The fourth West Virginia victory of the season came on a rainy day in Morgantown. The game came down to the final play of the game and West Virginia Mountaineer kicker, Casey Legg. Replacement quarterback, Garrett Greene, orchestrated a six minute drive that lead to Casey Legg’s 25 yard field goal which sealed the West Virginia victory. A resilient Mountaineer team battled the weather, turnovers, and a slow start on offense, and eventually earned the win. We’ll take a look at some key points to the matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Quarterback change kickstarts a West Virginia victory
As the first half of football was played in Morgantown, it was evident that the Mountaineers needed some sort of spark if they hoped to win the game. West Virginia’s first six drives resulted in 144 total yards, two turnovers and no points. With 1:02 left in the half, the coaching staff decided to make a change at quarterback, by replacing starter J.T. Daniels with sophomore Garrett Greene. After a big kick return, it only took Garret Greene and the West Virginia offense three plays to go 53 yards for a touchdown. Greene made big plays as he lead the Mountaineers on the quick drive to find the end-zone.
On Saturday, Greene put together his best performance in a Mountaineer uniform. According to Pro Football Focus, he had both a passing and a run grade of 77. His overall offensive grade came in at 85.7 on the day. For comparison, J.T. Daniels highest PFF grade on the season came against Towson, where he earned a 79.7 offensive grade. With Daniels’ future seasons as a Mountaineer up in the air, the Mountaineers find themselves with a decision to make at quarterback.
What to do at quarterback?
For those watching, it was easy to see that the offense was moving the ball better with Greene playing quarterback. In his post game press conference, head coach Neal Brown was asked about the position moving forward. Brown stated that they will be making a decision later in the week on who the starter will be next week against Kansas State. The weather was also a factor and Brown mentioned that it was impacting passes. Double that with the fact that the run game wasn’t great by any means, one can see why Greene was put into the game.
Big day for Sam James
You won’t need to look far to find another player that made a big impact leading to the West Virginia victory. Senior wide receiver Sam James was making plays on offense and on special teams for the Mountaineers. James had an important 42 yard kick return to set up West Virginia’s first touchdown of the game. The senior made another special teams play in the fourth quarter when he took the snap on a fake punt and ran 5 yards for a first down. On that same drive, the Mountaineers would go on to score a touchdown to tie the game. James also lead the way for the receivers as he caught three passes for 90 yards on the day.
Defense made stops
When game-planning for Oklahoma, teams know they need to make stops on defense. The Mountaineers did just that as they continuously made life difficult for the Oklahoma offense. The Sooners were averaging a third down conversion rate of 43% on the season. In Saturday’s matchup, the Mountaineers held Oklahoma to 1/11 on third down conversions. The West Virginia defense made plays when they needed to and were able to keep the Sooners to 20 points, 11 points lower than their season average of 31.
What’s next for West Virginia?
The Mountaineers are only guaranteed two more games for the 2022 season. With Saturday’s win, bowl eligibility remains a possibility. Next week, West Virginia will travel to Kansas State for a match up with the ranked Wildcats. The season finale will take place in Morgantown, when West Virginia welcomes Oklahoma State, a team that currently holds a seven-game winning streak against the Mountaineers.
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