MORGANTOWN Ƶ West VirginiaƵs running game will clearly be hampered when the Mountaineers travel to Iowa State for SaturdayƵs game against the Cyclones.
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HUNTINGTON Ƶ At the start of every football season, there are questions for teams.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Ƶ West Virginia didnƵt back down from its aggressive approach on the base paths against No. 3 Oklahoma State on Friday night at Monongalia County Ballpark. Unfortunately, the Cowboys were equal to the challenge.
ƵU (21-11, 5-2) saw runners thrown out at second base and home plate in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, negating their usual advantage on the base paths as the visiting Pokes took a 2-1 win in the opener of the series in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 3,291 fans.
West Virginia has frazzled many of its opponents this year with its bunting, steals and running game, but OSU remained calm for most of the contest, keeping the Mountaineers from unleashing their running attack and getting key strikeouts to end six of ƵUƵs nine at-bats.
Key among the plays on the bases was the decision to send McGwire Holbrook from first base in an attempt to score on Braden BarryƵs line drive double down the left field line in the seventh. While such decisions have been de rigueur for ƵU this season, third base coach Steve SabinsƵ call in the heat of the moment proved to be a bad one, as Holbrook was out by some 20 feet at the plate.
ƵWeƵre an aggressive team. We are going to make outs on the bases,Ƶ a philosophical Randy Mazey said afterward. ƵWhen you make outs at home plate it seems like it gets magnified. But thatƵs the type of offense we have. We are going to force people to play defense against us, and they made a great defensive play.Ƶ
It was more of a routine play for the Pokes, who got a good throw from left fielder Jake Thompson and an accurate, yet unspectacular relay from Marcus Brown to keep Holbrook from scoring. They followed it up with a pair of strikeouts after a Nathan Blasick walk, ending the MountaineersƵ best chance for a big number.
One inning earlier, catcher Chase Adkison nailed Davis as the Mountaineer spark plug tried to steal second, nipping another ƵU rally attempt in the bud.
ƵAustin getting caught stealing in the sixth inning, thatƵs just as big an out as all of them,Ƶ Mazey admitted.
ItƵs fair to say that ƵU had to be aggressive, though, as OSU starter Justin Campbell had them handcuffed through much of the game. Scattering six hits over seven innings, Campbell moved to 5-1 on the season by fanning eight Mountaineers while walking just one. Nolan McLean pitched the ninth to get the save.
ƵU converted reliever Jacob Watters took at least one, and maybe several more steps of progression in his journey as a starting pitcher. Without full command of his curve, he still delivered 6 1/3 innings of very good work, allowing two earned runs while battling out of a couple of jams to keep the home team in the game.
Reliever Chris Sleeper turned in another excellent performance, giving up just two hits and striking out two in 2.2 innings of no-runs-allowed work.
OSU got on the board first, turning a leadoff double in the third into a run, while ƵU failed to score after it led off its own half the same frame with a Mikey Kluska double.
That comparison, plus OSUƵs ability to blunt ƵUƵs running game, were the small, yet deciding, differences in the well-played game. OSU added a solo homer in the sixth that landed on top of the ticket office in left center field to account for the winning margin.
ƵIf you are a fan of college baseball you just got treated to one of the best games youƵll ever see. That was well-pitched, well-defended, the offense did great to get the hits they got against the two pitchers they faced,Ƶ Mazey noted. ƵThose are two of the best pitchers in all of college baseball going head to head. That was a great game, itƵs just a shame the Mountaineers had to lose it.Ƶ
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m., with ƵU sophomore left-hander Ben Hampton (5-2, 3.02 ERA, 0.98 WHIP) squaring off against Oklahoma StateƵs right-hander Victor Mederos (3-1, 5.68 ERA, 1.37 WHIP).
SEAMS AND BARRELS
Davis, who scored ƵUƵs only run, again emphasized touching the plate when he trotted home on Victor ScottƵs sacrifice fly in the eighth after stealing both second and third bases. He not only stomped on the plate, but bent down and smacked it with his hands.
Davis was ruled out last week for missing home on a sacrifice fly in the Baylor series.
Oklahoma State designated hitter Griffin Doersching wore the golden sombrero after fanning four times in the contest.
Neither team committed an error in a game which was notable for its clean, crisp play in the field. ƵU turned a double play to get out of one OSU scoring threat, and Kluska made a stop and a spinning throw from short right field to strand two Cowboy baserunners in the seventh.
Pitchers in the game combined to walk just four batters while striking out 20.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Ƶ News) Ƶ When you think of the most major change West Virginia football coach Neal Brown made this season in an effort to move back toward the glory days the program once knew, you think of his decision to bring in a new offensive coordinator.
His choice was Texas Tech's one-time record-breaking quarterback Graham Harrell and his bag of Xs and Os taken from his experience with the Air Raid offense of Mike Leach.
Harrell's assignment was to perform CPR on a dying offense and when anyone thought about the approach they thought about play designs, play-calling, a new quarterback and an improved running game .... Harrell's restructuring of the offense went far deeper into the psyche of the team.
He approached it first with a new attitude, a killer attitude.
In his introductory press conference, he laid out his approach to the game.
"I always expect to score, and I expect the same out of our guys when they take the field. I expect to score. No matter what's going on, no matter how much you're up, how bad you're down, matter what's happened up to that point in the game, if we set foot on the field, the expectation is to score."
While that was met with some skepticism from a media that preferred a wait-and-see approach after three years of uncertain quarterback play, inconsistent running and shaky pass protection.
But it fell upon eager ears in the offensive room, for this was a frustrated offense starting over from scratch.
"The first thing he told us when he got here is 'We're gonna light it up,'" veteran offensive guard James Gmiter said over the weekend following the third practice of the spring. "We have guys that want to score points, want to win games, and him assuring that to us really put in perspective that we can do it with him."
Harrell's history as an offensive coordinator at North Texas and then USC said he could produce on his vision for ƵU offense. Last year the Trojans led the Pac-12 in passing and were among the Top 25 teams in the nation in many offensive categories.
A year ago, the Mountaineers ranked eighth in the Big 12 in total offense, ninth in scoring and last in rushing, leaving much room for improvement.
Gmiter admits the team Ƶ especially an offensive line that seems to be sitting upon the verge of exploding after three years of being rebuilt to the point that it returns every starter Ƶ has been caught up in Harrell's approach.
"The main thing is the excitement that coach Harrell brings," Gmiter said. "Having a guy like him in the program where his big thing is having fun, kind of letting loose and lighting the scoreboard up, that's what this offense needs."
Neither previous offensive coordinator Gerad Parker nor quarterback Jarret Doge exuded the same kind of confidence and excitement that is being felt around the Puskar Center these days.
A spirited battle to find a starting quarterback from freshman Nicco Marchiol, redshirt freshman Will "Goose" Crowder and last year's backup Garrett Greene, adds to the excitement that is chasing away the malaise of the first three Brown years.
"We have guys that can make explosive plays like (wide receiver) Kaden Prather and (running back) Tony Mathis and our offensive line is experienced enough where we have the ability to make the explosive plays work. He brought that in within the first three days," Gmiter said on Saturday.
"Today was the most explosive plays we've had in a practice, so you can see just by what he brings to the table that it's going to elevate our offense."
It is the offensive line, not the quarterback, that holds the key for they are game experienced and last season showed ability at times.
"I think it's gonna really help, especially with having some young quarterbacks Ƶ helps their development becuase they can stand in that pocket a little longer and have a cleaner pocket. Having that foundation is huge for us," Harrell said this week.
'"I think they can get us out of some trouble when we need to lean on those guys," Harrell continued. "If we've got to run the football or whatrever the case may be, whatever it takes, having those guys is going to help. You need some protection? Theyi can usually do it. You need a little extra time. I think you've got a chance to have it because you have an offensive line."
It's not just experienced. It is what you would consider solid with Gmiter joined by the star of the line, Zach Frazier, at center; with Doug Nester at right guard and with the two tackles, Tony Yates and Wyatt Milum switching left and right tackle spots to take advantage of Milum's left-handed strength.
What was lacking was the ability to do it when facing top-of-the-line opponents from the upper tier of the Big 12.
ƵThe next step is definitely doing it against teams where people donƵt think we will,Ƶ Gmiter said. ƵBeing consistent is something weƵre really trying for. We want to be the same person day in and day out. (Offensive line coach Matt Moore) always says, ƵYour good days are really good, and then your bad days cannot be bad.Ƶ You have to be the same person every day and thatƵs starting to come along throughout our room.Ƶ
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Ƶ News) Ƶ Over the past three football seasons, Leddie Brown has probably been the most abused running back in the nation.
Much was made of the beating that quarterback Jarret Doege took as the offensive line went through growing pains ... pains that most often were inflicted upon the West Virginia quarterback whose escape ability was sorely limited.
But with it. Brown was the Mountaineer ball carrier who may not have led the nation in yards per carry but certainly was the lead in bruises per carry. Despite gaining 2,442 yards in those three years on 429 carries, he had to make sure his collision insurance was up to date every time he was handed the football.
He never won the Heisman Trophy but he should have been awarded a Purple Heart, considering there were times when it felt as though it were one on 11 as fought for yardage inside.
With him gone, head coach Neal Brown and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell will rethink the running game and believe that despite two straight 1,000-yard seasons from Brown, they may wind up better off as four players compete for playing time.
"I like the (running back) room. I really do," Brown said as spring practice opened this week and was asked his plans for the position. "I think that's a question we've been asked a lot. We're going to miss Leddie Brown. He was a very consistent player for us, but this is the best room we've had from the top down talent-wise."
The natural progression has his backup from last season, Tony Mathis, moving up into his spot. Mathis got a chance late in the year, had a 118-yard game against Kansas, and gained 53 with five receptions as Brown sat out the bowl game against Minnesota.
"He finished the season really well and then had as good an off-season as anyone in the program," Brown said.
"I really like the leadership Tony Mathis is showing. The game has really slowed down for him. He's calm, confident. Not only running the football but his route running is really improved. That was something he wasn't asked to do at Cedartown. His pass protection is better."
But Justin Johnson, who dipped his toe into the waters last year, is also back and has a strong resume while a newcomer, Jaylen Anderson, who had to battle to qualify academically, has come in and really caught Brown's eye as a player he might be able to do a lot with.
"Jaylen Anderson is extremely talented. He got a late start. He's trying to play himself into condition because he's a little heavy. When you all get to see him, you will like him. He's a natural runner. He looks effortless out there and he's got high football intelligence. He's going to have a great future."
And there is a wild card in the bunch, that being Lyn-J Dixon, a transfer from Clemson who is a different style entirely.
"Lyn-J Dixon, he can run. He's fast. He's a home run hitter," Brown said. "He has to learn what our expectation are for our running backs are here because they are a little bit different than what he was asked to do for them at Clemson. It was a little bit fast for him today, not because of the speed of the game. He's just eager.
"You like to see that. He really likes to show he can do. He can hit the home run. All four of those guys give us a chance."
The breakaway threat that Dixon brings is something that's been lacking in the Mountaineer offense for a while.
Now it's up to Harrell to figure out how to use them all. He's only had them for two practices, but he seems to be genuinely impressed with what he's seen to date.
"They've done a really great job and had a great two days. One thing I like about all those guys is they are really disciplined and do what they are coached to do. Coach Chad Scott does a great job on things, for instance ball security," Harrell said.
"It can be an issue. If you turn the ball over, you will lose games. It's something we've tried to emphasis and if you watch those guys, it's like, 'Man, that's exactly what we taught.'"
They also have stressed discipline with the reads they are making.
"Tuesday, we worked on outside zone and today on inside zone," Harrell said. "Tuesday, they did a real good job. Like a quarterback has reads, so does a running back and they did a good job of seeing things, being disciplined and hitting where they are supposed to hit.
"Obviously, we don't have pads on and the game changes when we do, for two days in shorts and helmets they've made a lot of big plays for us."
Harrell also enjoyed the way Chad Scott was trying to sell the Mountaineer quarterbacks on the receiving skills his receivers have.
"Coach Scott was telling the quarterbacks in practice that they have to throw his guys the ball more. Yesterday every time they touched the ball it was an efficient play. Some of that's trying to campaign for more balls for the running backs, which every position coach does," Harrell said.
"But when he said it, I was thinking that's a good campaign message. It was true. Every time they did throw the ball something good was happening. They caught good out of the backfield today. When they caught the ball something good happened."
The running backs approach to the game and to practice also has caught Harrell's eye.
"They are coachable, they just put their head down and work. Because of that, I think they are going to be good. If you show up with that mentality, you have a chance to be good at any position."
With no proven quarterback, it could be that the running game will have to be relied on heavily and both Brown and Harrell think they have the mix that can make that an asset, not a liability.
RUSSELL, Ky. Ƶ Head coach T.J. Maynard and the Russell football team did what it needed Friday by beating West Carter 28-14 at Henry R. Evans …
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Ƶ News) Ƶ It is a game that deserves far more respect than to be cast before the nation in the vast broadcast emptiness that is ESPN+ at 2 p.m. Ƶ Saturday's meeting between No. 22/23 Iowa State and unranked West Virginia.
Iowa State is in the process of chasing Oklahoma for the Big 12 championship while the Mountaineers are hoping that last week's road victory over TCU can ignite them on a second-half run that can salvage a season that was rapidly slipping away from them.
It is, in many ways, a game that has everything Ƶ the Big 12's leading rusher and a Heisman Trophy candidate in ISU running back Breece Hall vs. ƵU's stingy rush defense which has turned the word negative into a positive, at least defensively as it ranks in the nation by averaging seven tackles for lost yardage per game.
But Iowa State is not your everyday opponent. It is a team that has had ƵU's number the last three years, outscoring the Mountaineers, 110-34, including an embarrassing 42-6 whipping last season.
Iowa State is a veteran team, so much so that Coach Neal Brown jokingly offered this up this week during his Tuesday press conference:
"I was laughing the other day telling my staff, 'There are some guys on their defense playing longer than some of our coaches have been coaching.'"
But, as good as Iowa State is defensively, it is the offense that is the main concern of ƵU for they are unique in their approach to the game, playing the bully on the block by often utilizing two tight ends of great skill in Charlie Kolar and Chase Allen, but sometimes three of them.
The scheme is challenging and they make it work with Hall running the ball and the crafty quarterback Brock Purdy directing the show, especially good when ƵU's defense is on the other side of the line scrimmage. Tough, mobile and accurate, Purdy engineered ISU's three victories over ƵU while completing 47 of 78 passes for 730 yards and seven touchdowns.
Last year he was good on 20 of 23 throws.
"He's probably one of the most competitive quarterbacks I've seen. You know you have to stop Hall, but what Purdy does and how he moves around in the intermediate passing game brings a whole other element to the game," defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said.
"You've got to find a way to be good against both."
That mix, with Breece Hall, offers a full menu of items for Coach Matt Campbell to pick from, knowing it all begins with Hall and the running game.
"He's patient," ƵU defensive tackle Dante Stills said. "He's downhill, he's strong and tough; he's athletic, and he knows how to make plays, and we have to limit those."
"Breece Hall, he's real patient. He holds, holds and when he accelerates through a seam or a gap he has, he's as good as anybody. He does that fast and breaks tackles, keeps his shoulders square to get downhill," Lesley said.
"Normally a guy that's good at that is a power guy, but Breece is good in space, too. If you hang on blocks, he makes it really hard. They stay on their blocks and when he finds a crease he accelerates through as good as I've seen."
It is the running game that is the No. 1 priority for ƵU to stop, as it is in all games. Ƶked to list his approach to defense, ƵU coordinator Jordan Lesley offered this up:
a. Rush defense
b. Scoring defense
c. Turnover margin
Why stop the run first?
"You are always looking at the next down," Lesley began. "If I can play second and eight on defense, I kind of understand what your playbook is going to be from that point. A lot of teams have a first-down run tendency to try and get that drive or that series going.
"That's obviously not 100%. Playing the next down after a pass you're playing a chess match but there's a lot more things you can against the pass in coverage than you can do to stop the run.
The run is block recognition, block defeat, tackling. Everything is basic fundamentals of the game, which we work very hard on."
But Iowa State makes it tougher on you by having an All-American running back, a running threat at quarterback and extra blockers via the tight ends.
Then they really mess with your brain by what they do pre-snap.
"The motions and shifts change the picture they show you. That's unique. It's almost triple 'option-esque'," Lesley said.
"I think it's more unique what their tight ends are," Lesley said. "When you are 6-6 or 6-7 and weigh whatever, you don't really have to be very unique with what you do. You just have to be unique with where you put the ball so they create a huge challenge with just their body presence."
And just to make the challenge complete, Iowa State has first-class wide receiver in 6-foot-3, 210-pound Xavier Hutchinson. His size, with the tight ends, is a major challenge to ƵU D-backs who mostly are 5-10 or 5-11.
ƵU comes into the game an underdog but doing so off a win and knowing they played Oklahoma even until the last play of the game this year gives them something to latch onto as they scramble for bowl eligibility.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Ƶ West VirginiaƵs rushing performance garnered a great deal of attention in the win over TCU. The Mountaineers gained 229 net yards, so it certainly deserved some praise, but another aspect of ƵUƵs offense was overlooked. That was the length of its first-half scoring drives and its ability to get out of bad field positions and keep the Horned Frogs from starting out in scoring range.
ƵUƵs first three possessions started at its own ten-, six- and eight-yard lines, giving the Frogs good opportunities to pin the Mountaineers deep and get great position of their own. ƵU, though, put together drives of 79, 94 and 71 yards on those possessions, scoring a touchdown and a pair of field goals to offset TCUƵs pair of TDs.
It continued in the second half, even though the Mountaineers didnƵt score. Taking possession on their own 13, West Virginia gained 35 yards, moving nearly to midfield before punting TCU back to its own 20 and flipping the field in the process. Only once in the game did the home team take possession outside of its own 28-yard line, and that was just three yards further at its 31.
Granted, TCUƵs defense is nothing like it has been in past years, but ƵUƵs ability to drive out of those holes was a huge factor. Even on its four non-scoring drives (discounting the one-play possession at the end of the first half), ƵU ran no fewer than six plays on any of them and gained 133 total yards.
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A few days before the game, head coach Neal Brown noted that none of the backup running backs had seized the second-team job. ƵU took five backs (Leddie Brown, Tony Mathis, Justin Johnson, AƵvarius Sparrow and Markquan Rucker) to Fort Worth, where Mathis may have staked his claim to the job. He produced 48 yards on 12 carries and served as the closer on West VirginiaƵs final drive of the game, grinding out 31 yards and narrowly missing a touchdown on a run that was called back by a holding penalty.
Mathis will still need to show improved blocking, both in pass protection and on the jet sweeps that the Mountaineers continue to plug away with. But his showing, and the confidence in putting the ball in his hands in that closer role, is encouraging.
* * * * * *
West VirginiaƵs move to pooch and squib kicks after TCUƵs kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game was an excellent one, but another aspect of Casey LeggƵs boots deserve praise. The bouncers he kicked down the middle of the field werenƵt the average low rollers Ƶ after a skidding bounce or two, they sailed high into the air, making the fielding of them difficult.
TCU players on the second rank had difficulty judging them, and a couple ricocheted free for a lengthy time. Also, while in the air, they allowed West VirginiaƵs coverage team to get downfield, and as a result, the Frogs never got another realistic chance at a return.
* * * * * *
Josh Chandler-SemedoƵs fourth down stop in the fourth quarter sealed the win for the Mountaineers, but those werenƵt the only critical situations ƵUƵs middle linebacker showed up in. Twice he made excellent tackles in the open field on third down to prevent Frog conversions, and those were two of nine solo tackles he recorded on the evening. His 11 total tackles were 21% of West VirginiaƵs credited stops.
It was excellent to see tight end Mike OƵLaughlin produce four catches on four balls thrown to him, following through on the hopes of the coaching staff to get the position more involved in the offense. Just as at running back, ƵU loaded up with travelers, taking TJ Banks, Treylan Davis and Charles Finley to the game.
The next hope is for a vertical route or two for OƵLaughlin, or for Banks and Finley, who have more raw speed. West Virginia has established quick outs and short option routes for the tight end Ƶ could a changeup of something a bit deeper be in the offing to try to catch defenses jumping the short stuff?
* * * * * *
A bit of caution for the next game. West Virginia, without question, showed improvement on its offensive line and in its running game, but it will be going against the best defense in the league when it faces Iowa State, not one of the worst as it did against TCU.
If the better showing wasnƵt totally due to the opposition, the Mountaineers do have a chance to win, but expecting nearly 500 yards of total offense is unrealistic. ƵU will have to make some defenders miss and create yardage on special teams if it hopes to calm the Cyclones.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Ƶ News) Ƶ Sometimes facts can be distorted into something they are not, but as West Virginia readies itself for Saturday's 3:30 p.m. Homecoming game with Texas Tech, there are two key facts to consider:
No. 1: Texas rushed 52 times for 336 yards while scoring 70 points on 10 touchdowns against the Red Raiders last Saturday.
No. 2: West Virginia rushed 29 times for 47 net yards in scoring 13 points on one touchdown against Oklahoma last Saturday.
That leads to a perplexing game planning situation for coach Neal Brown and his staff Ƶ Texas Tech is vulnerable to the running game, but ƵU has shown no signs of being able to take advantage of it.
Take away ƵU's rushing performance against a badly outmanned FCS opponent in Long Island, and ƵU has gained a net 268 rushing yards against three FBS opponents Ƶ Maryland, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma.
That is 89 yards per game.
That will not cut it, and even against LIU, ƵU's run game was hardly dominant, with 198 yards on 55 carries Ƶ just 3.6 yards a try.
Ƶk Mountaineer offensive coordinator Gerad Parker about it, and you get an honest answer, but one that tries to soften the meaning behind what is happening.
"Like anything, stats are stats. You have to look at them all, find out what's up and fix it. Then you have to try to sustain what's right," Parker said. "We played a formidable opponent in Oklahoma that creates a lot of havoc up front."
The result was there in the numbers, although Parker maintains that in one way you are looking into a fun house mirror when you look at them, noting that 21 negative yards came via a bad snap late in the game.
The reflection, he says, was distorted, and things were better than they looked.
"Ƶ the tape would tell it, we suffered a big loss in rush yardage at the end of the game, so what happened on the ground doesn't really look as bad, to be honest," he said. "I'm very proud of our guys on how they handled movement. It was a big point of emphasis, how they handled stunts and movement. If you analyze it fairly, you can say they played very physically and had a lot of movement."
The problem was that the movement wasn't forward on the ground.
"Of course, you want more," Parker admitted. "Some of that involves us making guys miss. Some of it missed by just this much. Those things are real."
What they are looking for is consistency in the running game, and not the kind of consistency they have produced to date.
"You want to see us make steps to where we find a way to run the ball better and finish games, i.e. the Virginia Tech game where we have the ball in a four-minute setting and keep pushing," Parker said. "We are taking those steps, and those steps are real."
The running game begins and ends with running back Leddie Brown, who last year in an abbreviated season gained 1,000 yards.
"Leddie Brown is no secret, last year to this year," Parker said. "We have to continue to game plan for him to find creases and then give ourselves some air. We have the ability to use the two quarterback system, and that helps us so we don't have some of the struggles we had last year."
But what is really hurting is that they have not uncovered anyone to do any damage to opponents as a backup to Leddie Brown.
Brown has 321 rushing yards in four games and all but 22 of the running back carries this season.
"We have to get a No. 2 guy at that position. He's getting his touches, but I think he's having to play too many snaps," Neal Brown said. "He's not as fresh late as he needs to be."
ƵThe honest answer is that we are in the process of finding that,Ƶ Parker said of the search for a backup. ƵWe are going to have to work week by week and day by day to see who that is and who it can be consistently. I would say they are all in the process of doing it.Ƶ
The hope was that by setting up a number of plays for Garrett Greene, the young running quarterback, a new dimension would be added to the running game. But until Greene shows himself to be a passing threat, the defense can sell out against the run.
ƵU is hoping that its young offensive line will improve as the season unfolds and that that will take care of the problems, but that doesn't provide this week's answers.
"If the process is the truth, the work and the result, then we are going to get there," Parker said. "I think we are pushing our kids that way and, as a sidebar, I think that was the first time since I've been here that I saw our offensive and defensive guys hurt together, really care about each other at a tough time in a tough loss.
"They had a chance to win that Oklahoma football game because they were together. I think it needs to be said, and I think it tells you what we are growing here. Now we need to take another step so it ends up in celebration."
WAYNEƵ Even in games where the margin on the scoreboard and on the stat sheet favor one team, big plays can swing a contest.