Five things I learned this weekend: Big games matter win or lose
West Virginia fans were certainly disappointed with the outcome of Saturday's game, but let's keep it in perspective. I'll argue that the evening was a win in recruiting despite the loss.The huge crowd of visiting prospects was incredibly impressive as they stood on the sideline for pre-game ceremonies. Four-star prospect Cyrus Jones from Baltimore Gilman made a hastily planned unofficial visit, as did junior tailback Derrick Green from Richmond (Va.) Hermitage. West Virginia was one of many schools that Green was considering, along with Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Purdue and Wisconsin. I'd still call Ohio State the leader if the Buckeyes can work their way through their upcoming NCAA obstacle course. However, West Virginia may prove to be a strong challenger, especially after Green's visit on Saturday."I am really considering WVU because I had a had a great time up there," Green texted me on Sunday morning. "The coaches are really cool! And I can tell that their fans really love them."Speaking of West Virginia ...
Sure, you can point to West Virginia's many mistakes as reasons why it lost 47-21 to LSU on Saturday. There were four turnovers, poor special teams play and more dropped passes than yellow shirts in Milan Puskar Stadium. But don't let those miscues fool you: There is still a pronounced difference in talent between the two schools.Case in point, LSU made its fair share of mistakes, but for me, one play stands out. It came in the third quarter when West Virginia's standout receiver, Tavon Austin, appeared headed for a touchdown that never happened.Not only was Austin outrun and headed off by the LSU secondary, he was eventually tackled by defensive lineman Kendrick Adams 38 yards from the line of scrimmage. For the record, Adams is 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds. And as for those turnovers, they were often forced by superior athletes.The foundation is there for West Virginia to be an elite program and they're certainly worthy of a top 25 ranking. But to be a national power, they'll need to upgrade their talent significantly.I'd say that will happen based off of the recruiting momentum the Mountaineers have. The 19 commitments and exposure from Saturday's game will help.Gilman's prospects live up to expectations
Don't think of Baltimore Gilman's elite prospects as just prospects. They're proving to be consistent, productive players each week. That was readily evident in a 38-8 win over Bethesda (Md.) Georgetown. With recruiters from Florida and Auburn in the stands, Gilman's star prospects produced before being pulled out of the game at the end of the third quarter with a 38-0 lead.Jones returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, scored on a 42-yard run with 20 seconds left in the first half, had two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown before a questionable block-in-the-back penalty negated the score.Quarterback Shane Cockerille had a touchdown pass and two touchdown runs. Linebacker Kenneth Goins registered three tackles-for-a-loss, including two sacks. Junior defensive tackle Henry Poggi forced a fumble and had seven tackles. Linebacker Micah Kiser registered 10 tackles.This looks familiar