LANDOVER, Md. — It was a big night a long time in the making as No. 22 West Virginia and No. 21 Virginia Tech dug in at FedEx Field.
Will Grier threw for 371 yards and three scores but the Mountaineers’ last gasp drive died in the red zone as the Hokies survived 31-24.
My live updates will flow throughout:
Final: Virginia Tech 31, West Virginia 24
— WVU outgained the Hokies 592 to 496 but couldn’t convert on the final drive.
— Grier finished 31-of-53 with three TDs and one interception, while Josh Jackson was 15-of-26 for 235 passing with another 101 rushing.
— Gary Jennings produced a monster game in the loss, making 13 catches for 189 yards. David Sills added nine receptions for 94 yards with two TDs.
— Justin Crawford had no fourth-quarter touches yet gained 106 yards on 13 carries.
— Neither offense fared well on third downs: WVU converted 5-of-19 and the Hokies were 3-of-15.
Fourth quarter
— West Virginia reached the 15 in the closing seconds but David Sills couldn’t make a diving catch in the end zone with 2 seconds left. On the final snap Grier threw incomplete on a play in which WVU drew multiple flags on the offensive line.
— Saddled with first-and-30 after an assistant was flagged for unsportsmanlike contact, the Hokies converted nonetheless when Elijah Battle committed pass interference on a throw that carried out of bounds. But West Virginia stayed alive when Joey Slye misfired from 32 yards with 1:55 left.
— Grier’s deep shot for White was broken up by Adonis Alexander and the Mountaineers went three-and-out.
TOUCHDOWN: Travon McMillian 3-yard run (6:30) Hokies lead 31-24
Jackson hit Sean Savoy for 22 yards against zone coverage before gashing the Mountaineers defense for a 46-yard run down to the 2. At the goal line, Virginia Tech overcame a false start by Wyatt Teller to pound i nthe go-ahead score. (Drive: 6 plays, 82 yards in 2:23)
— Martell Pettaway saw his first action and ripped off a 17-yarder. Then came a Tremaine Edmunds injury timeout (and a Gary Jennings cramp intermission) before WVU punted on fourth-and-1 at the Hokies 46.
— Quandarius Qualls cleaned up a third-and-9 with his first career sack to force a Vireginia Tech punt.
TOUCHDOWN: Gary Jennings 60-yard pass from Grier (12:37) Game tied 24-24
With ample time for deep routes to develop, Grier found Jennings on a post. The junior made a back-shoulder catch over Terrell Edmunds and then made Adonis Anderson miss before taking it to the house. (Drive: 2 plays, 73 yards, in 0:31)
— Nothing doing for Virginia Tech, which avoided a turnover when replay showed no clear recovery on Deshawn McClease’s fumble.
Third quarter
— One second, WVU was converting a third-and-1 at the Hokies’ 23. The next, they were facing fourth-and-26 after Yodney Cajuste received a holding flag and Dana Holgorsen got T’d up on the sideline for unsportsmanlike conduct. Brutal turn of events for WVU after Grier started the drive with a 43-yarder to Jennings.
TOUCHDOWN: Phillips 32-yard pass from Jackson (2:02) Hokies lead 24-17
The dreaded one-play touchdown “drive” was setup by Jame Clark’s 44-yard kick return and Kenny Robinson’s out-of-bounds tackle. (Drive: 1 play, 32 yards in 0:08)
TOUCHDOWN: Sills 10-yard pass from Grier (2:18) Game tied 17-17
Grier went 4-of-5 on the drive for 69 yards, including 25 to White and 24 to Jennings. Then Sills beat Adonis Alexander on a slant for his second score (Drive: 8 plays, 79 yards in 2:49)
— Virginia Tech, starting at midfield courtesy of a poor Kinney punt, faced third-and-1 at the 22 when WVU dug in. Al-Rasheed Benton came on a run blitz to clog the middle and Dylan Tonkery droppe Steven Peoples for a loss. Joey Slye then pushed a 38-yard kick wide right, keeping it a one-score margin.
— West Virginia couldn’t counter. Grier and White couldn’t connect on third-and-8 along the sideline.
TOUCHDOWN: Deshawn McClease 12-yard run (9:51) Hokies lead 17-10
The West Virginia defense endured its first dreadful series, highlighted by tight end Chris Cunningham running free for a 39-yard catch. All four plays on the drive netted first downs as Virginia Tech answered in rapid fashion.(Drive: 4 plays, 71 yards in 1:28)
FIELD GOAL: Mike Molina from 34 yards (11:25) Game tied 10-10
An adventurous first kick of the season for Molina banked home off the right upright, and it followed a delay-of-game penalty that was inexcusable. Grier and Ka’Raun White made the key play, a 33-yard diving hookup. Crawford crossed the 100-yard mark with a stretch run on which he juked away from defensive back Mook Reynolds. (Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards in 2:33)
— Virginia Tech with a three-and-out to open the second half.
Halftime
— West Virginia leads 220-165 in total offense and 12-7 in first downs
— Grier is 15-of-24 for 105 yards with one TD, one interception and a couple deep overthrows he’d like to have back. Jackson is 7-of-14 for 97 yards for the Hokies.
— Crawford’s 42-yard run helped him to an 85-yard first half on 11 carries. McKoy has four for 17 and Grier five for 13 yards.
Second quarter
TOUCHDOWN: Jackson 5-yard run (0:27) Hokies lead 10-7
Jackson may have done some growing up before the half. He was 3-for-3 on the drive, including a 28-yarder that Phillips pulled down over Mike Daniels. But Jackson’s best play of the half was a third-and-9 hookup with C.J. Carroll for 10 yards to the West Virginia 8 — a throw made on the run a beat before Al-Rasheed Benton came blitzing in. (Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards in 2:55)
— Pinned at its 3, West Virginia got nothing going and apparently lost right guard Grant Lingafelter in the process. The senior needed assistance leaving the field after an apparent right knee injury.
— Blessed with field position after Evan Staley’s kickoff sailed left of the pylon, the Hokies went three-and-out again. Jackson’s third-down incompletion leaves him in a 1-of-5 rut for 3 yards.
TOUCHDOWN: Sills 11-yard pass from Grier (5:37) WVU leads 7-3
Crawford got the Mountaineers out of a hole with a 42-yard burst up the middle, a play featuring a key lead block by Eli Wellman. Then Grier converted a fourth-and-2 at the Hokies’ 33 by hitting White for 8 yards on a slant. Not eve a Kyle Bosch illegal procedure could stump this one, as Grier threw Sills open at the pylon. (Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards in 4:34)
— Tech went three-and-out with three straight runs.
— After center Matt Jones picked up his first career holding flag, WVU had a chance to go deep with Jennings running past linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Grier’s throw sailed long, however, leaving third-and-15. A 12-yard catch by Sills couldn’t stave off Kinney’s fourth punt in five possessions.
— At its 37, Virginia Tech goes to the air on third-and-1 and Xavier Preston knocks down the pass coming off the edge. Oscar Bradburn then pins WVU at its 10 with a 53-yard punt.
— TURNOVER: West Virginia’s 13-play drive ended on fourth-and-2 at the Hokies 22. Grier rolled out and had nowhere to go, so he flipped a pass into triple coverage that Trevon Hill intercepted.
First quarter
— While the Hokies like Phillips against Hakeem Bailey (hooking up for another 24 yards) the drive ended at midfield on a couple Jackson incompletions.
— WVU gained a first down on a 10-yard catch by Sills but the jet sweep to Jennings lost 4. Kinney’s punt traveled 46 this time.
FIELD GOAL: Joey Slye from 25 yards (6:10) Hokies lead 3-0
After bulldozing for 7 yards on fourth-and-1, Jackson hit Cam Phillips for 28 more to the 1. That’s where WVU tightened, starting with Al-Rasheed Benton’s TFL. Then Hokies right tackle Kyle Chung jumped early and Jackson failed to connect with Phillips on back-to-back incompletions. (Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards in 4:46)
— WVU starts at its 25 and gets a 12-yard pass to Sills, but Tim Settles sacked Grier to halt the drive. Billy Kinney followed with a 31-yard punt.
— Jackson’s first completion as a Hokie goes for 4 yards, but then he’s stopped for a yard loss and had a third-down pass tipped by Xavier Preston.
— WVU started with a noisy three-and-out, after Grier launched a back-foot 32-yard pass to Ka’Raun White that was overturned via replay.
Pregame notes
— Gary Jennings earned flag duty for WVU tonight. Big honor for the junior.
— Beamer 1, Nehlen 0 in coin flips.
— I spoke today with WVU quarterback Will Grier’s father Chad, who was checking out the Lincoln Memorial: “I don’t expect Will to make every throw or make every play, but I think the thing we’ll get tonight is he’s going to compete. He’ll grind it out and find a way to take the game into the fourth quarter. And he’s got enough talent around him. There’s a lot of kids who can make plays.”
— More on Grier from receiver David Sills: “He’s proven it in practice. He’s proven to be a leader for the team. He’s done everything you would expect in a great quarterback. So, I think he’s going to have a great season.”
— Even more on Grier from Ka’Raun White: “His ball is real accurate. Jam it in there, lob it up, back shoulder — he knows who to get the ball to and where to put it.”
— The past two seasons West Virginia’s offense has ranked 45th and 68th nationally in third-down success (and in the bottom half of the Big 12). The Hokies defense was No. 3 in third-down stops last year and 20th in 2015.
— Here are our MetroNews Sports staff picks for this game:
