West Virginia defeated Kansas 32-28 on Saturday, capturing their second win of the season and first in conference play.
The Mountaineers came back from a lengthy weather delay and an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to pick up the victory at home.
Hudson Clement is Legit
Redshirt wide receiver Hudson Clement was WVU’s leading receiver in terms of yards Saturday. His 150 yards on seven catches was the most yards he had since his breakout game against Duquense (FCS) last season. While he did continue to put up numbers last season, many have wondered if he could continue to do it against better teams in more meaningful games. When looking back at the box score from the Backyard Brawl, it shows that Clement had just one catch for eight yards. However, he had a long touchdown catch in a crucial moment that was nullified by a controversial holding call on the Mountaineers. Clement is now West Virginia’s leading receiver with 231 yards on the year.
Up-Tempo Works
West Virginia performed their best when running an up-tempo offense, quickly getting set and running play after play. This proved critical in the deciding moments. The Mountaineers had 13 fewer minutes of possession and ran fewer plays than the Jayhawks but ended up with more yards. All West Virginia’s touchdown drives were under two and a half minutes. A specific drive that stands out occurred during the first quarter when WVU ran three plays and scored their first touchdown of the game in a minute and 10 seconds.
Defense Can Get Big Stops
When reflecting on the Pitt game, the defense allowed two game-defining drives to let the Panthers take over. However, against Kansas, WVU made a big stop late to seal the victory. Tyrin Bradley stripped the ball from KU quarterback Jalon Daniels as he was throwing and recovered the fumble. He also secured the Mountaineers’ first interception of the season. They also forced a three-and-out that led to the game-winning touchdown.
Running Backs Not as Effective
While quarterback Garett Greene has his way on the ground, WVU’s runningbacks CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White weren’t as effective. Between the two, they had 53 rushing yards on 12 carries. A couple of factors may have played into this like Kansas loading the box or West Virginia’s slight success in the passing game. White punched in a short touchdown to get WVU on the board first but had just 15 yards on six attempts, averaging 2.5 yards per carry. The Mountaineers’ running game was their bread and butter last year, and they may need to refind their footing in the rushing attack if they want to be successful in Big 12 play.
Unbalanced Defense
Throughout the season, West Virginia’s defense has been criticized for its pass defense, but it was the run defense that hurt them the most Saturday. Daniels threw for under 200 yards, but as a team, they rushed for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns. Devin Neal had 100 yards and a touchdown on 27 attempts, Daniel Hishaw 72 yards and one touchdown on nine attempts, and wide receiver Luke Grimm 55 yards and a touchdown on three attempts. However, West Virginia did a solid job of containing Daniels on the ground, which seemed to be a significant area of focus.
