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West Virginia fell to 2-3 on aggregate and 0-2 in the Big 12 Conference game after losing their home game to Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon, 23-20. The Mountaineers got into a huge hole going 17-0 down at halftime, and head coach Neal Brown didn’t mince words about his team’s performance in the opening thirty minutes .
“The first half was inexcusable,” he said after the game. “Apologize to the fans. Angry with the way we played in the first half. We weren’t ready to go. The energy level was exceeded by theirs. Not good enough … … There was not a phase of our football team playing well in the first half. “
After such a gruesome start, the team showed some life as they scored 17 straight points in the third quarter to tie the game.
“Proud of the way our guys competed in the second half,” said Brown. “That’s how we should play at all times. I appreciate the fans for staying in the game.”
The Mountaineers have lost the ball three times, but are sinking deep into Texas Tech territory. Inside the ten-yard line, WVU managed to run a few plays and opened up the guys, but couldn’t finish.
“We had some good games,” Brown said. “We should have scored a touchdown last practice. I’m probably the most pissed off about it… .. We had a good game. We missed the shot.”
After settling for an equalizer, the West Virginia defense couldn’t stop the Red Raiders from advancing onto the field. After using two offensive timeouts earlier in the half, the Mountaineers couldn’t stop the clock to give their offense a chance. Brown briefly considered letting Tech score, but chose not to.
“I felt like, since we didn’t have any downtime, this was the way to go,” Brown said. “If you let them score, you have to do it with about a minute and a half. It’s the thinking process. You can do it anyway. People who know what they’re doing, they point it to this- the.[yard line] and stop. “
With just twenty seconds left, it looked like WVU’s best prospect was a big comeback from Winston Wright. Instead, the precious kick returner knelt down on a firecracker kick at the nine-yard line. It wasn’t clear if he thought it would give WVU the ball at the 25-yard line or not, but the attack started there. Brown defended the decision after the game.
“No. You don’t want to turn that around. The ball is on the ground. Once it’s smashed, you won’t have much of a chance. You won’t have it higher than the 30th. [yard line]. So you get down on your knees to try and save time. It is the thought process. It’s a good game. You can all chat with me about a lot of things, but it’s a good play. “
After that, the plan was to throw two passes down midfield to get the first downs. Then make an attempt in the end zone or hit a basket. Doege hit wide receiver Isaiah Esdale for a through pass on the first play, but then stood up and patted the ball before tossing it out of bounds at the end of the time limit.
“We performed the first [throw]”Brown said.” The second one, you gotta throw it away. You have to throw it away. Period.”
Despite this, Brown vigorously defended Doege’s play, including leading his team in the second half.
“If people want to get mad at me, that’s fine,” Brown said. “I agree with that, but this kid played well in the second half. He played well. What was he, 25 of 33 for 318. It was mostly in the second half. [fans] want to be mad at * all * of us in the first half. It’s just. I thought he played well in the second half. There might have been a couple of them that he might have wanted to get back, but I thought he gave us a chance. “
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