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Column: Grier hasn’t encountered a defense nearly as tough as his own

COMMENTARY

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Three wins. Seventeen touchdowns. Zero drama.

That’s the September math perpetuated by this swank West Virginia offense, ultra-cool and so precise it can donate timeouts to charity even when the final 6 seconds of the half send us wondering whether Dana Holgorsen has taken time-management tutoring from Les Miles.

No worries about that silly ol’ clock. Just let Will Grier pinpoint a corner fade to David Sills and there you go, two whole ticks to spare! West Virginia stabbed K-State with another end-of-half dagger, which essentially became the clincher for a 3-0 start.

The Mountaineers have coasted to this point by outscoring the opposition 127-37, with Grier’s bronzed arm typically something to behold. But it’s that second number — the 37 points allowed — that deserves more attention than these premature Heisman straw polls.

Tony Gibson’s defense held an opponent without a touchdown for the first time in 30 games and didn’t let Kansas State across midfield until the third quarter.

Then again, reaching midfield wasn’t a prerequisite for K-State showing Gibson’s crew disrespect.

Facing fourth-and-1 at its own 43, barely 5 minutes into the second quarter, K-State kept its offense on the field. The deficit was only 7-0 and the Wildcats’ punter was sporting Ray Guy’s bionic foot, so gambling seemed like an unnecessarily risky decision. Even more curious was Kansas State opting to toss the ball wide to Alex Barnes, where three defenders gobbled up the play for a 4-yard loss.

That offense — with straight-ahead QB power in its DNA — went wide, figuring West Virginia wouldn’t stay disciplined. K-State’s decision might’ve worked in 2017, but the 2018 defense hasn’t been so flaky.

“I thought they were going to run quarterback sneak again,” Gibson said. “I was shocked that they tried to run on the perimeter against us, because we’ve got guys who can run.”

More importantly, guys who Gibson trusts.

“We’ve got guys that care, guys that play hard, guys up front that can penetrate and blow gaps up,” he said. “We’re different.”

To this juncture, Grier was challenged by Tennessee’s blitzes and K-State’s wood-choppers, but he hasn’t faced a tougher defense than his own. With that in mind, last week’s additional scrimmages against Gibby’s boys — a substitute for the canceled game at N.C. State — carried purpose.

“Our defense, yeah, they get after it,” he said. “They play with heart. They play tough and they play fast. What we did last week, I think it made both sides better.”

Given the recent history of the Kansas State series — four games decided by 13 points — we were conditioned to expect Bill Snyder’s bunch rising to the competition and making the first day of fall a dogfight. Instead, West Virginia had this thing tamed by halftime, leading 21-0.

When K-State struck back for a field goal in the third quarter, Grier answered by firing a 62-yarder touchdown to Sills’ replacement, Tevin Bush. At only 5-foot-6 he’s the worst stunt double WVU could imagine for its All-American receiver, yet Bush made a leading man-like move to haul in Grier’s deep pass behind the K-State secondary.

It’s been that kind of plug-in-play month so far, with eight players scoring touchdowns. So in control was the outcome Saturday that offensive coordinator Jake Spavital had Grier working on situational reps during the fourth quarter.

“That’s why it looked sloppy at the end,” Spavital said.

Grier also referred to sloppiness three times during his brief postgame interview, alluding to dropped passes, an overhead snap and his own two interceptions. The types of mistakes that would have decided a game against K-State in previous years. This time, they were mere teaching points for a vastly superior team that swallowed its victim whole.





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