Sporting events are defined by a score–a winner and a loser. The occasional "moral victory," if there is such a thing, shows up nowhere in stat books, which are the holy texts of all competition.
And so the constant measuring of success by wins and losses trumps the spectacle, which is unfortunate, given what Mountaineer fans witnessed Saturday night at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Coach Dana Holgorsen, desperate for a run game at least potent enough to take the pressure off of Geno Smith and the passing attack, opened Saturday night with receiver Tavon Austin as a running back.
Austin, whose achievements as a running back in high school in Baltimore are legendary, says he was given basic instructions: two plays… to the left and to the right.
Just a few plays in, surprised Oklahoma coaches were forced to call a timeout to try to adjust for the unexpected development. The Sooners, however, never did figure out how to stop Austin.
He sprinted, juked, reversed field and high-stepped his way through and around the Sooner defense, leaving shredded WVU records swirling like confetti in his draft.
Consider the accomplishments:
–344 yards rushing, a WVU single-game record, breaking the record held by K.J. Harris with 337 yards against East Carolina in 2004.
–572 all-purpose yards, most in the FBS this season. Austin fell just six yards short of the all-time FBS record, which has stood since 2000.
–Austin’s all-purpose yards were the most by a WVU player in a single game since Garrett Ford’s 356 against Pitt in 1965.
–His two rushing touchdowns made Austin the first Mountaineer in school history to score a touchdown four different ways (receiving, rushing, punt return and kick return).
There are additional notable numbers, but the true beauty of Saturday is found in the appreciation of the performance, not in the gaudy statistics.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, relieved after surviving with a one-point victory, could join the chorus of those marveling at Austin.
"I’ve never seen a guy that fast, that quick and elusive in space like that," Stoops said. "No disrespect to any running back, but you don’t see guys like that."
Yet we did.
The story so far for the 2012 Mountaineer football season is the duality: five season-opening wins followed now by as many losses. It’s difficult for the Mountaineer faithful to make sense of it all.
But one might start by, for the moment at least, ignoring the numbers. They are too cold for the passion that comes with a spectacle.
Instead, be a witness to the extraordinary performance by Tavon Austin Saturday night. That’s where the joy can be found.