West Virginia football crushes BYU 37-7, gains bowl eligibility
With the largest margin of victory in head coach Neal Brown’s four-year tenure against an FBS team, West Virginia defeated a new Big 12 opponent in the BYU Cougars 37-7 on Saturday night in Morgantown.
West Virginia (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) rushed for a season-high 336 yards and controlled the contest from start to finish to secure its sixth win of the season and gain bowl eligibility for the third time under Brown.
WVU started the game with the football and relied on the legs of sophomore running back CJ Donaldson with 21 yards on three touches before he converted a fourth and one to keep the drive alive. Donaldson would then power into the endzone for the game’s opening points, scoring the touchdown from two-yards out.
Trailing 7-0 early in the first quarter, BYU (5-4, 2-4 Big 12) worked exclusively through the air on its first possession with four passes, but it hurried to run the ball on fourth and two and were stopped in the backfield by the West Virginia defense for a turnover on downs.
WVU capitalized in five plays that took just under two minutes, where Donaldson punched in his second rushing score from one-yard away to put the Mountaineers up 14-0 only halfway through the first period.
The Cougars finished the next possession with a punt after four successful gains out of five plays and WVU would start the following drive with a 23-yard rush from Donaldson, but it would end in a midfield punt.
At the start of the second quarter, the Cougars got into Mountaineers’ territory at the 35-yard line and decided to take another chance on fourth and two in the air and for the second-straight snap, WVU safety Anthony Wilson laid a hit on a BYU receiver and dislodged the pass for another turnover on downs.
On the contrary, freshman running back Jahiem White took over on WVU’s next possession with 55 yards on three carries. A flurry of false starts and a missed pass for a first down left West Virginia with a 46-yard attempt for kicker Michael Hayes, which was good to go up 17-0.
Wilson and linebacker Lee Kpogba led West Virginia to another stop on defense with two explosive solo tackles after only five plays and a one first down for BYU.
White gained another 38 yards on the Mountaineers’ following drive before two personal fouls from the Cougars then pushed WVU inside the red zone.
Next, wide receiver Preston Fox made the play of the half with an impressive 12-yard touchdown snag while being surrounded by defenders in the back of the endzone, connecting with quarterback Garrett Greene for a 24-0 lead. The Cougars would go 26 yards into WVU territory but a fumble from wide receiver Parker Kingston would end the Cougars’ fifth drive.
With under a minute to go in the half, Greene would connect with wide receiver Devin Carter deep down the right sideline for 38 yards on third and long, and then Hayes would cap off the final drive of the half by nailing a 22-yard field goal as time expired, pushing WVU ahead 27-0.
Opening the third quarter, the Cougars started on the 10-yard line following a holding penalty that nullified a return touchdown on the kickoff. In a crucial missed opportunity, BYU then punted the ball away after three plays.
White broke off another big gain for 32 yards, adding to his 146 yard total for the night on WVU’s first third-quarter possession. After storming deep into BYU’s side of the field at the five-yard line, Hayes would knock through his third field goal from 23 yards away to put West Virginia up 30-0.
The Mountaineers’ defense made its third turnover on downs stop in the third quarter, after BYU’s next possession went six plays. The Cougars went for a fourth and seven and Wilson ended their attempt by punching the ball away with another forceful hit.
After four plays and a WVU turnover on downs at midfield, the Cougars followed suit by punting with five minutes left in the third period. The next spurt of offense came on a strike from Greene to tight end Kole Taylor for a 43-yard touchdown to cap off the following drive, putting West Virginia ahead with a 37-0 lead.
BYU earned a chance to put points on the board early in the fourth quarter after an 11-play possession but kicker Will Ferrin missed the 50-yard attempt wide left to leave his team empty-handed.
The Cougars put up their first points late into the fourth quarter with six minutes to go, after a 10-yard rushing touchdown from running back Aidan Robbins. This would be the final score in the game as West Virginia sealed the 37-7 victory by running out the clock.
After the dominant home victory, the Mountaineers will be traveling back on the road to face off against the stout No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners. The kickoff time and television broadcast are still to be determined.
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