During the summer, when the national media was heaping praise on West Virginia University's football program, I penned a column that ESPN picked up entitled "Is WVU Overhyped or Underrated?''
It has taken seven games, but we now know the answer. WVU was grossly overhyped.
It isn't going to win -or even compete -for a national championship. Senior quarterback Geno Smith - in all probability -isn't going to win the Heisman Trophy.
That would make this year about like every other year in Mountaineer football history since WVU never has won a national football title and no Mountaineer ever has captured the Heisman Trophy.
But I can't remember a West Virginia team ever receiving this much national attention only to fall flat on its face.
Just two weeks ago, the Mountaineers were 5-0 and riding high.
Smith wasn't just the frontrunner for the Heisman, he was overwhelmingly so.
Coach Dana Holgorsen's Air Raid offense was a national sensation.
Sure, we all knew the defense was a work in progress, but when you're putting 50 points on the board, you don't need a whole lot of defense.
Now, reality has set in. Reality that a defense -at least some semblance of one -is necessary.
When West Virginia laid an egg at Texas Tech, we chalked it up to two straight trips to the state of Texas. We knew going in it was what many call a "trap game.''
But rather than lose our heads over one loss, we noted that WVU had finished the first half of its first season in the Big 12 with a 5-1 record, that it had beaten Baylor and Texas, that Smith was a top contender for the Heisman and we couldn't wait to see what the second half of the campaign would bring.
The second half began Saturday night in Morgantown against Kansas State, a 3-point underdog.
By the time the second half of the game got started, some fans already had seen enough.
All five of the Wildcats' first-half possessions resulted in points, the first a field goal, the next four touchdowns. Meanwhile, its defense was dominating WVU's highly-regarded offense. By halftime, it was 31-7. The result wasn't in doubt.
But the shellacking didn't stop there. Kansas State added touchdowns on all three of its third-quarter drives. West Virginia's possessions, meanwhile, ended in two interceptions, a punt and turning over the ball on downs.
The 55-14 final score doesn't begin to describe how one-sided this game was. It was as embarrassing of a performance as I've ever seen WVU give, especially at home and with a national television audience tuned in.
The question now is whether coach Dana Holgorsen and his staff can stop the bleeding before this becomes a lost season that ends in some rinky-dink who-cares bowl?
Only time will tell.
Contact Dave Poe at dpoe@newsandsentinel.com
