WVU football gets back on track, defeats UCF with four takeaways
West Virginia football snapped its two-game skid on Saturday after defeating the UCF Knights 41-28 on the road in Orlando, in a contest where the Mountaineers snatched four takeaways and dominated on the ground with 287 yards and five touchdowns.
West Virginia (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) pounded the ground with three different running backs for 52 yards on the first drive and then quarterback Garrett Greene found wide receiver Devin Carter for 19 yards in the air following an impressive 21-yard fourth down carry on fourth down for running back CJ Donaldson.
Greene capped off the drive with a quarterback keeper up the middle, pushing through for a six-yard touchdown to put WVU up 7-0.
UCF (3-5, 0-5 Big 12) immediately answered on its first drive after converting two long third downs through the air with a total of 53 yards on the possession. The Knights’ quarterback, John Rhys Plumlee, threw a strike down the right sideline to even up the score with a 34-yard touchdown to wide receiver Kobe Hudson.
Freshman running back Jahiem White made a big play with a 19-yard run on third and long, which added on to WVU’s 35 yards rushing on its second drive. The Mountaineers were unable to capitalize inside the Knights’ 10-yard line though and settled for a 24-yard Michael Hayes field goal to go ahead 10-7.
West Virginia had luck go its way on the next drive when Plumlee fired a pass down the field that went through an open receiver’s hands and bounced up into the air. Cornerback Beanie Bishop was there on the bounce for the interception, grabbing his third takeaway of the season.
To begin the second quarter, the Mountaineers continued their strong offensive attack on the ground off the takeaway, with a 64-yard drive to go ahead 17-7. White finished off the scoring possession with a rushing touchdown from three-yards away.
The Knights stayed true to the run game and were looking to answer on their next possession, aided by a 29-yard carry for running back RJ Harvey to get in the WVU redzone. Plumlee then kept it twice in a row on the ground, reaching paydirt from eight yards away after back-to-back carries totaling 18 yards.
Leading by only three at 17-14, West Virginia’s leader and signal caller Garrett Greene went down with an injury and redshirt freshman Nicco Marchiol was thrusted into the action. The Mountaineers threw a screen pass on Marchiol’s first snap but the play was fumbled away to give UCF possession.
However, it only took one more play for WVU’s defense to get the ball back, as Plumlee was pressured and hit in the arm while throwing to give safety Marcis Floyd an easy open-field interception. The Mountaineers ended the first half with a punt, leading 17-14.
UCF made an adjustment to open the second half and attacked the WVU secondary through the air on the opening drive but it quickly went wrong for Plumlee after he threw his third interception of the game to Bishop, giving the Mountaineers possession on his second takeaway of the day.
The Mountaineers’ offense made the UCF defense work laterally with two straight screen passes going for a total of 37 yards within a 68-yard scoring drive to open the half. Then, Greene kept the ball on the ground deep inside the Knights’ territory once again and pushed ahead for his second rushing touchdown of the game, putting WVU further ahead at 24-14.
A 16-yard completion, followed by a 25-yard completion and another 16-yard connection for Plumlee sparked a quick drive in response for UCF, bringing the Knights inside the WVU red zone. Plumlee answered his previous turnovers with a passing score to cap off the drive, finding wide receiver Javon Baker from seven yards away to tighten the contest at 24-21 in the third quarter.
West Virginia was left to punt after a sack and a fumble on third down of its following drive, but the Mountaineers’ defense stepped up and forced their fourth takeaway against Plumlee, after he was sacked and stripped by linebacker Lee Kpogba and WVU recovered. This put West Virginia’s offense deep in UCF territory to end the third quarter.
After four plays inside the Knights’ red zone and up to the one-yard line, Greene pushed the ball across the plane once again on a fake handoff keeper, marking his third rushing score in the contest. This touchdown set West Virginia ahead 31-21 at the start of the fourth quarter.
After UCF’s first punt of the day following the score, West Virginia took the ball and White ran up the middle and cut towards the sideline for a huge 32-yard gain. Then on fourth down, WVU decided to take a risk and proceeded to complete two straight passes for 19 yards before CJ Donaldson cleaned up with a six-yard rushing score.
Trailing 38-21 with under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Knights pushed the ball down the field and were unable to convert through the air on fourth down, turning the ball over on downs to West Virginia.
The Mountaineers kept the ball on the ground in their next possession in an attempt to run down the clock and finish out the victory, but two penalties brought back a touchdown for White. The kicker, Hayes, would then put through a 41-yard field goal to lift WVU to a 41-21 lead.
Plumlee would connect with Hudson once again for a 16-yard touchdown with under two minutes to go, but it wouldn't be enough as WVU took the 41-28 victory and broke its two-game skid.
West Virginia heads back home to Morgantown to face off against another brand-new Big 12 foe in its next game, hosting the BYU Cougars on Saturday. Kickoff time and the television broadcast are to be determined.
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