No clue if it came across clearly on television because I couldn’t record the game and watch it afterward, but from where I sat Saturday, it was unbelievable how animated WVU’s sideline and players were throughout the game.

I’m not sure the Mountaineers were more excited than LSU was earlier this season or Louisville was the week before, but they were more into that game than they were in probably any other this season. And they won despite a list of things that may have caused them to do something Dana Holgorsen said he’s seen them do at times this season: Quit.

But they didn’t. They weathered everything, got some breaks and made their own luck, but they never seemed like they wilted. That wasn’t a coincidence, of course, because Holgorsen dared his team not to be ready to play last week.

What he saw Saturday was something he’d been begging to see for a while. Somewhere along the way this season, WVU either lost its bravado or let it slouch to such a posture that a freshman for Louisville blew kisses to the crowd after returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown.

The Mountaineers were being emotionally bullied and that had to change. And it changed against Cincinnati, though almost to a problematic point the team must now address.

“We played on the edge a little bit and went over a little bit, which I think you need to do sometimes to increase your energy and excitement level,” Holgorsen said. “You’ve got to be able to control that now.”