West Virginia Football: Will Grier dazzles in loss to Virginia Tech

Former Florida quarterback Will Grier impressed in his West Virginia football debut against Virginia Tech on Sunday despite a loss.

For 14 years, Virginia Tech has held on to the Black Diamond Trophy. Why? Because West Virginia and the Hokies haven’t played each other since 2005 and the Mountaineers haven’t won the rivalry game since 2003.

In the midst of a back-and-forth battle, junior quarterback Will Grier put up some big numbers for the Mountaineers. He didn’t get off to the ideal start, but shook off the rust in the second half with a few big plays and his connection with the Mountaineers’ receivers was solid.

In fact, David Sills, Gary Jennings and Ka’Raun White all looked like No. 1 possibilities.

Virginia Tech had a chance to put the game away with a chip-shot field goal in the fourth, but a miss gave Grier and the offense new life. That’s exactly what Justin Fuente didn’t want. Why? Because the Mountaineers’ quarterback had hit his stride in the second half.

However, he came just short of a final-drive comeback, tossing the potential game-tying pass into the corner of the end zone and incomplete. The game would have likely been over anyways as his offensive line committed two penalties on the final play in the red zone, but Grier proved himself in the opening loss.

Virginia Tech’s Josh Jackson looked solid on the other side, but it was Grier who fought back from his shockingly rusty start to finish with 371 yards and three touchdowns on 31-of-53 completions. He was also second on the team in rushing with 11 carries for 52 yards — he even picked up a crucial first down on the final drive with his legs.

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The Heisman hype train may need to stay at the station for now since the Mountaineers are 0-1, but if Grier can continue to improve, there’s a chance he could lead this team to the Big 12 title.