MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—The live in-game blog that originated from Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday, where WVU edged William & Mary 24-17 in the opener:
MORE MOUNTAINEERS: Allan Taylor’s column on the play that saved WVU
MORE MOUNTAINEERS: Video from Saturday’s win and postgame
MORE MOUNTAINEERS: Defense pitches second-half shutout
3:09 p.m. W&M’s Graham is picked off by Darwin Cook and WVU might have just sealed it.
3:06 p.m. TOUCHDOWN MOUNTAINEERS! WVU moves 50 yards in eight plays, almost exclusively on the ground. Wendell Smallwood pounds it in from the 2. (24-17 with 3:22 left.)
2:59 p.m. There’s 7:02 left.WVU’s ball at midfield. Game tied at 17 with William & Mary. Is it winning time for Millard & Co.?
2:53 p.m. 3-and-out for WVU from its own 6. But O’Toole booms a 50-yard punt and Darwin Cook drops W&M returner back at 25. Flipping the field—something WVU never did last season.
2:48 p.m. 44-yard punt pins WVU at its own 6 with 9:53 to play.
2:45 p.m. Tribe escapes a 2nd-and-20 with Robert Asmar’s 21-yard catch, but subsequently is forced to punt at midfield.
2:37 p.m. WVU can’t convert on third-and-long, turns to Nick O’Toole’s nuclear foot for 56-yard punt. Tribe takes over at its own 22 with 13:14 left in regulation.
2:35 p.m. Today’s attendance: 56,350
2:34 p.m. W&M kicker John Carpenter hopes for a shining moment from 42 yards out and …. yick! Waaaaay wide left.
2:31 p.m. END OF THIRD QUARTER with W&M facing fourth-and-5 at the WVU 25.
2:29 p.m. W&M answers with a 40-yard strike to McBride, who came wide open when safety Darwin Cook bit on the run fake. Tribe now at WVU’s 30.
2:23 p.m. TOUCHDOWN MOUNTAINEERS! Millard slings a 69-yarder to Ronald Carswell running free down the middle. Tied at 17-all.
2:14 p.m. W&M seemed ready to counter until an unsportsmanlike penalty on Zack Fetters—blocking late near the pile—stalled the Tribe.
2:03 p.m. WVU storms out of the halftime lockerroom and drives to the W&M 5, but Sims is dropped by Jerome Couplin III’s shoestring tackle and WVU settles for a FG. (Drive: 15 plays, 70 yards in 6:16)
1:33 p.m. END OF HALF: William & Mary stunning WVU 17-7.
1:31 p.m. WVU holds and forces W&M to a 29-yard kick by John Carpenter. But the Tribe extends lead to 17-7 just 23 seconds before half. (Drive: 7 plays, 22 yards in 48 seconds).
1:27 p.m. Graham has a potential TD dropped by Bo Revell, albeit with Karl Joseph about to blast him in the back of the end zone.
1:24 p.m. Millard re-enters for WVU, but he FUMBLES! after being hit by W&M’s Reilly. The Tribe recovers with Jasper Coleman plopping down on it at the Mountaineers’ 34.
1:17 p.m. 57-yard punt alert! Nick O’Toole’s booming ’em.
1:15 p.m. Trickett’s second straight three-and-out ends with a sack on third-and-8 as Quinton Spain gets bull-rushed by W&M’s Mike Reilly.
1:03 p.m. It’s “Trickett Time” in West Virginia. Millard had three drives and now it’s the other guy’s turn. After Mark Glowinski’s motion penalty, WVU can’t convert third-and-6 as Trickett’s pass is tipped away over the middle.
12:58 p.m. Michael Graham’s scrambles just across the goal line on third-and-5 and HEADS UP, the Tribe leads 14-7 with 8:56 left in the half. (Clock-chewing drive was 12 plays, 88 yards in 6:04.)
12:56 p.m. W&M moving again thanks to 19-yard catch by Darnell Laws and then BOOM! Trey McBride nabs 28-yard catch over Karl Joseph to the WVU 2.
12:49 p.m. Millard’s first-quarter line: 9-of-12 for 99 yards. Sims has seven carries for 46 yards.
12:48 p.m. END OF FIRST QUARTER. Tied at 7-7.
12:46 p.m. WVU stalls and punts.
12:41 p.m. Sims picks up third-and-short run at the WVU 17, before Ivan McCartney makes 11-yard catch on quick-hitter. Then Sims rips off 19-yard run to move ball to midfield.
12:39 p.m. WVU starts at its own 8 after Garrett Hope flagged for block in the back on kick return.
12:35 p.m. On third-and-goal from the 1, W&M ties it at 7-all on Michael Graham’s rollout pass to Darnell Laws. (Drive was six plays, 62 yards in 2:19)
12:32 p.m. W&M’s Trey McBride makes 40-yard leaping catch over WVU’s Icky Banks inside the 10. Big-time grab there.
12:27 p.m. Millard was 8-for-8 before a throw-away on third down. WVU’s second drive stalls at the W&M 38 leading to a 55-yard FG try by Josh Lambert … short and wide left.
12:23 p.m. Pat Eger draws the first holding call of 2013.
12:19 p.m. By the way, linebacker recruit Darrien Howard—who arrived on campus just last eight days ago—is dressed today.
12:17 p.m. Two straight 3-and-outs for the WVU defense. Yeah, it’s William & Mary, but still, progress is progress.
12:12 p.m. TOUCHDOWN Mountaineers! Charles Sims jukes in from 11 yards out. WVU’s scoring drive covers 67 yards in eight plays and 2:24.
12:11 p.m. Millard launches his Heisman campaign with 15-yard strike to Daikiel Shorts.
12:10 p.m. Paul Millard is your STARTING QB. (Cue confetti …) I feel like we just reached the finale of “Lost.”
12:06 p.m. Brandon Golson contributes tackleon his first snap as a Mountaineer, and WVU forces a three-and-out.
12:02 p.m. Michael Molinari wins the preseason kickoff derby for WVU.
11:58 a.m. Juco transfer receiver Kevin White is OUT for today’s opener. He was listed as questionable (foot) on Tuesday.
11:55 a.m. After construction of the new weightroom in the Milan Puskar complex, WVU is no longer running out of the corner tunnel, but from a cooler spot in the middle of the endzone.
11:49 a.m. My prediction for this game is 48-14, which gives WVU a half-point cushion on the spread. That’s completely coincidental.
11:45 a.m. By now you know from Twitterverse and WVRC’s three-hour pregame show that the Mountaineers are in all-blue uniforms today.