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West Virginia Football: 5 takeaways from 2017 regular season

By Andrew Miller

MORGANTOWN, WV - NOVEMBER 04: Will Grier #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers hands off to Justin Crawford #25 against the Iowa State Cyclones at Mountaineer Field on November 04, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV - NOVEMBER 04: Will Grier #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers hands off to Justin Crawford #25 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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Three wins over bowl teams marked a successful 2017 regular season for West Virginia football, but what lies ahead for the Mountaineers?

West Virginia football makes its fourth consecutive bowl appearance under head coach Dana Holgorsen with a matchup against the Utah Utes in the 2017 Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Mountaineers finished the regular season with a 7-5 (5-4 Big 12) record.

A hand injury to starting quarterback Will Grier put West Virginia at odds to finish out the Big 12 slate. Losses to the Texas Longhorns and Big 12 Champion Oklahoma Sooners eliminated any chance for the Mountaineers to make a run at the conference title.

After a 10-win season in 2016, West Virginia was looking to take another step forward. Yet, the Big 12 improved top-to-bottom. West Virginia did notch some memorable wins against the Kansas State Wildcats, Iowa State Cyclones, and Texas Tech Red Raiders. The loss to the Horns kept the Mountaineers out of the top 25 to finish the regular season.

This could be the third year in a row with at least eight wins for the Mountaineers under Holgorsen. A loss in the Heart of Dallas Bowl would give Holgorsen his third season with seven wins in Morgantown.

An early season loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies did not phase the Mountaineers. West Virginia ran through an easy non-conference slate on the way to a successful result in Big 12 action. If Grier had been healthy the entire win, the Mountaineers could be on the way to a nine win season.

Here are the five takeaways from the 2017 regular season for the West Virginia Mountaineers.

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