The West Virginia Mountaineers played well enough to beat just about any team in the country, posting 533 yards and 28 first downs and somehow giving up no sacks on 65 pass attempts. Considering their opponent, this game can be counted as proof that Dana Holgorsen, Geno Smith and all those receivers are good enough to damage anybody.
VIDEO: Morris Claiborne’s Back-Breaking, 99-Yard Kick Return
Not to mention the WVU defense technically held the LSU Tigers offense to only 366 yards. But when it comes to LSU, it's the other yards that matter more. Like this 99-yard kickoff return by Morris Claiborne, for instance (via @cjzero):
That sprint was crucial on the scoreboard and for momentum, as the Eers had just gotten their crowd back to full throttle by pulling within six points. While West Virginia had to construct drives from deep in their own territory just to get anywhere near the goal line, over and over LSU set its offense up for success.
Tyrann Mathieu came up with a pair of turnovers, the rest of the D added two more, every WVU drive after the game's opener started within their own 20 ... LSU used to win games by luck and what casual observers misunderstood as luck, but now they win them with overwhelming depth.
Think of their non-offensive ball movement the way we used to think of their flair for late-game miracles: it’s not exactly a fluke if it happens every week.
For discussion, head to LSU blog And The Valley Shook and West Virginia blog The Smoking Musket.
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