Hey! This was a good play. It was one of the many times West Virginia’s defense did one of its Things really well last season … as well as one of the rare times it took advantage of one of its Things.

The Mountaineers forced 31 turnovers in 2015. That was one of the best totals in all of college football. The Mountaineers totaled 122 return yards. More than one-third of that total comes right here — and Terrell Chestnut had a 32-yard interception return touchdown against Kansas — and 26 of the turnovers had zero return yards.

That, I have to think, is hard to do.

If we’re being honest, there was no science to Barber’s return or to Chestnut’s return.

Barber had it easy. Chestnut got one block from Jarrod Harper at the end, and I don’t think he needed it. Both count, and Barber’s play for certain helped WVU win the game, but how many other chances did the Mountaineers squander last season? How many times could a loss have swung the other way on a turnover return that was instead just a turnover?

In five losses, they forced seven turnovers and had one 7-yard interception return against Oklahoma. That’s it. In the overtime loss to Oklahoma State, there were three turnovers and zero return yards. In the killer loss to Kansas State, there were two turnovers and no return yards.

They just did a lot of catch-and-fall and fall-and-recover stuff in 2015. “It was bad,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said.

Well, you’ll remember that WVU had another problem in 2014. It couldn’t force turnovers. Fourteen in 13 games, which was one of the worst totals in all of college football. But if the Mountaineers could go from 14 to 31, you can understand why they’re obsessed with going from 122 return yards to something many times larger than that in 2015.

“The next step is, ‘Now let’s get them and let’s score,’ ” Gibson said.

The Mountaineers still devote extra attention to forcing turnovers. Defenders rip balls from offensive players, fall on fumbles and run up to loose balls and try to pick them up cleanly and without falling. Defensive line coach Bruce Tall has one drill in which he puts a ball near the goal line and then sends a player to the ball so he can scoop it up and cross the goal line.

“You want to create that mentality so they’re thinking that every time they pick up the ball, they’ve got a chance to score,” Tall said. “If you continually put them in a situation and coach them through the situation, they get that sensation of doing it.”

The Mountaineers have some new habits, though. If they’re in a live part of practice with the offense trying to drive against the defense, a turnover triggers a reaction. The defenders try to score, even if a whistle blows to stop that play and quickly start the next one.

“You’re seeing guys return the ball the length of the field and trying to get into the end zone and getting into the end zone,” cornerbacks coach Blue Adams said. “It’s been the biggest emphasis, just so they get used to, ‘Hey, I’ve got the ball and I have to return it,’ instead of, ‘I have the ball. Let’s get down and let’s be satisfied with the big play.’ ”