PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Will Grier completed 27-of-41 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns in the Mountaineers’ 42-34 win over Texas Tech last week. He found seven different receivers (for the third straight week) in notching the 12th time in his 15 starts that he has finished with 300 or more yards passing. Grier threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Simms and added scoring tosses of 13 yards and 14 yards and did not suffer an interception in the game. Grier has thrown five touchdown passes a school-record five times. He’s on the short list of legitimate Heisman Trophy candidates for a reason.
–RB Kennedy McKoy saw his most productive game of the season against Texas Tech, carrying 11 times for 77 yards and a 38-yard TD and catching two passes for 11 yards in the win. McCoy has had his share of carries over his first two years, and now has 38 totes for 244 yards and two touchdowns as well as four catches for 36 more yards and a TD over West Virginia’s first four games. He’s recorded double-digit carries in 11 of his 26 career games.
–WR Marcus Simms hauled in a team-leading nine throws for a team-high 138 yards in the win over K-State and now has 25 catches for 433 yards and a touchdown in the first four games.
–DE Ezekiel Rose played two seasons at the junior college level before transferring to West Virginia in January 2017, but the wait was worth it. He led the squad in sacks last season with five, but the senior will need to improve on those numbers to be a real force. He recorded a tackle against Texas Tech after having two tackles, including one for a loss, against Tennessee.
–S Kenny Robinson, who played in 11 games for West Virginia as a true freshman and was sixth on the team in tackles, picked right up where he left off in the season opener, recording nine tackles against Kansas State after tying for the team-high with nine stops versus Tennessee; he now has 26 tackles on the season. Stats aren’t the best measure for a college defensive back, but Robinson shows up when you watch the tape, too routinely making decisive tackles with textbook technique. Robinson sets himself apart with his ability to make plays and is not afraid to mix it up in the run game as well.
SERIES HISTORY: West Virginia leads Kansas 5-1 with the Mountaineers holding a 4-0 advantage in games played in Morgantown.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Nothing that happened is surprising. I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t play as hard as I thought we could have in the second half. We’ve got to do a better job of getting them going regardless of the score is. We’ve got to handle success better. We’ve got to be able to play better and play smarter when we’re winning. — West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen after the win over Texas Tech last week
