WVU survives Texas 24-20
West Virginia kept its Big 12 Conference Championship hopes alive by going on the road and beating Texas 24-20 Saturday afternoon.
The Mountaineers moved their overall record to 8-1, 5-1 on the season capitalizing on several Longhorns miscues to protect an early lead despite four turnovers. However, West Virginia was able to force three Longhorns turnovers and block a field goal.
Senior quarterback Skyler Howard completed 21-35 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown but also threw three interceptions.
Freshman Kennedy McKoy earned the first start of his career rushing for 65 yards and 2 touchdowns serving as the primary ball carrier throughout the game.
West Virginia's defense was the story of the afternoon, holding Texas time and time again in the second half including on the final possession of the game.
Texas started with the football after winning the toss at their own 25-yard line. The Longhorns would quickly move deep into West Virginia territory but the Mountaineers would hold in the red zone and force a 27-yard field goal attempt to make the score 3-0 following the opening drive.
On the first drive for West Virginia, it was McKoy that would draw the start in the backfield and the Mountaineers quickly moved to midfield with a mix of the run and pass. The Mountaineers would move the ball to the Longhorns 25-yard line but a sack would push the ball back and Molina would nod the game up at 3-all with a season long 44-yard field goal attempt.
The first turnover of the game would come on the ensuing possession when Foreman fumbled the football on the first play of the drive and the Mountaineers would take over at the Texas 17. But junior running back Justin Crawford would give the football right back on a fumble of his own two plays later.
West Virginia responded with a three and out following the turnover but the Longhorns would flip the field and a 51-yard punt would put the Mountaineers starting at their own 34-yard line. The Mountaineers would travel 66-yards in eight plays to take the first lead of the ball game on an eight-yard touchdown run by McKoy. On the drive, the offense converted a critical 3rd and 11 from the Texas 30.
The Longhorns would move the football to near midfield on the ensuing drive, but a sack by Kyzir White would end the drive to get the football back to the Mountaineers.
And it would be the other White, junior wide receiver Ka’Raun White that would get into the end zone at the end of the next drive with an incredible 29-yard catch from the ground after being knocked down on the play to put the Mountaineers in front 17-3 with 14:11 remaining in the second quarter.
The Mountaineers defense would hold once again on the ensuing drive giving the football back to the offense with a 17-3 lead with 11:41 remaining in the first half. But West Virginia would fail to add to its lead and punted the football back to the Longhorns but a call that went against the Mountaineers on an interference when Texas fumbled kept the ball in their possession.
From there, Texas would drive 58-yards in dive plays to cut the lead to 17-10 on a touchdown run by Shane Buechele when the defense collapsed on Foreman in the backfield with 7:35 left. West Virginia would go three and out for the first time on the ensuing drive giving the football back to the Longhorns.
Texas would eat up 84-yards in 6:48 on a 21-play drive by converting two fourth downs but had to settle for a field goal to cut the West Virginia lead to 17-13 with only seven seconds left remaining in the first half.
The Mountaineers would open the second half with a productive drive, moving the football into Longhorns territory to the 34-yard line but Howard would be intercepted giving the football back to Texas trailing 17-13.
And while the Longhorns would move the football, the turnover wouldn't hurt the Mountaineers as a 37-yard field goal attempt was blocked keeping the score the same.
The offense would take the football and make the Longhorns pay for the missed field goal, taking the ball 79-yards in 14-plays to punch the ball into the end zone with McKoy from three yards out for his second touchdown of the afternoon. The Mountaineers used McKoy on several critical situations on the drive including converting a third and five to put the score at 24-13 with 5:03 left in the third quarter.
On the ensuing Texas possession, the Longhorns would turn the football over for the second time as redshirt senior cornerback Rasul Douglas would rip the ball away from John Burt for his sixth interception of the season.
That set the offense up inside Texas territory but the Longhorns would halt the offense on an interception of their own just three plays later in the end zone keeping the score at 24-13 as the third quarter clock ticked away.
The Longhorns would capitalize this time on a miscue driving the football 80-yards in nine plays capped off with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Collin Johnson when Antonio Crawford missed the tackle on the outside. That cut the score to 24-20 with 1:28 left.
Howard would throw another interception on the next drive, this time overhsooting his intended wide receiver into the arms of the waiting Texas defensive back setting the Longhorns up at midfield down only one score.
While Texas would drive the ball into the West Virginia red zone but after a sack by White, his second of the game, on third down the ball squirted loose and was recovered by White to give the Mountaineers the football and protect the 24-20 lead. with 13:35 remaining in the fourth quarter.
However, the Mountaineers offense would fail to take advantage and punted the football back to the Longhorns with 10:15 left clinging to a 24-20 lead. But after another sack by the West Virginia defense, the Mountaineers would hold again and get the football back to the offense with only 7:21 remaining in the game.
Again the Mountaineers would be unable to generate any offense going three and out and the punt set the Longhorns up at their own 40-yard line with 5:25 left. But on 4th and six the Mountaineers defense would rise up again and hold the Longhorns short.
After the two teams exchanged possessions, Texas would get the football back but while the Longhorns would drive the football to the 27-yard line but the Mountaineers would hold and secure the win.
West Virginia will host Oklahoma next weekend with the time yet to be determined.