Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineers in Control at Halftime, 21-0
September 22, 2018 05:16 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Will Grier's three first-half touchdown passes have given the 12th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers a 21-0 lead over Kansas State in the Big 12 opener for both teams here at Milan Puskar Stadium this afternoon.
Grier has completed 19 of 25 passes for 258 yards and scoring strikes of 82 yards to Marcus Simms, along with a pair of 1-yard TD passes to David Sills V, but the real story of the first half was Tony Gibson's defense.
The Wildcats managed just 77 total yards on 25 plays in the first two quarters and never moved the football beyond the 50-yard line. K-State, facing a fourth and inches at its own 43, surprisingly elected to go for it despite only trailing 7-0. Quarterback Skyler Thompson's option pitch to running back Alex Barnes was diagnosed beautifully by linebacker Dylan Tonkery, who threw Barnes for a 4-yard loss.
Seven plays later, three of them Kennedy McKoy runs for 38 yards, West Virginia was at the Wildcat 1 where Grier hooked up with Sills V on a quick slant for the game's second touchdown.
The first one came on a pretty bomb to Marcus Simms, who was two steps beyond K-State cornerback A.J. Parker down the near sideline.
Simms led all pass catchers in the first half with four receptions for 118 yards.
Sills V scored with just two seconds left in the half after Grier engineered a 73-yard march in just 55 seconds.
The Mountaineers had an opportunity to score three more points in the second quarter but Evan Staley's 51-yard field goal attempt landed just short of the goal post.
More details to come …
Grier has completed 19 of 25 passes for 258 yards and scoring strikes of 82 yards to Marcus Simms, along with a pair of 1-yard TD passes to David Sills V, but the real story of the first half was Tony Gibson's defense.
The Wildcats managed just 77 total yards on 25 plays in the first two quarters and never moved the football beyond the 50-yard line. K-State, facing a fourth and inches at its own 43, surprisingly elected to go for it despite only trailing 7-0. Quarterback Skyler Thompson's option pitch to running back Alex Barnes was diagnosed beautifully by linebacker Dylan Tonkery, who threw Barnes for a 4-yard loss.
Seven plays later, three of them Kennedy McKoy runs for 38 yards, West Virginia was at the Wildcat 1 where Grier hooked up with Sills V on a quick slant for the game's second touchdown.
The first one came on a pretty bomb to Marcus Simms, who was two steps beyond K-State cornerback A.J. Parker down the near sideline.
Simms led all pass catchers in the first half with four receptions for 118 yards.
Sills V scored with just two seconds left in the half after Grier engineered a 73-yard march in just 55 seconds.
The Mountaineers had an opportunity to score three more points in the second quarter but Evan Staley's 51-yard field goal attempt landed just short of the goal post.
More details to come …
Players Mentioned
QB
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RB
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WR
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WR
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K
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LB
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