No. 25 West Virginia Vs. South Florida: ‘Eers Defeat Bulls 20-6 In Morgantown

Smith was efficient, completing 24-of-31 passes, while Daniels tossed three interceptions and threw for just 119 yards before being benched late in the fourth.

The Bulls (3-3, 0-2) were paced on the ground by Moise Plancher’s 63 yards. Daniels, usually effective on his feet, ran for just four yards on 14 carries. Dontavia Brown hauled in 11 of Daniels’ 20 completions for 98 yards in defeat.

[Image via bubbaprog at 30fps.mocksession.com]

A strong USF kickoff return of 55 yards gave the Bulls ideal field position, but the ensuing drive died almost as soon as the second quarter began. A 36-yard field goal cuts the Mountaineers’ lead to seven.

With 13:48 remaining in the second quarter, West Virginia leads South Florida, 10-3.

SB Nation’s The Smoking Musket makes a case for some flourishes from Bill Stewart:

Of course, we have a head coach who currently does not believe in style points, and is willing to spend upwards of 5 minutes in a press conference expounding on his beliefs. I understand his point, that winning should be enough. And it’s not that he’s being completely foolish in his belief, it’s just that he’s not seeing the big picture. There are more ingredients to a successful West Virginia Program than just winning, or better yet, there are more ingredients to winning long-term than simply winning short-term.

Why? Style points accomplish certain objectives that facilitate future winning. They’re not two separate concepts.

SB Nation’s Voodoo Five examines keys to Thursday night’s game, and priority No. 1 is containing Noel Devine:

SB Nation’s Smoking Musket and Voodoo Five discuss the Bulls’ coaching transition:

TSM: How would you compare/contrast Jim Leavitt to Skip Holtz (other than intensity) and how is the fan base taking to Holtz (supporting or turning against at this point)?

V5: I think Skip and his staff are more adaptable to the game in front of them. One thing you noticed in conference play the last few years with Leavitt is that there weren’t too many adjustments, or different attacks for different opponents. They did what they did, and if you could stop them or exploit them, congratulations, you win. This year you’re seeing specific game plans for specific opponents that make logical sense. Granted the execution hasn’t been very good at times, but they are at least being set up to succeed.

After losing to Syracuse, I think some reality is setting in for our fans -- this team lost a lot of talent after last season, and even with what I would consider better coaching, there’s only so much of that you can overcome. We might not go bowling this year, which is a tough pill to swallow, but the fans are pretty accepting of the fact that Holtz needs some time to get things set up the way he wants them.

SB Nation’s Voodoo Five and The Smoking Musket discuss West Virginia’s prospects of winning the conference title:

V5: The Mountaineers are the clear favorites right now in the Big East. Please tell me why you all can go 11-2 or 10-3 this season, finish ranked in that 10-15 range, and save our pathetic little conference’s dignity.

WVUIE: I think the biggest reason is the overall quality of the defense this year. Veterans dot the field and they rank 7th nationally in both yards and points allowed. Also because the offense (when clicking) is achieving the balance we lacked under the previous coaching staff. Plus, it doesn’t hurt the rest of the BE has looked fairly horrible thus far.