One text from game night still stands out among the many that deserve to stand out:

(1:24 AM): That’ll be all, Jeff Mullen. Drop your playbook off on the way out.

I’m guessing this came right about the time a second middle screen was intercepted and this time returned for a decisive touchdown. (By the way, I was a bit stunned to see another screen there and I quite distracted at that moment, but it occurred to me Noel runs a long way with that ball if he catches it. I saw a replay and I’m convinced it was something big waiting to happen.)

You surely know this, but since Saturday night a lot of people has asked a lot of questions about WVU’s offense, specifically of the direction and the play-calling. I’ve fielded many and addressed them thusly: Seeing as if the Mountaineers were moving the ball in the direction of Auburn’s end zone, the play-calling had to be OK.

Truth is, it will be examined, which then means it will be explained by the willing offensive coordinator, Jeff Mullen.

Could it be, Mullen was being asked, that this team was being asked to do too much, to rely far too much of gimmicks like hook-and-ladder pass plays and double passes and four receivers to one side? Was it playing that 7-K hand too often and not pressing a pair of queens hard enough?

“We felt we had to do that to win,” Mullen answered, again being as straight forward and honest in his answers as he has been whether his offense wins or losses. “We put our money in the middle and went all in.”

The problem was that the river card turned out to a joker.