Mother Nature doesn’t want to let West Virginia fans get an early look at the football team, as impending winter weather has forced the cancellation of the spring game.
The Mountaineers and head coach Dana Holgersen were set to host the annual Gold-Blue Spring Football Game this coming Saturday in Morgantown, W.V., but the school has elected to avoid any possible safety issues and call it off. The scrimmage will not be rescheduled.
“Fan and player safety have to take priority. When you have snow predicted for much of the state on Saturday, we need to take the utmost caution to assure the safety of our student-athletes, while also avoiding elements that are problematic for our fans,” Director of Athletics Shane Lyons said. “You would expect to not have to worry about snow accumulation in April, but that’s the forecast. After much consideration, we made this decision for the safety of all involved.”
For those in the area, several other events remain scheduled, including a Walk the Talk with Dana and other indoor activities.
Coming off a 7-6 season that saw them finish in a tie for fourth in the Big 12 at 5-4, West Virginia is expected to be a strong offensive team once again. Returning will be quarterback Will Grier and David Sills V, who both opted to return to school.
Grier completed 64 percent of his passes last year for 3,490 yards and 34 touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury vs. Texas. The Florida transfer found much success with his receivers, including Sills, who caught a nation-leading 18 touchdown passes and had 60 receptions overall for 980 yards.
Gary Jennings, who caught a team-high 97 passes for 1,096 yards, also returns, but Ka’Raun White is gone. Kennedy McKoy, who ran for 596 yards, will be tasked with replacing leading rusher Justin Crawford and his 1,061 yards.
It’s too bad we won’t get a look at Grier, who is now in his second season working with offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and completely recovered from his hand injury. The fifth-year senior is “much more comfortable,” according to Holgersen.
“His timing with the guys is as good as I’ve seen,” he added. “It’s as good as anyone in the country.”
West Virginia is set to open the 2018 season on Saturday, Sept. 1, against Tennessee in one of the key early-season tilts at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The Mountaineers open their home slate on Saturday, Sept. 8, against Youngstown State. They also host Kansas State, Kansas, Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma, with road games at North Carolina State, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Texas and Oklahoma State on the docket.
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West Virginia has posted four consecutive winning seasons under Holgersen, going 1-3 in bowl games during that time and 21-15 in the conference. They are 53-37 overall since 2012.