MORGANTOWN - As West Virginia fans sang "Country Roads" on Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium, an old scoreboard message came to mind.
It flashed after WVU's 1984 victory over Penn State. A 28-year wait ended then between Mountaineer victories. And the scoreboard simply read "Finally."
Despite his post-game comments, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen had to feel the same after his team escaped with a 17-16 win over visiting Kansas State in the Big 12 opener for both. Because finally, finally, after what had to feel like 28 years to Holgorsen, the 0-4 drought against Wildcat coach Bill Snyder is over.
And maybe - just maybe - that happened because West Virginia finally did to K-State what K-State has been doing to West Virginia all these years: imposed its will.
Finally.
At halftime it certainly seemed the Snyder curse would once again raise its head. Before what the kids call a "turn't" crowd of 61,701, the Wildcats did what they usually do: play a sound, disciplined - if not pretty - game in the first half. Call it old-fashioned ball behind 76-year-old Snyder if you wish, but it's successful.
Meanwhile, there was WVU in the half, with a holding call on a kickoff return. There it was with a missed field goal. There it was tossing an interception. There were Skyler Howard overthrows. Defensive back Jeremy Tyler pitched in a pass interference penalty.
On top of that, Kansas State's four-man rush was whipping West Virginia's offensive line. Folks were getting nervous.
"Oh no he isn't," seemed the crowd's collective feel. "Snyder isn't really leading his team into Morgantown and giving the Mountaineers another old-school whipping, right?
"Um, right?"
In the end, that was correct. WVU did win. OK, does it feel like WVU is 4-0? Uh, no. Yet, somehow, it is. The Mountaineer defense allowed K-State to convert 8 of 18 third downs, but gave up just 286 yards, 120 on the ground and the 16 points.
Oddly, West Virginia was losing at halftime despite holding Wildcat quarterback Jesse Ertz to 6-of-18 passing for 118 yards and an 88.4 passer rating.
The reason is the Mountaineers' sputtering offensive attack.
"We were struggling a little bit," said WVU coach Dana Holgorsen. "I probably was impatient in the second quarter. ... I called too many drop-back passes. We need to be balanced."
That was certainly the case on the day because Howard was off. He was 13 of 21 for 131 yards in the first half and just didn't look sharp. Meanwhile, junior college transfer back Justin Crawford was impressive.
As WVU made its comeback, Crawford was a spark. He finished with 106 yards on 18 carries and almost assuredly won the starting tailback position, especially after Rushel Shell fumbled on second-and-goal in the third quarter.
All West Virginia needed was a couple of scores and some stops. But, yes, it did look as if the Silver Fox would again slip past Holgorsen. There was the lack of discipline when Gary Jennings took a punt - and lost 9 yards. Would Snyder's kids again respond to him? Would Holgorsen's kids again not respond to him against this team?
Well, not on this day. West Virginia responded after halftime. There was Shelton Gibson running deep, catching the ball and holding on while K-State defensive back D.J. Reed tore his helmet off. (No penalty?)
There was Crawford moving the pile to the 1-foot line, putting a charge in the crowd. There was Rasul Douglas, who had been burned before, fighting for and coming down with an interception.
WVU offenses have had trouble scoring against Kansas State for the past four years and that was the case again on Saturday. But give the Mountaineers credit for fighting back and imposing THEIR will against the Wildcats instead of the other way around.
"They beat us last year, so we were pretty motivated," Holgorsen said.
WVU should have been motivated. With defensive backs now calling the NFL home, with more talent, the Mountaineers lost to K-State in Manhattan at the end of last season. And Holgorsen and staff should have been more even motivated because of their play calls and decisions.
Now, do they owe Wildcat place-kicker Matthew McCrane an expensive dinner for missing a 43-yard field goal with 2:03 remaining? You betcha.
Yet mark my word, this Wildcat team will be a surprise in the Big 12. Players up front on defense like Will Geary and Jordan Willis, as well as linebacker Elijah Lee, are legit. Dish them credit.
And while WVU might not be ready to challenge Alabama or Ohio State for a national title, at least give the Mountaineers credit for doing something on Saturday they haven't been doing much of the time: imposing their will.
Especially against the Silver Fox.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.