This the first Wildcat victory in Morgantown, West Virginia in eight years. The Mountaineers are always difficult to beat at home. This year was no different. The Mountaineers decided to go with the hot hand and start Garrett Greene over JT Daniels. Greene came in last week and gave the Mountaineers the spark they needed to overcome the Oklahoma Sooners. There wasn’t much game film on him, so the Wildcats had to be on their toes.
First Quarter Fireworks!
Forty-Seven points were scored in the first quarter alone. At the end of the first quarter the score was 28 to 19 in favor of Kansas State. Kansas State received the ball to start the game. The Wildcats promptly marched down the field and scored in five plays. West Virginia executed two plays and on the third, Cincere Mason snagged an interception and ran it 37 yards for a touchdown. It was 14 to zero and only three and half minutes had ticked off the clock.
The Mountaineers got the ball back and drove down the field eventually converting a fourth and four to keep the drive alive. Then Greene hit Sam James for a 26-yard touchdown strike. James would collect 3 catches for 102 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first half alone. Four plays into the Wildcats next possession, and Will Howard threw a pick six, but the Mountaineers failed to make the extra point. In fact, that became one of the stories of the game. The Mountaineers missed two extra points, a field goal and failed to convert on two, two-point conversion attempts.
When Kansas State got the ball back, they hit two explosives to get a touchdown. Howard hit Phillip Brooks for a 19 yarder and then DJ Giddens blasted down the sideline for 49 yards and a touchdown. West Virginia went four and out, turning the ball over on downs and once again, Kansas State executed a short four play drive for a touchdown. It was questionable judgment on the Mountaineers part to go for it on their own 34-yard line. They paid the price. However, during the next drive, it didn’t seem to matter much when Greene hit James for a 71-yard touchdown play. Kansas State’s next possession started with two methodical 5 yard plays to Deuce Vaughn and Kade Warner, and then Howard hit tight end Ben Sinnott down the middle of the field for 39 yards to close out the first quarter
A Tame Second Quarter
The first quarter felt like a game of Madden. The second quarter was a much calmer 13 to 6 in favor of the Wildcats. Kansas State continued to build on the explosive play to Sinnott at the end of the 1st quarter. Three plays later Howard hit Sinnott for a 15-yard touchdown. Then, West Virginia switched tactics on the Wildcats. They methodically drove down the field 11 plays to score a touchdown, ticking off a little over six minutes off the clock. Their defense tightened up too, as they held the Wildcats to a field goal.
The Mountaineers mismanaged their end of half drive. They had 1:46 seconds left. On second down, Brendon Mott sacked Green causing the Wildcats to call a timeout realizing they might be able to steal some points. They were right. The Wildcats defense eventually forced the punt with 1:26 left on the clock. Kansas State drove to field goal range, largely on the strength of a 31-yard pass to Sinnott. Ty Zenter kicked a 53-yard field goal, in 30-degree weather, with only 8 seconds left in the half. The score at half time was 41 – 25.
Second Half Snooze
The game could have ended at half time. The only points scored occurred in the fourth quarter. The score was seven to six in favor of the Wildcats. West Virginia spent 9 minutes of the third quarter on their first possession of the 2nd half. Kansas State held them to a field goal attempt which the Mountaineers missed. The field goal attempt was yet another puzzling call by the West Virginia head coach. The Mountaineers were on KSU’s 26-yard line and their kicker had already missed two extra points.
The teams traded punts and the Wildcats had the ball going into the fourth quarter. They failed to convert on a fourth down attempt. It didn’t matter. On the next play, Julius Brents, intercepted Garrett Greene. The Wildcats finished the drive they started as Howard hit Malik Knowles for a 43-yard touchdown. The Mountaineers had a last gasp touchdown drive, but they ran out of energy as the minutes wound down.
Thoughts and Playmakers
Will Howard had a good game this week. Though he threw a pick six, he still completed 19 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns. Kansas State converted 9 of 14 third down attempts, largely on the strength of Howard’s arm. Kansas State remained committed to the run, rushing the ball 39 times for 144 yards. Malik Knowles had another huge game for the Wildcats collecting six receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. Tight End Ben Sinnott also had three key receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown.
The defense suffered from the absence of Kobe Savage early in the game. The secondary had to learn how to play together without one of their hard-hitting leaders. Cincere Mason and Julius Brents secured interceptions and Brendon Mott collected three sacks. Felix Anudike-Uzomah influenced several of those sacks as he put consistent pressure on Greene. Garrett Greene was limping by the end of the game. If the Wildcats didn’t sack him, they hit him anyway. Overall, it was a team effort against a highly talented West Virginia team in Morgantown.
The Sunflower Showdown is next week. Kansas State will be motivated. They want another shot at TCU. More importantly, they want to ensure KU is kept in their place.
