any major hiccups.

Special teams: West Virginia was solid all around in this department from punting, to kickoff coverage to punt coverage. The Mountaineers sophomore punter Oliver Straw misfired on one attempt but outside that was able to pin the ball deep. The punt return team also held Penn State to just -2 yards in that department and gave up only a 19-yard kick return. The Nittany Lions also missed a pair of field goals.

NOT:

Explosive plays. West Virginia yet again struggled to generate explosive plays, especially in the passing game. The Mountaineers had a 37-yard deep ball to Devin Carter but didn’t complete a pass over 15-yards for the rest of the game until deep in the fourth quarter with the game already essentially decided on the scoreboard. The Mountaineers are going to need more production in that area of the game and Brown admitted as much in his post game that it has to get better.

The secondary. West Virginia only allowed four runs over 10-yards to Penn State in this game and that’s not something I would have guessed heading into this game with a first-time starter at quarterback and two high-level running backs. But it was the air-game that hurt the Mountaineers as Allar was able to find open wide receivers on a series of rub routes and crossing patterns that led to chunks of yardage. There is no question that this area must improve moving forward.

Trick plays. West Virginia had two outside the point conversion with both basically resulting in sacks that either directly ended or led to the end of drives. The Mountaineers get credit for trying to get creative, but both of these were ill-timed and hurt an offense that was struggling to get things going.

DEFINING MOMENTS:

1st and 10 on the PSU 48. Trailing 7-0 already, the Mountaineers were marching when Garrett Greene floated a ball down the right sideline into the waiting arms of Devin Carter. It was the first shot that the program took in the game and it resulted in a 37-yard grab that set up the first touchdown for West Virginia.

3rd and 6 on the WVU 46. The Mountaineers were able to get Penn State in an unfavorable spot and a chance to get off the field but it resulted in a 30-yard catch and run and the Nittany Lions would move back ahead 14-7.

4th and 5 on the PSU 43. After one of those trick plays set West Virginia behind the sticks, the Mountaineers had a chance to extend the drive facing a fourth and manageable after a Garrett Greene scramble. The play was there on a slant to freshman Traylon Ray but he simply misfired and it led to a turnover on downs.

4th and 8 on the WVU 21 and 4th and 10 on the WVU 17. On back-to-back possessions to close the half, Penn State drove the football deep into West Virginia territory with a chance to tack on a field goal and both attempts misfired to keep the score at 14-7.

2nd and 7 on the WVU 29. After a three and out on defense to open the third quarter, West Virginia was on the move with a 15-yard run but it would be called back on an illegal motion penalty and the Mountaineers drive would not recover.

4th and 2 on the PSU 47. Trailing 24-7 West Virginia put together one of their better drives of the second half but it ended with a trick play that blew up when Nicco Marchiol was sacked and essentially closed the book on any type of comeback.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

-2. Punt return yardage allowed. West Virginia allowed just 19 yards last season.

0 – Turnovers. West Virginia had only two games all of last season with 0 turnovers and one of those was against FCS opponent Towson.

2 – Field goals missed by Penn State.

3 – Consecutive seasons that West Virginia has started 0-1.

3-13 – Neal Brown’s record against ranked teams since arriving at West Virginia. He has lost five of his last six.

4-14 – West Virginia’s third down conversions despite the fact the offense averaged over six yards per play on first down.

14 – Longest run allowed by West Virginia and that occurred in the third quarter.

73 – Completion percentage for Penn State.

148 – Rushing yards by West Virginia.

1954 – The year West Virginia last won in Happy Valley.

12,728 – Days since West Virginia last beat Penn State in 1988.

GAME BALL:

Lee Kpogba. I’ve already discussed this in the opening but he was the best player on the field for West Virginia in this one leading the team in tackles and being active.

BIGGEST QUESTION/CONCERN MOVING FORWARD:

Can there be improvement? For the second, or perhaps third, year in a row Neal Brown stood in front of reporters and said while he was disappointed in the results of a game he wasn’t discouraged about the trajectory of his football team. West Virginia has started each of the past three seasons with a loss and those years ended 6-7 and 5-7.

Now, this is much tougher game than either of those two previous contest and West Virginia did fight and didn’t close the caskets on themselves. But the question remains, can this be the start of a change for the football program this season or will it be much of the same? West Virginia is going to have some massive opportunities upcoming in the month of September with none as important as the Backyard Brawl.

But the Big 12 as a whole struggled this past weekend either outright losing or performing poorly in games they were favored to win. Can this be the year that the talk is backed up by what unfolds on the field? That is the biggest question.

———-

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Virginia

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

Published

7 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

At 3-0 with marquee victories over #6 Missouri (23-10) and #21 Rutgers (26-11), as well as a second-place finish in the Keystone Open with just a handful of starters competing, Virginia Tech has swept through a tough November and is prepared for a difficult December.

The Hokies, #12 in Flo’s team tournament ratings but top 10 in various dual-meet rankings, are next scheduled for an annual trip to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational, featuring 27 teams, of which 14 are among Flo’s top 25. And then it’s another trip west to Stillwater on Dec. 19 to challenge #5 Oklahoma State in a rare Thursday match.

The early key thus far for the Hokies has been the ability to win the bouts they’re supposed to win and grabbing a fair share of so-called toss-up bouts.

To wit, Tech’s #18 Sam Latona downing Missouri’s #13 Josh Edmond (4-2) at 141, or #25 Rafael Hipolito majoring the Tigers’ #32 James Conway (11-3) at 157 and #15 Jimmy Mullen stopping #20 Seth Nitzel (4-2) at heavyweight.

That trend continued at Tech’s Moss Arts Center match against #21 Rutgers when Latona used a late takedown to defeat Joey Olivieri 7-5, #4 Lennox Wolak pinned veteran Jackson Turley at 174 and #9 Andy Smith slipped past #17 John Poznanski 4-3 at 197.

Hokies coach Tony Robie only took a few regulars to the Keystone Open in Philadelphia and, led by championship efforts by #1-ranked Caleb Henson at 149 and heavyweight Hunter Catka, Tech placed second behind Lock Haven. Latona placed third at 141 and Sam Fisher did the same at 184.

Robie opted to use the Hokies’ roster as freshmen Dillon Campbell (125), Matt Henrich (157), Luke Robie (157) and Jack Bastarrika (133) competed as did redshirt juniors Jackson Spires (165) and Ty Finn (174). Spires placed second.

Who’s Ready For Change?

With legislation on the NCAA’s table affecting scholarship and roster limits — unlimited scholarships and a roster cap — as well as revenue sharing, some college wrestling programs likely have a serious dose of trepidation while others are confident they can deal with whatever happens.

Virginia Tech sits in the latter category.

“I have no concerns whatsoever about that,” Robie said earlier this month. “I think a lot of it probably will happen. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad for the sport; that’s not really for me to say. What I will say is you have to adjust with what the rules are and what the landscape of college athletics looks like, and that’s what we intend on doing.

“Is it good for the overall health of the sport of wrestling? The kid that’s the 35th kid on your roster? Probably not. But I think definitely there were probably some things that needed to change; the pendulum was starting to swing significantly the other way. At some point, it’ll probably start to go back to the middle.”

Robie said all anyone can do is wait for the final decisions.

“We have some contingency plans based on what we think is going to happen and we’ll move forward with our plan and try to execute it,” he said.

A Pretty Good Gig

Robie, in his eighth year as head coach, has been at Tech since 2006 and as each season passes, the commitment and enthusiasm remain the same.

“Well, you get to do what you like to do. And it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to coach wrestling for a living and be a part of a pretty good program, and work with some great people and try to affect the lives of the kids in your program,” he said.

“I think anybody would want to do that. For me, I’m not young anymore. I turned 50 … who knows how long I’m going to do it, but I’m going to give it the best I can while I’m doing it and hopefully continue to improve as a program and try to try to help these guys as much as possible. But it’s good, Virginia Tech’s a great place to work, it’s a great place to live. I’ve got a great staff and it makes my life pretty easy.”

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Virginia

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

Published

14 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

With the game of year looming this weekend, members of the Virginia football team were made available to to the media after practice on Tuesday morning to talk about the regular season finale against Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash on Saturday night in Blacksburg. Watch the video below to hear what UVA senior safety Jonas Sanker, graduate tight ends Tyler Neville and Sackett Wood Jr., and graduate defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter had to say ahead of the Virginia Tech game:

Sanker is the team’s leader in tackles with 89 total tackles and also leads the ACC in solo stops with 60 unassisted tackles. He has racked up 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an interception as part of a strong senior campaign that should earn Sanker some serious consideration for a First-Team All-ACC selection.

A transfer from Harvard, Tyler Neville is Virginia’s second-leading receiver with 35 catches for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Sackett Wood Jr., meanwhile, has recorded three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown this season. Between the two of them, Neville and Wood have combined to appear in 83 college football games and make 48 starts.

Saturday will be the 55th game in the five-year career of Jahmeer Carter, who has started nearly every game for the last four seasons at Virginia. This season, Carter has 30 total tackles, including nine solo stops, two tackles for loss, one sack, and a pass defender. For his career, Carter is up to 131 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss.

Saturday night will be the first time Virginia plays at Lane Stadium in front of fans since the 2018 season, as the 2020 edition of the Commonwealth Clash was played in front of only 250 fans due to COVID-19 restrictions and then the 2022 Virginia vs. Virginia Tech game was canceled due to the shooting tragedy at UVA.

Virginia is seeking its first road victory at Virginia Tech since 1998, as the Hokies have won the last 11 Commonwealth Clash games played at Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech has won 17 of the last 18 overall games against Virginia and leads UVA 61-38-5 in the all-time series that dates back to 1895.

Both Virginia and Virginia Tech bring a 5-6 overall record into the regular season finale and both need to win the game in order to reach the six-win threshold required for bowl eligibility. There is only one other game this weekend between FBS teams who are battling for bowl eligibility (Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan). Virginia and Virginia Tech played each other for bowl eligibility at the end of the 2014 season.

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Virginia

Virginia Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Night results for Nov. 26, 2024

Published

22 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 26, 2024, results for each game:

Mega Millions

Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

05-22-24-39-42, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 7-3-0, FB: 2

Day: 7-2-1, FB: 5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 1-6-6-8, FB: 5

Day: 7-4-5-8, FB: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 0-5-4-9-9, FB: 2

Day: 6-9-5-3-2, FB: 0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash4Life

Drawing everyday at 9 p.m.

04-11-13-30-39, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash Pop

Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.

Coffee Break: 04

After Hours: 05

Prime Time: 06

Rush Hour: 09

Lunch Break: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash 5

Drawing every day at 11 p.m.

12-22-31-38-44

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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