Junior quarterback Garrett Greene flew into Orlando on Saturday to grab one of the most important wins of the season, both for the team and himself.
WVU was coming off two tough losses to Houston and Oklahoma State, and they knew a win at UCF was crucial. Greene knew this, but this was not the only thing on his mind.
Born and raised outside of Tallahassee, Greene could not wait to play in his home state of Florida. With UCF just being added to the Big 12 this year, this will be the junior’s first time playing college football in the state.
“I would say I’m fired up to play back home in Florida,” Greene said last Saturday.
With friends and family in the state, the UCF game served as a homecoming of sorts for Greene, despite the distance between Orlando and his hometown of Tallahassee. His friends and family treated it as such, too, and there was one particularly special member of the crowd on his side.
Greene’s grandmother, who teaches three hours away from UCF in Miami, came to see her grandson play football for the first time this weekend.
“She’s been a teacher down in Miami for 24 years. Yesterday was the first day she’s asked for off in I don’t know how long,” Greene said after the game. “She watches all the games on TV, but she’s never seen me play in person.”
With this in mind, Greene did everything he could to make the game a special moment for him and his family, and he did not disappoint.
Fighting through an ankle injury, the junior threw all but one of WVU’s pass attempts in the game, hitting receivers 14 times for 156 yards. Greene also had 11 carries in the run game for 55 yards and three of West Virginia’s five touchdowns, and, to top the day off, Greene had one more gift to share with his grandmother: the game ball.
“This ball is going to her,” Greene said.
With an excellent weekend performance in his home state, Greene will travel back to Morgantown and try to secure bowl eligibility against BYU. Though he will no longer be playing at home, his fan base will not be lost, as he knows his friends and family visit West Virginia as much as possible and that his grandma will be watching from home.
