West Virginia Football: 5 players who earned Blitz Stickers vs. Kansas State
By Phil Poling
West Virginia football is a perfect 3-0 following their 35-6 blowout of Kansas State on Saturday. What five players stood out and earned Blitz Stickers?
After not playing last week, Dana Holgorsen and the Mountaineers struggled out of the gate against Kansas State on Saturday. They were still making plays — quarterback Will Grier completed three of his first four passes to three different targets — but WVU looked exactly like a team who just had a week off.
Grier ended the ‘Eers first drive with an errant interception inside the 10-yard line. Whether it was a miscommunication with the wide receiver, or Grier simply sailed the pass, it didn’t encourage fans. The defense stepped up and forced a Kansas State punt, but a fumble by running back Leddie Brown gifted the Wildcats another possession. The defense would, yet again, step up. And that’s becoming almost as routine as the offense scoring.
If coaches could receive Blitz Stickers, defensive coordinator Tony Gibson would certainly get one. Where would he put it, though? Regardless, Gibson’s defense has shown an unrivaled amount of improvement from last year to this season. They gave up an average of 31.5 points per game a year ago. Through three games in 2018, WVU’s opponents are averaging only 12.3 points per game — second-best in the country.
Their defense will undoubtedly be tested next week when the ‘Eers travel to Lubbock, Texas. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, though, let’s look at which Mountaineers earned Blitz Stickers in Week 4.