West Virginia Football: 3 takeaways from loss to Texas in Week 12

MORGANTOWN, WV - NOVEMBER 04: Ka'Raun White #2 of the West Virginia Mountaineers catches a touchdown pass that was later challenged and overturned in the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Mountaineer Field on November 04, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

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MORGANTOWN, WV – NOVEMBER 04: Will Grier #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers takes the field against the Iowa State Cyclones at Mountaineer Field on November 04, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

3. Mountaineers offense sputters without Will Grier

It was no secret for the Mountaineers this season, they need Grier. The main reason for wide receivers like David Sills V, Gary Jennings, and Ka’Raun White having such big years is the addition of Grier to the offense.

Grier’s presence also opens up the ground game for running backs Justin Crawford and Kennedy McKoy. Losing Grier to the finger injury knocked him out for the game and put the contest in the hands of Chugunov.

While Chugunov did get in rhythm later in the third and early in the fourth quarter, it was not enough to get past a pesky Texas defense. The Longhorns gave top offenses in the conference like OU, TCU, and Oklahoma State all they could handle and did the same thing to West Virginia.

The Mountaineers faithful should really hope for a return of Grier to the gridiron soon. If not, the final game of the year, coming against the Sooners, could get very ugly while trying to keep up with Heisman favorite Baker Mayfield.

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