For more than three quarters of last week's game against Notre Dame College, West Virginia State football coach Jon Anderson saw a team that could compete with anyone in the Mountain East Conference.
Then, the Falcons buckled down defensively - holding the Yellow Jackets to just 81 yards in the second half - while scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away with a comfortable win.
It was a tough result to take, even if it came against one of the MEC's best teams, as it continued to shed light on something that had become a bit of a trend that has doomed WVSU this season.
"We were playing right with them for three-and-a-half quarters, but unfortunately that's not good enough. Once the dam broke, the wheels kind of fell off," Anderson said. "That's kind of been a theme. We were right where we needed to be, we just needed to put a few more pieces together."
When it comes to identifying those pieces to the puzzle that still need to be put in place, Anderson looks at a few things that have hurt the Yellow Jackets when they've struggled.
The biggest that he pointed out is consistency, and that's something the fourth-year head coach believes can be found through repetitions and dedication in practice and in the film room.
"That's something we're focusing a lot of time on and working to get, but it's frustrating until we get there and can break through," Anderson said. "The kids want it, they're working really hard and they're going to get there. They play really well and do a lot of good things for long stretches of the game, we just have to get to a high level for all four quarters."
The one main thing he's seen from his team in response to these recent struggles is the fact that, even though the wins haven't come as often as they would have liked, they're staying together and continuing to work hard to get better.
They realize they have had games where they had plenty of opportunities to win, but just couldn't get over the top.
"These guys only get one football game every week and they're committed to not allowing our past to dictate our future," Anderson said. "Each week is a new opportunity to improve and our guys are taking that mantra on and doing some good things as they prepare."
Anderson credits the veteran leadership of the team for steering the players in the right direction and keeping things as positive as they possibly can be as they keep moving forward this season.
With a 1 p.m. home game versus Shepherd this week followed by a trip to take on Glenville State, West Virginia State knows the margin of error will continue to be small - as it is most weeks in the MEC.
But the team is seeing it as a challenge it is willing to embrace as it keeps striving to move things back in the right direction.
"There's no panic in the locker room, no one is fleeing the ship," Anderson said. "They understand that in this league you have to play at a high level week in and week out.
"We're trying to ingrain a culture here that, no matter the result the week before or whenever, you come out and play the right way. Our guys are excited to get back out there Saturday and show what they can do."
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.