A few things here: I was on the field with a decent-enough angle. I never saw Ea Smith and I was kind of sure Brodrick Jenkins blocked it. If not, then it was Ryan Nehlen.

Why?

Because Brodrick Jenkins was basically laying on top of the holder when the ball was kicked. If it somehow got past Jenkins, then it had to be Nehlen because he jumped about 11 feet in the air and the ball wasn’t going over him.

It was Smith, though, who had the sore right hand because it was Smith who zipped through a lane on the right side, a lane the Mountaineers knew would be open based on what they saw on film and then rehearse in practice.

“The crazy thing is all week – and this is one of those things you guys might not see or other people not inside the program don’t see – we worked on that field goal block,” said defensive lineman Julian Miller, who recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in what had been the game’s key play up until the game’s final play.

“One thing we noticed early in the week was that right side was the weaker side. On that field goal, it was a perfect opportunity for us to go ahead and take advantage of it.”