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For the second consecutive week the West Virginia Mountaineers came from behind in the fourth quarter to secure yet another heart stopping win, a 24-20 upset over TCU in Fort Worth.
TCU fans were left wondering how this was a game they lost. The Horned Frogs passed for 372 yards, outgained WVU by 212 yards and had 29 first downs to just 17 for the Mountaineers. Even more remarkable was that TCU had 10 possessions during the game and had the ball in West Virginia territory on all 10, nine of which were inside the WVU 30. They ran 57 of their 82 scrimmage plays on the Mountaineer side of the field. They possessed the ball for nearly 38 minutes compared to 22 for West Virginia.
The much maligned West Virginia defense allowed the Frogs to drive the ball into scoring territory on each possession and forced only one punt all day, but we have to give them credit for making the plays to preserve the win. They forced three field goal attempts, one of which was missed, had a stop on downs in the fourth quarter, and most importantly grabbed three turnovers at the WVU 27, 16 and 23 yard lines. The final turnover occurred on a strip sack with 34 seconds remaining after TCU had driven from their own 10 in 17 plays.
The Mountaineers offense struggled at times against a stout Horned Frogs defense, falling far short of their usual output with only 265 total yards. In the first half quarterback Michael Hawkins lofted a deep ball into the hands of receiver DJ Epps, and what would have been a 75-yard touchdown pass was dropped. But the offense did step up and executed a 75-yard scoring drive to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. A key play in that possession was a personal foul penalty on TCU, which otherwise would have had the Mountaineers facing a third-and-13 conversion attempt. A few plays later Cam Cook converted a fourth down run and then grabbed the winning touchdown on a 13-yard pass.
Special teams was solid. Kicker Jack Cassidy nailed a 54-yard field goal in the first quarter. And in what is often an overlooked aspect of special teams play Cassidy has consistently kicked touchbacks forcing opponents to begin at their own 25. We have observed in years past sometimes shaky coverage on kickoff returns. That difference in field position over the course of a season can have a significant impact.
After playing eight consecutive weeks the Mountaineers have a much needed bye week before a trip to Texas Tech on Nov. 7.