WVU's Kwiatkoski settles in middle

West Virginia yielded 37 points and nearly lost to Maryland on Saturday, but linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski had the game of his college life.

“The best I've seen him play,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. “He was all over the place.”

The official statistics showed Kwiatkoski, a fourth-year junior from Bethel Park, responsible for 10 unassisted tackles, 12 total.

“And I'm not so sure he didn't have 22 tackles,” said Gibson, who also coaches the Mountaineers linebackers. “It seemed like every play we watched, he was making the tackle.”

Or one play, “knocking the guard into Timbuctoo,” Tom Bradley said.

“He's always around the ball,” said Bradley, WVU's senior associate head coach who for years helped mold Penn State's outstanding linebackers. “He's making good plays. He's taking the proper angle. If you watch him attack blockers, you see a push there. He's playing with his hands. He's getting off blocks. He's playing with a lot of confidence. You see how fast he's playing.”

Listed at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, Kwiatkoski had three tackles for loss and broke up two passes, including a muffed interception when the wet ball slipped through his grasp. He offered no excuses.

“(The ball) was kind of behind me, but I got my hands on it,” said Kwiatkoski, a running back and safety in high school. “It's on me. I should have picked it. I should be able to make those plays.”

He made several other plays, including a big one after Jordan Thompson's fumbled punt early in the fourth quarter gave Maryland the ball on the WVU 8, trailing by 10 points. On second-and-goal from the 3, Kwiatkoski stuffed Brandon Moss for a 3-yard loss, and the Terrapins eventually had to settle for a field goal. They later tied the game at 37-37 before WVU kicked a winning field goal in the final seconds.

“That was great, especially that close in the red zone,” Kwiatkoski said of stopping the Terps. “It was a great stand for us.”

The score belied WVU's defensive effort. All four Maryland's touchdowns resulted from big plays, including a punt return. The other three totaled 178 yards from scrimmage, but the remaining 62 plays netted just 269. Maryland's last seven drives produced 59 yards and three points. WVU's four turnovers led to only a field goal.

In the midst of everything was Kwiatkoski, who switched to middle linebacker full time after playing mostly at the weak-side position in 2013. Dealing with a hamstring injury, he still finished fifth in the Big 12 in tackles. But Gibson said Kwiatkoski is better suited to the middle.

“Your pass responsibilities get chopped in half,” Gibson said. “It allows him to play more aggressive on the run, which he's done. He's a throwback. He loves to run downhill and hit people.”

“I enjoy playing the (middle),” Kwiatkoski said. “It allows me to see things better. I feel like I fit better.”

Bob Cohn is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at bcohn@tribweb.com