MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A look of bemusement crossed Will Grier’s face when he was told Texas coach Tom Herman felt he should have received yet another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during his game-winning 2-point conversion run against the Longhorns.
Grier stuck the ball out as he approached the goal line, then did a slight high-step as he took the final two steps into the end zone.
“I also thought that taunting before you cross the goal line meant that it negated a score,” Herman sniveled after the game. “I’ve got to brush up on my rules and get some questions answered.”
When told what Herman said, Grier just laughed and said, “I hadn’t heard that.”
Grier celebrated raucously after scoring and earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as a result, but said that celebration was the furthest thing from his mind while he was still running. The reason the ball was so far from his body was to make sure it crossed the goal line even if he didn’t.
“I was putting the ball over the line,” Grier said. “I was making sure that I was in before anybody touched me.”
There’s pretty good reason Grier chose the “loaf of bread” method over diving head-first. Last year he was lost for the season when he attempted to dive for the pylon against Texas and broke his hand.
“Pylons have been bad to me in the past,” Grier said. “I was just making sure it was in, and nobody was really close to me at that point. I wasn’t taunting anybody or anything. It was exciting that we scored.”
Wickline’s unforgettable moment
Kelby Wickline has spent a fair share of time at the Texas football facility. His dad, Joe, was the Longhorns offensive line coach/offensive coordinator from 2014-15. So for the most significant game of his career to take place at DKR-Memorial Stadium was a pretty special moment.
“No doubt, it was a big stage and I’ve been there a time or two, obviously,” Wickline said. “It was just a special moment altogether.”
Wickline filled in at left tackle following all-conference starter Yodny Cajuste’s controversial ejection in the first quarter. He ended up providing the path for Grier on his 2-point run, and thus was the first player to greet the quarterback and celebrate the feat.
“It was truly an invigorating moment for him to run off me and into the end zone,” Wickline said. “I did mention to him after that game that it was a really cool experience. It was uncontained energy to say the least. A bunch of emotions running through. It’s definitely an experience I’ll never forget.”
Running quartet becomes dynamic duo
West Virginia finally has its full stable of four running backs ready to roll, but against Texas only two of them played a significant role. Kennedy McKoy was the primary workhorse with 17 carries for 94 yards, while Martell Pettaway brought the explosiveness with nine carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
But that does not mean there won’t be more ample opportunities for Leddie Brown and Alec Sinkfield to contribute in upcoming games.
“Leddie Brown played, I think, like 20 snaps. Sinkfield is still battling through that ankle a little bit, it’s nothing Sink has done,” said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen. “I have to look for ways to get him out there and play more because he was arguably our best back coming out of spring. And Leddie is a force as a freshman.”
Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said the rotation had more to do with having a pair of hot hands in McKoy and Pettaway.
“This was the first game we actually had two guys that got into a rhythm, and you didn’t really want to ruin that,” Spavital said. “I thought they were rushing the ball effectively. It was a one-two punch right there.”