On Saturday afternoon, West Virginia used four takeaways to get the 41-28 road win at UCF, ending its two-game losing streak.
Despite surrendering four touchdowns, the WVU defense came up big in Orlando, as three interceptions and a forced fumble helped set the tone for the Mountaineers.
The WVU offense did not let these big plays go to waste, as the Mountaineers scored 21 points off the four UCF turnovers, with quarterback and Florida native Garrett Greene leading the way with 156 yards in the air and three touchdowns on the ground.
Running back CJ Donaldson also came up big for Head Coach Neal Brown’s squad, as the Miami native rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown after not getting the start to open the game.
West Virginia got the scoring started with an opening drive touchdown run from six yards out by Garrett Greene. The nine-play, 75-yard drive was saved near midfield when CJ Donaldson broke a 21-yard run on fourth down and one. WVU got into the red-zone with a 19-yard completion to Devin Carter, setting up the read option touchdown for Greene on the next play to give the Mountaineers a 7-0 lead.
UCF wasted no time evening things up in the first quarter, as the Knights connected on a third and six from 34 yards out when quarterback John Rhys Plumlee connected with wide receiver Kobe Hudson for a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7.
The Mountaineers answered the Hudson touchdown with points of their own, as a strong, 19-yard run from freshman running back Jahiem White set up first and goal from the UCF nine-yard line. WVU only gained three yards in three plays in this red-zone opportunity, so the Mountaineers settled for a 24-yard Michael Hayes field goal, giving them a 10-7 lead.
On the next possession, West Virginia found itself on the right side of the lucky play, as Beanie Bishop intercepted a Plumlee after it bounced off the hands and then foot of wide receiver Javon Baker, right into the hands of the Minnesota transfer corner.
WVU capitalized on the fluky turnover when White capped off a 10-play, 64-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run, making it a 17-7 game. The drive was also highlighted by two catches for 20 yards by tight end Kole Taylor and a 14-yard catch by Carter.
UCF quickly answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off by an eight-yard touchdown run by Plumlee to cut the WVU lead to 17-14.
The Mountaineers experienced a bit of a scare late in the second quarter as Greene went down with an ankle injury ahead of a third and 10 in UCF territory. On third down, backup quarterback Nicco Marchiol threw a screen pass to Preston Fox that was pitched back to running back Jaylen Anderson. The play had first down potential, but Anderson coughed up the football, giving UCF their first takeaway of the day.
WVU took almost no time to get another takeaway of their own, as the very next play saw defensive lineman Eddie Vesterinen hit the arm of Plumlee as he threw a pass, which resulted in a Marcis Floyd interception with just under two minutes left in the first half.
After one possession on the sidelines, Greene was ready for more action to lead the Mountaineers for their last drive of the first half, but that WVU drive was halted in its tracks when Carter dropped an open pass on third down.
After punting the ball away for the first time all afternoon, WVU went into the locker room up 17-14.
Out of the break, UCF started moving the ball, as the Knights took it down near the WVU 30-yard-line, but Plumlee threw his third interception of the game, as Bishop picked him off for the second time.
The Mountaineers again took advantage of the UCF miscue, driving down the field in eight plays after the Plumlee interception. The drive was kick-started by a 28-yard catch by Preston Fox and was capped off by a seven-yard touchdown run by Greene, extending the lead to 24-14.
UCF answered right back after the Greene touchdown when wide receiver Javon Baker made a great catch on third and goal, barely getting a foot down in bounds to cut the lead to 24-21 with 5:25 left in the third quarter.
UCF’s defense got a big stop on the ensuing WVU possession, as Shaun Peterson Jr. sacked Garrett Greene on third down, forcing a fumble that the Mountaineers fell on at the UCF 27-yard line. The Mountaineers then punted away, and the Knights would take over momentarily.
On the UCF possession, WVU’s defense responded in a large way again, as linebacker Lee Kpogba sacked Plumlee on second down, forcing a fumble that WVU’s Jalen Thornton recovered at the UCF 27-yard line.
On the first play of the drive after the fumble recovery, Greene scampered past the UCF defense for a 21-yard run. On the last play of the third quarter, Donaldson gained five yards and came up just short of breaking the plane for the touchdown.
To start the fourth quarter, UCF’s defense stuffed Donaldson again, but Greene took over on third down, faking a handoff and running in for his third touchdown of the afternoon, extending the WVU lead to 31-21 with 14:12 left to play.
WVU’s defense got off the field on the ensuing UCF possession, as Plumlee took a deep shot on third down and five from his own 30-yard line that fell incomplete.
Needing some more separation, the Mountaineers got their drive started with a 32-yard run by White to get into UCF territory. A few plays later, the UCF defense forced WVU into a fourth and two from the UCF 26-yard line. On fourth down, Greene rolled out and zipped a pass into the chest of EJ Horton, who converted the fourth down with a 13-yard reception.
On the next play, Preston Fox caught a short pass and fumbled on a big hit, but WVU offensive lineman Tomas Rimac was right there to fall on the football. On the next play, WVU took advantage of the fortunate bounce on the previous play, as CJ Donaldson delivered the knockout punch with a six-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 38-21 with 9:25 left to play.
With UCF entering desperation mode, the Knights elected to go for it on fourth down at their own 32-yard line when WVU’s defense held strong on first, second, and third down. On fourth and three, Plumlee took a shot down the field, but the pass fell incomplete, and WVU took over with 8:33 to play.
WVU added to its late lead with a 41-yard field goal from Michael Hayes, making it a 41-21 game with 5:15 left.
UCF attempted to stop the bleeding, as Hudson brought in his second touchdown of the day, this time from 16-yards out to make it a 41-28 game with 1:46 left in the game.
With time running out, the Knights’ hopes ran out when their onside kick attempt was called back due to an illegal touching penalty.
The Mountaineers would go on to win by a final score of 41-28, snapping their two-game losing skid and improving their record to 5-3.
