MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Not even a touchdown-negating holding penalty could dampen Tyler Orlosky’s glow after West Virginia throttled Texas Tech 48-17.
The fifth-year center with 42 games and nearly 3,000 offensive plays under his belt had drawn only one career holding infraction until Saturday. Orlosky’s second flag was questionable.
“Had my hands inside (the defender) and kept my feet moving,” he said after the game. “But I guess I’m doing alright with two holding calls in four years.”
West Virginia’s offense was better than alright while blistering Texas Tech for 650 yards — 332 of that on the ground and the other 318 courtesy of a well-protected Skyler Howard.
“That was probably our ultimate balanced performance,” Orlosky said. “We ran the ball like we needed to. And even though (Texas Tech) gave us a few funky looks, Skyler had time and we kept him upright.”
The running game averaged 7.2 yards per carry and the offense netted a healthy 8.4 overall. West Virginia would have crossed the 50-point threshold if not for Orlosky’s dubious penalty, which erased a Justin Crawford touchdown in the second quarter.
The offensive line featured a mild surprise, with Colton McKivitz going the distance at right tackle (in place of Marcell Lazard). Substitute swing man Grant Lingafelter struggled on his first series at left guard but later returned at right guard to make a key block on Rushel Shell’s 14-yard fourth-quarter touchdown.
Check out today’s Gold & Blue Lunch Report video for a complete rundown, along with our weekly rapid-fire recap in “Around the Big 12 in 12 Seconds.”