COMMENTARY
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Ka’Raun White coughed up a catch straight into a defender’s arms.
Rushel Shell fumbled for the first time in 151 carries, 2 yards from the goal line no less.
Skyler Howard became so wigged out by a blitzer he resorted to left-handed passing.
West Virginia’s execution lacked polish and points for much of Saturday, though when the strain of a fifth consecutive loss to Kansas State became palpable, there arose an obvious option:
Throw the ball deep to Shelton Gibson.
Some 52 yards later, Gibson had a somersault catch but no helmet, his golden lid yanked off by cornerback D.J. Reed. When no flag came, Gibson seized the opportunity for some face time, power-stepping toward the Mountaineers’ sideline, pounding his chest and essentially re-animating an offense that languished three quarters without a touchdown.
“That was the spark,” said Howard after a 17-16 come-from-behind victory. “For him to get his head ripped off and still catch it just shows he’s so hungry for the ball.”
Coach Dana Holgorsen suggested officials ”usually throw flags for things like that,” but Gibson didn’t label the play dirty. In fact, because he doesn’t actually like wearing his chin strap under his chin, it rides up and contributes to his helmet coming loose frequently.
In this instance, it simply gave the catch of the day a far greater degree of difficulty. Appropriate, given the way West Virginia made its own path more difficult all afternoon.
Did we mention Adam Pankey false-starting on fourth-and-2? Howard accidentally taking a knee on a goal-line sneak? Josh Lambert shanking his first kick back from exile?
During the plague of errors, West Virginia lurched into halftime down 13-0, remaining in reach thanks to a short-handed defense that finally showed range and backbone. (K-State’s 274 yards marked the fewest to any Big 12 opponent not named Kansas).
Though Gibson’s catch put him over 100 yards for the third straight game and begat Justin Crawford’s touchdown, the Mountaineers still trailed 16-10 with under 9 minutes left. Given K-State’s penchant for milking clock, was WVU down to its last possession?
Howard suspected so, attaching severe gravity to the outcome of the season’s fourth game.
“This is our season here,” he warned the offense. “This is going to make or break us.”
Nine plays later, Howard threaded the go-ahead touchdown pass — not to Gibson, but to Jovon Durante, on an improvised route in the back of the end zone. The sophomore receiver, currently learning the nuances of slot, showed the biggest sign of synergy yet by crossing the field and flashing into Howard’s sightline as the quarterback strung out the play.
“We make that play a lot in practice but it’s great to make it in the game,” said Howard, pointing to his skull to emphasize Durante’s development. “He has all the physical ability, but he’s going to win or lose up here. It’s all upstairs.”
Essentially, the same principle applies to West Virginia overall. Having cleared its head of the K-State demons, what other obstacles might it overcome?