West Virginia Football: Mountaineers knock out college football’s Cinderella
By Phil Poling
West Virginia football came out strong against Iowa State, but struggled in the second half to put the Cyclones away. They finally did, winning 20-16.
West Virginia (6-3) came out swinging versus No. 15 Iowa State (also 6-3) Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium, and threw a haymaker on their first drive that would have the Cyclones stumbling for the rest of the half.
Mountaineer signal-caller Will Grier launched a pass down the right sideline for Ka’Raun White to run under, and the Mountaineers appeared to have scored a 78-yard touchdown. After review, White stepped out of bounds (ironically with his left foot – he was running down the right sideline), so the Mountaineers had possession at Iowa State’s 10-yard line.
On the following play, Grier would link up with David Sills – the best redzone threat in the country – for his nation-leading 16th touchdown on the season.
It wasn’t all about the passing game, though. The offensive line played well for WVU, in turn opening up holes for the running backs. A number of defenders for the ‘Eers stepped up in key situations too, including true freshman Kenny Robinson. But the Cyclones were no pushover, regardless of how the game started.