MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia quarterback Will Grier hasn’t spent much time on his backside this season, but that changed as the Red Raiders started to wreak some havoc in the second half.
Texas Tech had two sacks, two tackles for loss, one knockdown and two quarterback pressures after the break.
“I don’t think it was pressure. I think it was lack of focus,” Mountaineers right tackle Colton McKivitz said. “I think that was some missed ID points and guys not focusing. That was something that hurt us. I think if we had clear ID points, we would have kept Will clean.”
McKivitz said helping the Heisman-contending quarterback off the ground was the lowest low there is for an offensive lineman.
“It’s a terrible feeling,” he said. “Our job is to keep him clean. If he’s clean, he’s making plays for us. That’s something we get angry about, to help a guy off the ground. There’s no reason he should be on the ground.”
West Virginia (4-0, 2-0 Big 12) prevailed 42-34, though the execution turned sloppy. Its running game averaged 5.5 yards per carry in the first half and only 1.2 in the second.
“We got exposed in some matchups up front,” said offensive coordinator Jake Spavital.
The second half devolved into confusion and a lack of intensity across the line.
Center Matt Jones whiffed on one sack and committed an illegal snap. Left guard Josh Sills committed a holding penalty that negated a first-down catch by Gary Jennings. Right guard Chase Behrndt was beaten for a sack and let a defensive lineman run free for another pressure. McKivitz, a third-year starter and typically a steadying influence, was driven onto his back by Texas Tech defensive end Eli Howard, leading to a negative-yardage play.
The 3.7 yards per carry was West Virginia’s lowest through four games this season.
“If we’re held one-dimensional, it’s going to be a long, long season,” Spavital said. “I want to see just how mature a team we are. We talk about all this senior leadership we have, so let’s see how we can handle adversity and how we handle this week of practice. I thought our practices were up-and-down this past week.”
No. 9 West Virginia hosts Kansas on Saturday.
— Allan Taylor contributed to this story.