PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Will Grier completed 28-of-41 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns in the Mountaineers’ 38-22 win over Kansas last week, but afterward everyone was talking more about his mistakes — three red-zone interceptions in the first half — than his successes. He found 10 different receivers in notching the 13th time in his 16 starts that he has finished with 300 or more yards passing. Grier’s touchdown tosses were to running back Leddie Brown for 15 yards, to tight end Jovani Haskins for 14 yards, to running back Martell Pettaway for 12 yards and a late 17-yarder to David Sills V when the outcome was already decided. 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 carried 10 times for 44 yards in the win. McKoy has had his share of carries over his first two years, and now has 48 totes for 288 yards and two touchdowns, and four catches for 36 more and a TD over West Virginia’s first four games. McKoy has enough speed to break off long runs, and his physicality on contact is unmatched. He’s not afraid to pass protect either, an absolute necessity for a running back who plays for coach Dana Holgorsen.
–WR Marcus Simms flashed his brilliance last season despite being the Mountaineers’ third receiving option and with an improved role is really flourishing in 2018. Simms hauled two passes for 57 yards and now has 27 catches for 490 yards and a touchdown in the first five games. With a greater volume this year, expect Simms’ numbers to spike. He is an excellent special teams player for the Mountaineers as well, racking up 42 yards in returns including a 35-yard kickoff return
–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. After competing for playing time and earning some snaps last year, Rose has battled for playing time this season. 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 an interception in the win against Kansas 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 three tackles against Kansas after tying for the team-high with nine stops versus Tennessee; he now has 29 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 Iowa State 5-1 lead and holds a 3-0 advantage in games played in Ames, Iowa.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We’ve been pretty good in the red zone. I don’t really think that it’s a problem. (We) just probably made some bad decisions; probably made some bad decisions play-call wise and we probably made some bad decisions at the quarterback spot. The receivers didn’t bail him out, either. We’ve got a lot of things that we need to work on. That will probably be the next one that we focus on.” — West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen on Grier’s three picks in the red zone against Kansas last week
