West Virginia Football: Last unbeaten Big 12 squad falls to Iowa State

AMES, IA - OCTOBER 13: Defensive back Greg Eisworth #12 of the Iowa State Cyclones tackles wide receiver Gary Jennings Jr. #12 of the West Virginia Mountaineers as he rushed for yards while linebacker Willie Harvey #2 of the Iowa State Cyclones defends in the first half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

1. Will Grier needs some help

The Iowa State defense was everywhere, harassing Will Grier for four quarters in Ames on Saturday night. The Cyclones tallied seven sacks, putting the Mountaineers behind the chains and setting up long third down attempts. As a result, West Virginia converted one of nine third down attempts in the first three quarters, keeping Grier out of any sort of rhythm.

As the offensive line abandoned him, so did the running game. Excluding Grier’s rushing yards, which skewed negative because of sacks, the Mountaineers carried the ball 17 times for 85 yards.

That left Grier to carry the team by himself. He finished the night 11-of-15 passing for 100 yards with one touchdown and one interception. That would have been an underwhelming performance for most Big 12 quarterbacks, but for Grier the low yardage and touchdown totals are almost unheard of.

Grier entered the season as a contender for the Heisman Trophy. He’s more than capable of putting up the numbers necessary for a trip to New York, but if he wants to win the award he’s going to need some help from his teammates.

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