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Can West Virginia football hold off red-hot Syracuse without Will Grier?

By Shane Lunnen

MORGANTOWN, WV - OCTOBER 06: West Virginia Mountaineers take the field before the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Mountaineer Field on October 6, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV - OCTOBER 06: West Virginia Mountaineers take the field before the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Mountaineer Field on October 6, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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West Virginia football faces old Big East foe Syracuse in the Camping World Bowl. Can the Mountaineers win without Will Grier?

West Virginia earned their fifth straight bowl bid after going 8-3 this season. They will take on surprising Syracuse in the Camping World Bowl. The last time these two former Big East foes met was in the 2012 Pinstripe Bowl. The Orange took the victory, 38-14.

The Mountaineers started the season hot, going 5-0 before being derailed by Iowa State mid-season. They would go on to win their next three, including a big victory at Texas. West Virginia was in position for a potential playoff spot when they lost at Oklahoma State. A spot in the Big 12 championship game was still within reach, but the Mountaineers lost a shootout to Oklahoma.

Syracuse surprised many this season, going 9-3 overall and and 6-2 in the ACC. They lost a close one to Clemson, a game they led by 10 points as late as the fourth quarter. They also lost to another playoff team in Notre Dame and ACC Coastal division champion Pitt. A solid season overall for Dino Baber’s third year. This is the Orange’s first bowl appearance since the 2013 season.

West Virginia quarterback Will Grier has decided to not play in bowl and get ready for the NFL Draft instead. What will the Mountaineers offense look like without him?

Date: Friday, Dec. 28
Time: 5:15 PM ET
Location: Orlando, FL
Venue: Camping World Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

As mentioned, the big loss for West Virginia will be Will Grier’s absence. The Mountaineers will also be without the services of Big 12 lineman of the year, left tackle Yodny Cajuste. In Grier’s place will be sophomore Jack Allison. It will be his time to shine. Will 15 bowl practices be enough? Luckily he still has some good receivers surrounding him with Gary Jennings, David Sills, and Marcus Simms. These guys will need to help out the young Allison if the Mountaineers are to have a chance.

Syracuse boasts one of the best passing offenses in the ACC. Senior quarterback Eric Dungey will be looking to go out on a high note after throwing for over 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s also a threat to run, rushing for over 700 yards and chipping in another 15 touchdowns on the ground. Against West Virginia’s lackluster defense, Dungey should have a solid day.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Syracuse -1.5
Over/Under: 67

Prediction

Syracuse is motivated for this one. What is the motivation for West Virginia after falling short of their playoff and conference championship goals? The loss of Will Grier cannot be understated. Jack Allison will be ok, but this is his first start and he’s no Grier. He should not be expected to work wonders in such a short amount of time.

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Allison has the talent to keep West Virginia in the game, but Syracuse’s defense is better than West Virginia’s. Expect the Orange defense to make stops when needed. Eric Dungey leads the Orange in multiple scoring drives and West Virginia will not be able to stop them. Syracuse wins comfortably and springboards into bigger things for next season. West Virginia ends their season on a three game losing streak with more questions than answers heading into next season.

Final Score: Syracuse 38, West Virginia 24

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