MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Back for another week of offensive line film critique, Jeff Braun evaluates six plays from West Virginia-Liberty.
Seeing an FCS opponent in Morgantown made the former Mountaineer remember the thankless times he faced lower-level teams. Despite a 4-0 record against the FCS, Braun recalled each one as a “lose-lose situation,” where blowouts were expected and anything less “made you look bad.”
His opinion after West Virginia’s 41-17 win last Saturday?
“I think after this win some of the guys feel the same way: ‘We won but was it good enough?’ I think they realize that had this been a Big 12 opponent, would the outcome have been the same?
“They know they can’t make the same mistakes they have been making and fare well against the Big 12. But they are playing well, and they are doing a lot of good things.”
One aspect Braun was looking for most: Whether the O-line played assignment-sound football as it prepares for the tougher part of the schedule.
“Are guys getting on the right people? Are they moving people? Are they doing what they’re supposed to do?
In the Gold & Blue Lunch Report, Braun breaks down the following clips:
— A power play with backside guard Adam Pankey pulling up the middle.
— Yodny Cajuste’s lapse in footwork leading to a sack by Chima Uzowihe.
— A third-and-short conversion where the line (and fullback Eli Wellman) made corrections fro the season opener.
— Right guard Kyle Bosch allowing penetration by a Liberty linebacker on a short-yardage A-gap “run-through.”
— Reserve center Stone Underwood making a downfield block on a running back screen.
— Tony Matteo making a savvy pickup on a defensive line double-twist, leading to a 14-yard Smallwood gain on an inside zone run.
