MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — It’s old Big 12 vs. new Big 12 at Milan Puskar Stadium, which has old and new elements itself midway through a $55-million makeover.
Missouri’s Barry Odom begins his head coaching career just as Dana Holgorsen attempts to extend his, and two programs intent on disproving doubters open the 2016 season Saturday at noon. The Mountaineers are 10-point favorites and the turf is flat as we take the plunge into Four-Down Territory:
1. Is the left side of West Virginia’s O-line vulnerable?
All-SEC defensive end Charles Harris certainly sports some SEC swagger, predicting Mizzou will enjoy its charter flight home after winning Saturday’s opener.
“Oh yeah, for sure, we’re going to have a great time on the plane,” Harris told the Kansas City Star. “‘POP, party on the plane—it’s going to be a great one.”
Then again, there could be silence at 30,000 feet if West Virginia sophomore left tackle Yodny Cajuste stalemates Harris, a guy mock drafts believe to be a late first-rounder and a guy Dana Holgorsen projects among the top-10.
Cajuste had his struggles against a couple of NFL-caliber defensive ends last season, Oklahoma State’s Emmanual Ogbah and Maryland’s Yannick Ngakou, but he feels more technically disciplined to hold up this season.
Though WVU quarterback Skyler Howard highlighted Harris several times this week, he clarified he won’t be precoccupied with the defensive end collapsing the pocket.
“My eyes are downfield, so I’ve go to trust Yodny that he’s going to take care of him,” he said. “The O-line’s been working hard and I trust all of them, just like they need to trust me to get the ball downfield.”
Adam Pankey’s suspension for DUI also forces a substitute at left guard, where senior Tony Matteo makes only his second career start. He’ll be working with Tyler Orlosky to handle the Tigers’ 320-pound defensive tackles Rickey Hatley and A.J. Logan, along with the future star of the D-line, former five-star recruit Terry Beckner Jr.
2. Is cornerback-by-committee a good thing?
While this week’s depth chart showed Antonio Crawford and Rasul Douglas as the starting corners, defensive coordinator Tony Gibson cautioned “that’s just what we had to put down on paper.” He considers Iowa transfer Maurice Fleming essentially a third starter in a trio that will play the majority of snaps.
Then there’s apparently some distance between fourth option Nana Kyeremeh and junior college transfer Mike Daniel.
Missouri’s passing game won’t be ready to challenge this group like Oklahoma or Baylor will, so Gibson has time to gauge his corners ability to hold up in man coverage.
3. Are WVU’s receivers ready to light it up?
The majority opinion holds that Daikiel Shorts remains steady, while Shelton Gibson, Ka’Raun White and Jovon Durante tune up to provide the most dynamic receiving unit of Holgorsen’s career.
Still, that presumption requires significant leaps in maturation and reliability. Gibson averaged a sizzling 24 yards per catch yet caught only 37 of them, and Durante’s concentration slips held him to 24 receptions. (Neither player caught 47 percent of his targets.) Even with a big bowl performance, White finished with only 15 catches.
“I’m anxious to see if any of these guys are really ready to turn the corner,” Holgorsen said. “We’ve got guys who can run by you, but you don’t know anything about what they can really do until you go play.”
4. Will Mike Molina be needed in the clutch?
Because play-by-play guys emerge famous (or infamous) from their dramatic end-game calls, I offered the venerable Tony Caridi a free-of-charge assist Friday, a gift line to tuck away in case WVU wins on a last-second field goal:
“MOLINA STRAIGHT IN-BETWEENA!!!”
He cocked his head, pondered a moment, and distilled the wisdom amassed from 32 years of broadcasting when he said, “I will not be using that.”
Whether or not the Voice of the Mountaineers changes his mind, there’s a possibility West Virginia needs something from Mike Molina at a moment far more pressurized than those two PATs he kicked during a 54-0 win over Towson.
We’re told he’s not the 55-yard threat that Josh Lambert is, but who knows what range will be suitable should the game be decided by Molina’s leg.
At least there’s no crown, right?