After being down 17-3, the Mountaineers showed signs of life towards the end of the first half, but were unable to continue the positive play in a 52-18 loss to No. 17 Kansas State.
WVU quarterback Garrett Greene was ruled out at halftime, along with left tackle Wyatt Milum and runningback Jahiem White. Greene completed nine passes on 19 attempts for 85 yards, throwing two interceptions and one touchdown in the first half. White had 18 yards on seven carries.
West Virginia was able to stop K-State’s run for the most part while the game was close but was beaten in the air. Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson completed 66% of his passes for just under 300 yards and three touchdowns.
After the news of Greene not returning, he was replaced by Nicco Marchiol. The redshirt sophomore completed passed for 58 yards and a touchdown, completing 46% of his attempts.
West Virginia won the coin toss and elected to receive. They went three and out on their first drive, but so did Kansas State.
On their second drive, the Mountaineers picked up a first down, but the drive ended soon after. Looking for Traylon Ray, Greene was intercepted via the tip drill.
Looking to capitalize on the turnover, Kansas State effectively moved the ball down the field before they were stopped on third down in West Virginia territory. They attempted a 44-yard field goal that was good enough to score the first score of the game.
Looking to answer, WVU moved it down the field partially thanks to a Wildcat pass interference call and a big 28-yard run by Garrett Greene. They stalled on third down in K-State territory and successfully made a 44-yard field goal of their own to tie the game up at three with less than a minute to go in the first.
It took Kansas State just two plays to get their lead back. It was a 24-yard reception and then a 60-yard touchdown reception to put the Wildcats up 10-3 after the PAT.
On West Virginia’s next drive, they were looking to piece together a score but were ultimately unable to. Greene threw it right to a defender who returned the interception for a touchdown, putting the Wildcats up 17-3 with just over 13 minutes to go in the first half.
Needing to respond, WVU scored on a lengthy 13-play drive. Greene hit Hudson Clement on a slant for a seven-yard touchdown to bring the Mountaineers within a touchdown.
Following that, West Virginia made a big stop, stalling a K-State drive around midfield. They had a 12-play 89-yard drive that was stopped when they were unable to convert fourth and 1 just a couple of yards from the endzone.
After halftime, Greene, Jahiem White and Wyatt Milum were ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Receiving the kick coming out of the lockerroom, Kansas State took advantage. An 11-play 74-yard drive was capped off by a 16-yard passing touchdown from Johnson to Garrett Oakley.
After an unproductive Mountaineer drive, Kansas State continued to pile on. On the one-yard line, Johnson stepped back, rolled to his right and delivered his third passing touchdown of the night to put the Wildcats up 31-10.
Continuing to build their lead, Kansas State added on another one. It was DJ Giddens’ first TD of the night that put up KSU by 28.
Looking for anything, the Mountaineers scored their first touchdown since early in the second quarter. It was a 12-yard Traylon Ray reception for Marchiol to get WVU back on the board. They attempted a two-point conversion, which was good, making the score 38-18.
Giddens scored his second touchdown and put the Wildcats up by 27 after the PAT.
Kansas State has now won three consecutive games. They are 6-1 (3-1 in the Big 12) and will host Kansas next week.
With the loss, West Virginia falls to under .500 on the season at 3-4. They are 2-2 in Big 12 play and will look to bounce back when they travel west to take on Arizona next week.
