Despite being held scoreless in the first half, the West Virginia offense rallied late and produced 422 yards of total offense in Saturday’s thrilling win against Kansas State.
The Mountaineers were only out-gained by the Wildcats 178-174 in total offense going into halftime but turnovers, missed opportunities and stalled drives proved costly.
A missed 30-yard field goal by Josh Lambert on West Virginia's first offensive drive, a Skyler Howard interception, a turnover on downs and a fumble by running back Rushel Shell on the Kansas State three-yard line were just some of the setbacks WVU endured throughout the game.
The Mountaineers inability to finish promising drives in the first half was the difference between the two teams early on as they faced a 13-0 deficit at halftime.
“We knew that we were in reach,” redshirt senior center Tyler Orlosky said. “I thought everyone came outin the second half and played well.”
The Mountaineers outgained the Wildcats 360-233 in total yards going into the fourth quarter but still faced a 16-3 deficit in the fourth quarter as the mistakes continued and limited possessions built up the unit's frustration.
“It felt like we were down a lot more than we were,” head coach Dana Holgorsen said. “I felt like we were able to move the ball, we just couldn’t get points on the board.”
The team needed a spark. The Mountaineer offense led by Howard and running back Justin Crawford played a pivotal role in the fourth quarter racking up 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
The turning point and arguably the play of game came on a first and 10 for WVU on their own 27-yard line when Howard connected with Shelton Gibson on a 52 yard completion to the Kansas State 21 yard line in which Gibson’s helmet was ripped off of his head.
“That was probably one of the sparks that we needed,” Howard said. “Our guys came together and kept fighting.”
West Virginia capitalized with a nine-yard touchdown rush by Justin Crawford on the first play of the fourth quarter which cut Kansas State’s lead to six points. Crawford, who according to Holgorsen, has emerged as leader of the team since he has arrived at WVU, finished with 104 yards rushing on 18 carries.
The Mountaineers offense struck for six points once again after a Kansas State three and out when Howard scrambled around and found Jovon Durante in the corner of the end zone for a seven-yard pass for the go ahead touchdown to put the score at 17-16.
From there it would hold and the Mountaineers would defeat the Wildcats.
Howard finished with 24-41 for 298 yards with a touchdown pass and interception.
And although it wasn’t the strongest display of offense by the Mountaineers, the offense capitalized in crucial moments late in the game even with the Wildcat’s leading the time of possession and produced over 400 yards of total offense against a tenacious Kansas State defense that was ranked first nationally coming into the game.
It's the type of win that West Virginia has struggled to pull out in the past and a sign that the Mountaineers could be turning the corner.
“Finding a way to win is the most important thing,” Holgorsen said. “We got a lot of work to do. It’s a long season.”
The Mountaineers go into the bye week with 4-0 record and have made a return to the rankings for the first time since week four of the 2015 season. WVU is now ranked 22nd in the new AP Poll and 20th in the Coaches poll.
“Everybody’s happy about the 4-0 start,” Holgorsen said. “We’re in a good place right now.”
