Grier, passing game shows potential
After his near two-year absence from college football, West Virginia quarterback Will Grier lived up to the hype in the team’s 31-24 loss to Virginia Tech Sunday night.
Following a shaky first quarter performance, Grier rallied West Virginia’s offense in the second half of Sunday night’s thriller, but fell just short of earning his first win as Mountaineer. He finished with 371 yards passing with three touchdowns and an interception.
“I think there was a little bit of rust,” Grier said. “I’m proud of the way we fought tonight.”
Going into Sunday’s game, much of the hype centered around Grier and his matchup against Bud Foster’s Virginia Tech defense that was returning numerous starters from last season's unit that ranked No. 18 in the country in total defense.
“We knew what kind of quarterback Will is,” Foster said. “I mean he is a competitor, he has a live arm, he is athletic.”
Grier’s performance against one of the ACC’s top defenses showed the nation just the amount of potential West Virginia’s offense has this season. Along with Grier’s 371 passing yards, the rushing attack led by senior running back Justin Crawford gained 234 yards in the loss.
“This is the first time a lot of us are playing together,” Grier aid. “We’re a young team and we’re going to get better as we go.”
Another aspect of West Virginia’s passing game that stood out was the emergence of junior wide receiver, Gary Jennings, who has been praised by multiple West Virginia coaches for his offseason work.
Jennings, who was recruited by Virginia Tech, had never eclipsed more than 165 receiving yards in a season. He surpassed that in Sunday’s loss, catching 13 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown on a 60-yard pass from Grier.
“He ran by us a little better than I thought he could,” Foster said. “I know he played with an edge tonight. He played with an attitude and wanted to show that we made a mistake”
West Virginia’s success in the passing game Sunday night will more than likely open up more opportunities for the offense in the coming weeks.
Now that the passing game has proven that it can be effective against a top-ranked defense, the offense can now shift their focus to getting off to better starts, unlike they did against Virginia Tech.
With game one in the books, the Mountaineers have promise and work to build off of heading into next Saturday’s home opener against East Carolina.
“I think we just need to come out a little quicker -- come out a with a better mentality,” Grier said. I think we have a lot to build off of.”
