UPDATE: The West Virginia Mountaineers And We Know Drama is now up at the mothership.
With a non-existent running game and an offense that offered no explosiveness on standard downs, WVU quarterback Geno Smith (2,763 yards, 7.4 per pass, 65% completion rate, 24 TD, 7 INT) was forced to make plays on passing downs a bit too much. While Smith was productive and interesting for much of the season, in specific games (basically the four losses plus the Louisville game) the pressure was too much, and he faltered. You could tell from his body language that things weren't going well, and he was unable to fend off prolonged in-game slumps.
Geno Smith in Losses & Versus Louisville: 87-for-159 (55%), 786 yards (4.9 per pass), 4 TD, 5 INT (21.2 Adj. PPG)
Now a junior, Smith was likely ready to improve anyway; he is more mature, and he has a deeper, more experienced receiving corps at his disposal. But throw Holgorsen into the mix, and suddenly Smith is a favorite of the Fantasy College Football crowd. And it's not hard to see why.
Geno Smith in Other Eight Games: 154-for-213 (72%), 1,977 yards (9.3 per pass), 20 TD, 2 INT (32.9 Adj. PPG)
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Yes, Texas Tech had a good offense before Dana Holgorsen was handed the reins as offensive coordinator. Yes, Art Briles had created something pretty good before Holgorsen and Kevin Sumlin took over for him in Houston. Yes, Oklahoma State's offense had already developed quite a reputation before he moved to Stillwater. Still ... it's just staggering to look at what offenses have produced when Holgorsen sits in the coordinator chair.
More than anything else, it is the efficiency with which these offenses run that is so impressive. Below are the six offenses he has led, their average Success Rate+ rankings, the stat line for their leading rusher, and the stat line for their leading passer. If running back Shawne Alston and quarterback Geno Smith replicate these numbers in 2010, and the defense doesn't suffer a total nosedive in replacing seven starters, it's hard to imagine West Virginia not winning the Big East this year.
| Year | Team | Overall SR+ Rk |
Rushing SR+ Rk |
Passing SR+ Rk |
Leading Rusher |
Leading Passer |
| 2005 | Texas Tech | 4 | 1 | 4 | 148-872 (17) 5.9/carry, +15.7 Adj. POE |
353-571-12-4238 (31) 7.4/pass, 62% comp. |
| 2006 | Texas Tech | 17 | 15 | 23 | 152-926 (10) 6.1/carry, +10.1 Adj. POE |
412-616-11-4555 (38) 7.4/pass, 67% comp. |
| 2007 | Texas Tech | 8 | 9 | 8 | 84-439 (8) 5.2/carry, +10.0 Adj. POE |
512-713-14-5705 (48) 8.0/pass, 72% comp. |
| 2008 | Houston | 37 | 26 | 34 | 198-1247 (13) 6.3/carry, +6.5 Adj. POE |
397-589-11-5020 (44) 8.5/pass, 67% comp. |
| 2009 | Houston | 4 | 10 | 4 | 132-698 (9) 5.3/carry, +6.2 Adj. POE |
492-700-15-5671 (44) 8.1/pass, 70% comp. |
| 2010 | Oklahoma State | 3 | 4 | 4 | 271-1548 (16) 5.7/carry, +6.5 Adj. POE |
342-511-13-4277 (34) 8.4/pass, 67% comp. |
| Average | 12 | 11 | 13 | 164-955 (12) 5.8/carry, +9.7 Adj. POE |
418-617-13-4911 (40) 8.0/pass, 68% comp. |
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