(Football News – Photo Illustration/MetroCreative)
West Virginia finally pitched a complete game at home, defeating Central Florida 31-21. For area fans who trekked to Morgantown on a cold, windy day, the trip back across China Highway 50 in the dark was much shorter.
The Mountaineers took control early in the first quarter, building a 14-0 lead behind running back C.J. Donaldson and effectively ending the game with back-to-back points at the end of the first half and beginning of the second. Ta. Leading 14-7 with seconds left in the second quarter and facing third-and-goal from the UCF 12-yard line, Garrett Green lofted a perfect pass on a fade pattern to Rodney Gallagher in the corner of the end zone. Gave WVU one point. They comfortably held a two-point lead at halftime. West Virginia then scored quickly after the second half kickoff, increasing the lead to 28-7, which was more than enough to seal the victory.
UCF attempted a comeback in the second half, but the Mountaineers responded with an eight-minute drive to a Knights touchdown and a field goal. After UCF scored again to get within 10 points, WVU ran out the final five minutes. On their final possession, the Mountaineers converted two quarter-down plays. West Virginia faced 18 third downs on the afternoon, but was able to convert 12 first downs, four of which were fourth downs.
Green didn’t complete his first pass until midway through the second quarter, but completed 13 of 21, one of his best performances of the season. Special teams was also a factor, as Preston Fox’s two long kickoff returns gave the Mountaineers good field position, and punter Oliver Stroh averaged 50 yards on four punts. But there was some hilarity when he picked up what could be the first individual foul by a punter in Mountaineer Field history.
Central Florida entered the game ranked eighth in the nation in total offense, but lacked a notable passing attack to take advantage of a vulnerable WVU secondary.
In an unusual turn of events, West Virginia trailed by two to five points in seven consecutive Big 12 games, but managed to win four of those games. Overall, in the six years of Neil Brown’s coaching tenure, WVU has won 15 conference games while an underdog.
This Saturday: The Mountaineers travel to Texas Tech for a noon game to finish the regular season, but have lost for the eighth consecutive year. The winner of this game will finish with a solid 6-3 record in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders can score a lot of points and will challenge WVU’s pass defense. Most see little chance of an upset, but the Mountaineers are 3-0 on the road in conference play and enter the game with little pressure.
West Virginia 34 Texas Tech 31.
