The Day After: West Virginia football vs. Kansas

The two-minute offense. West Virginia utilized an up-tempo two-minute offense in their comeback down the stretch and it the unit moved the ball well when it got Greene in space and allowed him to throw the football and run it in an open scheme. It isn't something that can be done all of the time, but it was critical in the comeback attempt.

The defense. It wasn't a perfect performance, but West Virginia's defense forced a pair of turnovers including their first interception of the season and the game-sealing strip sack. The unit also stood stall forcing Kansas to punt the ball back to the offense to complete the comeback when they were attempting to run out the clock.

Hudson Clement. The redshirt sophomore wide receiver had 7 catches for 150 yards on the day and was by far the most productive pass catcher for the Mountaineers. He was able to win over the middle of the field and just narrowly missed two touchdowns.

Red zone touchdowns. The Mountaineers finished drives with six points when they were able to get down in the scoring area and had 29 of their 32 points in that area.

Kickoff team. For as much as they've been maligned at times, the kickoff team not only covered well but Michael Hayes booted the ball into the end zone for touchbacks. It was what you wanted to see out of this group.

NOT:

Taking advantage of early opportunities. West Virginia led 7-0 and had a chance to add to that lead but threw an interception which Kansas turned into a touchdown of their own. It's another example of the offense struggling to create distance.

Offense in the second half prior to the final two drives. The Mountaineers did cash in on a field goal on their opening drive, but that came after a big play set them up and the offense stalled. From that point, on three drives the Mountaineers had 9 plays for 38 yards and an interception which allowed Kansas to build a 28-17 lead. The drive prior to that final Kansas touchdown was just a three-play five-yard effort.

DEFINING MOMENTS:

3rd and 8 from WVU 27. On the first third down of the game, Greene was able to roll to his right and was able to find Jahiem White to move the sticks on a 15-yard completion. But after moving the ball over midfield the drive would eventually stall and force a punt. Still, the first down allowed the offense to flip the field early in the game and pin the Jayhawks deep in their own end.

3rd and 8 from KU 33. After a pair of first downs, the Jayhawks lined up on a third and long and TJ Jackson was able to get into the backfield for a sack to stall the opening drive for Kansas.

1st and goal from KU 1. After two catches for 77-yard by Clement set the Mountaineers up at the one-yard line, White would punch the ball in to give West Virginia an early 7-0 lead.

2nd and 9 from WVU 37. After a strong Kansas drive moved the ball to the 37-yard line, Daniels felt pressure and released the ball right into the arms of a waiting Tyrin Bradley who then returned it to the 43-yard line to set up the next possession.

2nd and 11 from KU 21. After recording a first down on a fourth down roll of the dice, Greene had to leave the game for a play after losing his helmet which led to a dropped snap. Then when Greene returned he tried to fire a pass into Traylon Ray and it was intercepted.

3rd and 13 from WVU 25. West Virginia at first seemed to get off the field on a pass by Daniels to the sideline but after review, it was overturned and gave the Jayhawks a first down. One play later, Devin Neal would score on an 11-yard touchdown to tie the game up at 7-all.

3rd and 15 from KU 14. With time ticking away in the first half, West Virginia was able to get off the field after Kansas attempted to throw the football giving the Mountaineers a chance to get the football at the Kansas 34-yard line after a 16-yard return by Rodney Gallagher.

3rd and 14 from KU 23. After a holding penalty wiped out a touchdown run by Greene, the senior quarterback was able to find Traylon Ray for an 18-yard gain to move the sticks and get a first down at the Kansas 5. The Mountaineers would score on a Greene run on the next play to lead 14-7.

4th and 2 from WVU 43. The Jayhawks rolled the dice on the opening drive of the half and rushed for seven yards to move the sticks. The Kansas offense would then score a touchdown to tie things up at 14-all to seize back momentum early in the third quarter.

1st and 10 from WVU 25. On the next play after the touchdown, Greene would uncork a nice ball down the middle for a 52-yard gain to Traylon Ray. The Mountaineers would settle for a field goal but take a 17-14 lead with 7:03 left in the third quarter.

2nd and 6 from WVU 11. After driving down the field with little effort, Kansas took the lead on an 11-yard touchdown run to cap off a five-play 75-yard drive to give the Jayhawks a 21-17 lead.

1st and 10 from WVU 49. After a 24-yard run, West Virginia dialed up play action and Greene was hit as he threw the football on a play where Ray was open down the field and the ball was intercepted.

3rd and 2 from WVU 46. Kansas faced a third and short with the ability to capture all of the momentum but the ball was thrown wide which led to the Jayhawks punting the football back.

4th and 1 from WVU 45. Kansas was able to get to the edge and pick up 11 yards to keep the drive alive and move the sticks in the fourth quarter. The Jayhawks would score to make it 28-17 just a few plays later to take control with just 5:39 left.

3rd and 7 from KU 8. Facing a critical third down, West Virginia was able to cut into the lead with a touchdown toss to Kole Taylor to make the score 28-23. The Mountaineers would then convert a two-point conversion to make it a three-point game.

3rd and 4 from KU 26. The Mountaineers were facing a critical third down in order to keep the hopes alive and the defense was able to force a negative one-yard play and get the football back.

1st and 15 from the KU 15. After driving the Mountaineers down the field, Greene connected with Rodney Gallagher on a 15-yard touchdown to put the home team ahead 32-28 with just 26 seconds left.

1st and 10 from WVU 39. After a long passing game set the Jayhawks up in West Virginia territory with two timeouts, Daniels dropped back to throw the football and was stripped by Bradley who then recovered the ball and ended the game for the Mountaineers.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

1-0 - The second consecutive year that West Virginia has started Big 12 play with a win.

2 - Turnovers forced by the West Virginia defense, eclipsing the season total of one.

3 - Penalties for only 20 yards by the Mountaineers.

4 - Passing plays by Kansas over 15+ yards. The Mountaineers allowed 9 against Pitt.

5:39 - Time left when West Virginia fell behind 28-17.

6-9 - Third down passing by Greene for 61 yards and 5 first downs.

12 - Combined carries for CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White for just 53 yards.

10.2 - Average gain on first downs for West Virginia.

29 - Points scored on four successful red zone trips by West Virginia.

87 - Rushing yards by senior quarterback Garrett Greene.

118 - Minutes elapsed during the weather delay.

142 - Yards elapsed on the final two touchdown drives of the game for West Virginia.

GAME BALL:

Garrett Greene. West Virginia simply doesn't win this game without Greene down the stretch as the senior quarterback took control of the offense and with his leadership abilities. Greene engineered a pair of touchdown drives down the stretch and did a lot of it with a combination of his legs and his arms. Greene threw for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions while rushing for 87 more and a score.

BIGGEST QUESTION/CONCERN MOVING FORWARD:

Can West Virginia use this game as a building block? The Mountaineers essentially flipped the script from a week ago and after surrendering a double-digit lead over the final five minutes, they were the ones building the comeback. It puts West Virginia at 2-2 entering the first of two bye weeks this season and the placement of that comes at a critical time as the program needs to recover and reload with several players dealing with injuries at various times against the Jayhawks. We're four games into the season and it's truly hard to know exactly which version of the Mountaineers this team is so is this what the doctor ordered when it comes to picking up momentum down the stretch?

Oklahoma State is up next on the schedule and then home games with Iowa State and Kansas State and the Mountaineers have a golden chance to flip the narrative regarding this team after what unfolded in the non-conference schedule. But can they?

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