Golson, Muldrow fast and furious defensively

The results were that Kansas’ option game and passing game were denied any room or time to work as West Virginia forced a record 14 punts from an opponent, allowing the Jayhawks to convert just 3 of 17 third downs — and one of those Gibson took squarely on his own shoulders.

“The first third down of the game, that was all on me,” he said. “I knew the draw was coming. I changed the call. I screwed the kids up on that.”

Part of Gibson’s tinkering was due to an injury to defensive end Dontrill Hyman, who had been starting, and part from failures over the season to produce on third down, with opponents having converted on 41 percent of their opportunities.

It was almost natural to turn Golson and Muldrow into a matched set, for they have been such for all practical purposes since Muldrow arrived at school.

“That’s my best friend up here,” the redshirt junior out of Opiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Mississippi, said. “I met him early. We always talked about if we ever got on the same side together we’d be causing havoc. We’ve been waiting for that.”

Gibson kind of sensed that these two had something special going both on and off the field.

“We know going into the Big 12 that people like to throw it around a little bit, so we want to get guys revved up,” the defensive coordinator said.

“That gives me options at linebacker to play Muldrow more, to play Shaq Petteway more. A lot of thought went into that. We did it during the open week.”

And everyone took to it right away, just as Muldrow took to Golson.

“He’s from South Carolina and I went to South Carolina my freshman year. I saw him some times on recruiting visits. We had a lot in common,” Muldrow said. Then, when we’d be talking, he’d finish sentences for me and I’d finish sentences for him. We’re pretty much the same exact people. Like minds think alike.”

It took, of course, an adjustment period for Muldrow and Golson and Riddick to fit in and understand the level of football they had reached.

“Muldrow’s adjusted now to what we do and how we do it. He plays really hard,” Gibson said, words that Muldrow appreciates.

“Since I first got here in the springtime I’ve been trying to make every play I can. I’ve been trying to run around fast, make every play from the start to the end I’ve been going 100 percent — 110 percent if I could get that,” he said.

“Last week, coming out of Oklahoma, (Gibson) saw I had a little bit more effort, a little bit more drive.”

“I probably should have played him more against Oklahoma, going back and watching that film. I knew after that I had to get him and Petteway more snaps. They were playing really well,” Gibson said.

Riddick and Golson give more of a speed pass rush while Muldrow can both rush and play in coverage.

“Brandon is very explosive. He gives us a chance to get to the quarterback when we’re rushing only three or four,” Gibson said. “Muldrow can run with receivers and play man coverage. He gives us that other option.”

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n NOTES: WVU travels to play Texas Tech, a team having a lot of its own problems, in Lubbock, hoping to go to 4-2 in what now seems to be an interesting Big 12 race with Oklahoma having lost … Mario Alford’s 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown gave him two this season. Tavon Austin also scored two in a season in 2011. Four players in WVU history have scored on kickoff returns in the same season … WVU’s last 10 touchdown drives have been completed in 2:31 or less … Holgorsen said that freshman quarterback William Crest’s shoulder hurt him during the off-week, perhaps from overuse, which led him to elevate Skyler Howard to the backup role for Kansas.

Follow Bob Hertzel on Twitter @bhertzel