Greene and White's massive days lead WVU to win over Cincinnati
After an historic all-purpose performance for WVU quarterback Garrett Greene, West Virginia football dominated on the way to its fifth home win of the season and its seventh victory overall, crushing the Cincinnati Bearcats 42-21 on Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Greene accomplished the best all-purpose quarterback performance in a single game since former signal caller Pat White achieved the feat in 2008, as he became only the second player in school history with over 150 passing yards and 150 rushing yards in one game.
He also became the first quarterback since the aforementioned Pat White in 2006 to score three or more rushing touchdowns in a single contest in West Virginia history.
To start off the game, Greene completed a 28-yard pass to wide receiver Traylon Ray on the opening drive that was followed by an 11-yard run inside the 30-yard of the Bearcats. This was until a holding call pulled the Mountaineers back closer to midfield.
Then, the first drive ended with a 52-yard field goal attempt from kicker Michael Hayes that was well short.
The West Virginia (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) defense held Cincinnati (3-8, 1-7 Big 12) to only three plays and a punt on its first possession, before WVU freshman running back Jahiem White got going with 28 yards on two carries, making his first start for the Mountaineers.
Next, Greene ran for 30 yards on two quarterback keepers before he capped off the scoring possession, taking the ball in from three yards away for the rushing touchdown.
Leading 7-0, the Mountaineers’ defense held the Bearcats to only 21 yards and another punt after five plays. When West Virginia got the ball back, it capitalized with an explosive play to White out of the backfield, connecting on a 75-yard catch and run for the touchdown, the longest single play for WVU this season.
In the second quarter, a high snap derailed Cincinnati’s next drive and the WVU defense forced another punt. However, West Virginia was also held to a punt after only three plays on its following drive and got another stop on the defensive side of the ball, getting a new possession with seven minutes to go in the half leading 14-0.
Greene broke off another quarterback keeper for 27 yards to get the WVU offense rejuvenated before regular starting running back CJ Donaldson checked in to score on only the second play of the drive, a 13-yard touchdown run to go ahead 21-0.
Bearcats’ running back Corey Kiner got 25 yards on four carries on the subsequent offensive possession and backup quarterback Brady Lichtenberg saved the drive after he bobbled a snap and gained 39 yards on back to back plays. However, starting quarterback Emory Jones ended with the touchdown with a one-yard quarterback sneak.
Ahead by 14 points, West Virginia put together a strong drive to end the half by banking on the legs of Greene, who finished the first half with 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns on only 10 carries.
The possession started with a 30-yard quarterback keeper and a 15-yard pass completion. Then, Greene finished off the drive, which lasted less than a minute, after he ran for a 26-yard touchdown to regain a three-touchdown lead going into the break.
Cincinnati opened the third quarter with a punt after eight plays, including two completions from Jones to wide receiver Xzavier Henderson. After the punt, WVU relied on White again as he ran for 39 yards on four carries but it was Greene that took over once again with his legs, gashing the Bearcats with a powerful 18-yard touchdown, his third rushing score of the contest.
The offensive explosiveness continued for WVU after White ran for 14 and 16 yards and then Greene passed for two completions of 20 yards. White fought through contact inside the red zone to complete another scoring possession, scoring a four-yard touchdown to put West Virginia ahead 42-7 at the end of the third quarter.
The Bearcats opened the fourth quarter by breaking off two big plays in succession to answer right back with a touchdown, following up a massive 55-yard completion with a 30-yard touchdown connection from Jones to tight end Chamon Metayer.
Leading 42-14 in the fourth quarter, White kept up the heat on the Bearcats’ defense after he toted the football for 68 more yards on two eruptive carries for West Virginia. White finished the contest with 204 rushing yards and two total touchdowns, which marked the highest individual single-game rushing performance this season for the Mountaineers and a personal career high.
Following a passing touchdown that was nullified by a personal foul, Greene threw a pass into coverage on third down that was intercepted by the Bearcats, awarding them a new possession with eight minutes remaining. Jones then connected with Metayer once again for a seven-yard touchdown toss to cap off the following drive, as Cincinnati cut down the WVU lead to 42-21.
However, West Virginia relied on the running game to finish the job as the Mountaineers ran out the clock and secured the 42-21 victory over Cincinnati.
In the next game, West Virginia heads on the road for its season finale against the Baylor Bears at McLane Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and the television broadcast will be available on FS1.
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