WVU was very solid on third down Saturday, just one area where the offense was good, but ultimately not good enough to beat Louisville. Still, 14 times the Mountaineers snapped the ball on third down and 8 times they got the first down. Nothing wrong with that, really.

But it was h0w WVU achieved that percentage that speaks a little louder and says a little more about the state of a team that’s inefficient in many critical areas.

The Mountaineers have enjoyed their best success passing the ball this season on second down. They’ve also faced a lot of third-and-longs this season. So Dana Holgorsen got to thinking and figured if third downs were more manageable the offense could be more sustained and, thus, more productive. When WVU got to those lucrative second downs, he said he called a play to try and get half of the yardage he needed for the first down so the offense would have an easier time on third down. He said his team is just not good on third-and-long.

That’s not a good sign. So rankled by the operation’s inefficiency on offense through eight games, Holgorsen decided to do things different on his end. That’s not a hollow gesture, mandatory as it may seem. Remember, Holgorsen has maintained all season it is the players and the execution that are the issues and not the schemes and the plays. Now he’s tinkering with those schemes and plays because he’s a touch worried about the players and the execution.

“It’s maybe more subconsciously than anything,” he said. “Our third down stuff was better this week based on how we approached second down, to be honest with you.”