2012: Mountaineers Year In Review

2012: A Year of Optimism

As the new year of 2013 begins (despite the Mayans), it is time to take a look back and reflect a bit on the Mountaineers season before we start to wonder where we are headed.

2012 was a year of great change and great expectations. It was a move from the decaying Big East to the fortified, respected Big 12: a move from the little leagues to the pros. For Mountaineer Nation, it was an opportunity to take the next step and show the world that WVU was indeed ready to be one of the nation's elite. The Air Raid (or 'EER Raid) offense was predicted to be nearly unstoppable after a 2011 campaign that ended in a 70-point explosion that rewrote the NCAA bowl record for scoring and sent Clemson licking their wounds. 2012 would feature Heisman front runner Geno Smith and his dynamic duo of Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, expected to be phenoms in their second year under Holgorsen.

Everything, it seemed, was finally falling West Virginia's way. Even ESPN couldn't get enough of WVU, airing two national commercials and providing in depth analysis of the team before they even stepped on the field. WVU fans who once felt spurned by the lack of national attention, were now inundated, and they took in every ounce until they were drunk with optimism. We would win the Big 12 in our first year, beating out history-rich programs like Texas and Oklahoma. We would prove that the Fiesta Bowl was not a fluke. Geno Smith would win the Heisman. And maybe, just maybe...we would get our first crystal football.

But great expectations often result in great disappointments, and hype does nothing but make the fall from grace that much harder. Many realists expected as much. They knew there was too much hype, and that nothing is ever as good as it seems.

But behold! A 5-0 start, capped by a signature win over a ranked Longhorn team in front of their largest ever home crowd of 101,851. Geno was the hands-down favorite to take the Heisman.

Then it happened. Not slowly, but with a quick, loud thud. 49-14. The #5 Mountaineers were trounced in their first loss of the season, to unranked Texas Tech. Sirens go off, but not the air raid horn that signals a Mountaineer touchdown. No, these sirens were ones that signaled that there were serious problems with WVU football team, and that they could no longer hide behind a great offense.

Then excuses. Immediately, fans were pointing out the atrocious defensive play that had hindered the team all season. But that wasn't all. It was windy and Bailey was hurt. It was a fluke and you would see the Mountaineers now more determined to prove that. The Big 12 was still the Mountaineers' to lose. It seemed too, that the media agreed. WVU dropped only to #13 and Geno, who hadn't thrown a pick, was still the favorite for the Heisman.

Undefeated #4 Kansas State was up next, and this time they were headed to Morgantown. This was the game where WVU would get back to form and regain their poise. Tech was just a bump on one long country road that would go down as one of their best seasons in history.

Then the death knell tolled. Kansas State thoroughly embarrassed WVU 55-14 in a similar fashion as Texas Tech. But this time there was no wind, and it was at home where West Virginia is known for being hard to beat. There were no excuses and no optimism to hide the blaring warning sirens this time. This season was not what we expected.

Over the next three weeks the losing streak extended to five games and WVU was 5-5. A season once filled with the highest of expectations, now hinged on winning one of the final two games to become bowl eligible. Fingers were pointed at everyone from Holgorsen to DeForest to Smith. Overrated and overlooked were words that became more common than touchdown or Heisman.

And so, WVU limped to the finish, winning its last two games against Iowa State and Kansas to become bowl eligible. The 'Eers were selected to play in the Pinstripe Bowl against former foe Syracuse.

Finally, something we knew we could win. We may have struggled in the Big 12, but we were playing with the big boys. Syracuse had been muddling around in the Big East, a cesspool of mediocrity. We would come out on top, because that's was Mountaineers do: fight when faced with adversity. Despite an underwhelming season, we would cap it off with a victory for the seniors and Geno would secure his position as the number one QB heading into the NFL draft.

But one could say that the Pinstripe Bowl was a mirror of the season. High expectations followed only by struggle and heartache. The game, seemingly without explanation, never went WVU's way and ended 38-14. There wasn't a phase of the game where a bright spot could be found. In fact, the only positive was that there would be no controversy regarding where the Schwartzwalder Trophy belonged (Syracuse has stated they would retain the trophy regardless of the winner).

And so the book was closed on the 2012 Mountaineers. And the final record read a disappointing 7-6 in a year when so much more seemed not just possible, but predestined.

What We Learned in 2012:

In short, don't believe in hype. No one knows how a team will fare until they perform on the field. So, what happened in 2012?

1.) WVU's offense was vastly overrated. The 70-35 Orange Bowl victory was a major culprit for the overconfidence. That single victory expunged the fact the offense had been inconsistent for the majority of 2011. The 5-0 start didn't help much either. But still, the evidence was there: the Air Raid was hot when it worked, and a liability when it didn't.

2.) WVU's defensive worries were swept under the rug. Mainly a product of the overrated offense, the defense was an afterthought. Why do you need a defense if you always win the scoring race? But the defensive struggles were worse that expected, and several time throughout the season WVU was ranked dead last of the 120 teams in FBS. They finished 117. Perhaps Jeff Casteel's 3-3-5 and consistent defensive presence provided a sense of security that was no longer there when he left. Perhaps WVU fans were used to something that deserved more praise than it received.

3.) No running game. Early injuries didn't help, but the lack of a consistent running game made throwing the ball harder. Combining no running game and no defense meant that there was simply no way the Mountaineers could win if the Smith-Austin-Bailey trio were anything but stellar for any period of time.

4.) Coaching staff changes. With an entirely new coaching staff, and Holgorsen only being in his second season as a head coach, many overlooked the growing pains that are inherent there. While Holgorsen is a great offensive mind, there are many aspects of the head coaching job that are learned with time. Joe DeForest was ridiculed for wearing a hat that read "relax" while his defense consistently underwhelmed even those with the lowest of standards.

5.) Big 12 competition. Simply put, the quality of competition in the Big 12 was greater than anything WVU had experienced in the Big East, save a few schedules with Miami, Virginia Tech, and Penn State a while back. Games against Oklahoma and TCU were very winnable, and against Big East competition the ball would have fallen WVU's way more than it did in the Big 12. That's worth at least one or two more wins.

6.) Lack of toughness. Whether this is a product of the Air Raid offense, known more for finesse than for power football, or whether it is attributable to the coaching staff or players themselves is unknown. But, many have noted that the physicality, toughness, and "never quit" attitude that Mountaineer teams seem to always possess was not there. WVU teams don't lose by double digits often because of their toughness and grit, but this year they lost by 41, 35, 24, and 21. Some have suggested that a lack of pride is the cause. Holgorsen is not a West Virginian, and that message of pride may not get across. Essentially, Dana is a coach from Iowa talking about WV pride to a group of kids from Florida.

That's it for our look back at 2012. Next is our look ahead at 2013 and beyond, including:
How long until WVU returns to greatness? Is Holgorsen the right coach for WVU? What's next in conference realignment?

Stay tuned.