MORGANTOWN — Mercurial West Virginia University football was once again on display during the frenetic conclusion to the Mountaineers’ 32-28 win over the University of Kansas last Saturday at Milan-Pusker Stadium. Ta.
The Mountaineers, on top of a mountain or rocky, somehow survived a lightning-fast two-hour delay and an 11-point deficit late in the game to literally pull out a 32-28 victory over the incredible Jayhawks.
The first half of that long ago must have seemed like it happened just one day ago. That’s when the trailing Mountaineers and their legions of supporters looked at the scoreboard and saw WVU trailing by just five points, 28-17. Play time is a few minutes.
But regular Garrett Greene’s 15-yard throw to Rodney Gallagher and 8-yard encore throw to Cole Taylor with 26 seconds left provided a more than emotional end to West Virginia’s improbable victory.
Green completed an eventful afternoon by completing 15 of 30 passes for 295 yards. His touchdown pass was balanced out by two previous interceptions.
Green also ran for points, totaling 87 yards on 17 running attempts.
Former Martinsburg High School receiver Hudson Clement had seven pass receptions for 150 yards.
It was a rocky first half, but WVU held a slim 14-7 lead. At the end of the third quarter, Kansas led 21-17.
And with 3:27 left and Kansas still leading by 11 points, Green’s late-game antics gave the Mountaineers, still riding high, a much-needed victory.
An open day on the schedule this week could be highly valued by both the coaching staff and roster.
For West Virginia, Josiah Trotter had 11 tackles and Trey Latham had 10 stops.
Tylin Bradley recorded seven tackles in addition to a fumble recovery and pass interception. Anthony Wilson also recorded seven tackles.
As with the home opener against Penn State, rain and lightning returned, causing significant delays.
As we saw in the final stages of the pit race, even a valid lead was not safe. Only this time, the Mountaineers could enjoy a select morsel of come-from-behind football without wondering why the lead disappeared so quickly.
After a week off, the Mountaineers next face No. 1 ranked Oklahoma State on Oct. 5 at T. Boone Pickens Stadium.
West Virginia University’s somewhat deceptive 2-2 record was achieved in some of the most extraordinary ways possible in college football.
And there are still 8 conference games left to negotiate!
The Mountaineers’ side when Ty Bradley stole the ball from Kansas quarterback Daniels and recovered it to seal WVU’s last-second victory against the Big 12 on Saturday in Morgantown. The line erupted with joy. David Pennock Sr. spar Ty French gets caught by Jaron Daniels as he tries to pass the ball during Saturday’s game at Milan Pusker Stadium. By David Pennock Wyatt Milam makes a block while Garrett Green passes in the second quarter of the Mountaineers’ game against the Jayhawks on Saturday in Morgantown. David Pennock
WVU defensive lineman Taurus Simmons tackles Kansas receiver Trevor Wilson on a kickoff return Saturday in Morgantown. David Pennock