West Virginia opened conference play with a crushing 41-10 final to Kansas on Saturday. Read more: WVU Routed by Jayhawks 41-10 in Big 12 Opener
Following their emphatic come-from-behind victory over Pittsburgh on Sept. 13, the Mountaineers looked outmatched in Lawrence, Kansas.
Injuries and an ejection of Fred Perry played a role, however, West Virginia could never get the offense going, ultimately resulting in such a lopsided defeat.
1st Quarter Offensive Struggles
The Mountaineers received the kick to open up the game, where the offense would quickly stall out with a three-and-out.
The Jayhawks would then answer with an impressive four-play touchdown drive. A Jaylon Daniels 41-yard pass to Levi Wentz got Kansas on the board first.
West Virginia looked to answer back on the following drive. A false start on third down ended the drive after just one first down.
Kansas would punt the ball on its next drive. The Mountainteers then suffered yet another three-and-out.
Daniels and the Jayhawks would then end what looked to be a promising drive after Daniels misfired on a wide-open target on third down.
After the Mountaineers’ defense forced that key stop, the offense would answer with another three-and-out.
Both teams would follow that up with a three-and-out of their own to finish the first quarter. This marked WVU’s fourth of quarter.Fred Perry Ejected, Offense Remains Silent
The second quarter opened up with the ejection of star safety Fred Perry. This came after he tackled Daniels as he was sliding to the head, resulting in a clear targeting penalty.
Daniels would not miss a beat as he came back in and led the Jayhawks to a 42-yard field goal.
The Mountaineer offense would answer with another short drive. After just one first down, they would punt the ball back to the Jayhawks.
After a three-and-out from Kansas, Nicco Marchiol and the Mountaineer offense would answer with its best drive of the game. Marchiol orchestrated a solid nine-play drive that resulted in a 26-yard field goal.
The Kayhawks would quickly follow after Leshon Williams caught a 39-yard touchdown catch from Daniels.
The Mountaineers would end up going for it late in the second quarter, where they wouldn’t convert. Kansas would answer with a 44-yard field goal to close out the first half.
A 2nd Half to Forget
Already up 20-3, the Kayhawks would immediately add another seven points after Emmanuel Henderson Jr. had a 94-yard kickoff return score.
Once again, the Mounatineers would answer with a punt. The Jayhawks would then tack on another touchdown after a 12-play scoring drive ending with Daniel’s third touchdown pass.
Marchiol would then throw an interception to former Mountaineer Trey Lathan. The Mountaineer would make a stand by forcing a turnover on downs deep in their field.
They would open the fourth quarter with a new quarterback, backup Jaylen Henderson. He would lead an impressive 11-play touchdown drive with his own 13-yard rushing touchdown.
The Jayhawks would put the final nail in the coffin with a 62-yard touchdown run by Leshon Williams.
After a pair of punts, the Mountaineers would fumble with 2:33 left in the fourth quarter. This ultimately ended the game as the Jyahawks would then punt the ball back to the Mountaineers, where they would just run the final minutes down.
A Whole Night to Forget
Not only did the Mountaineers lose in disappointing fashion, but they also suffered what looks to be a bad injury to starting center Landon Livingston.
Aside from that, the Mountaineers simply got outclassed on Saturday night. Its offense could never get going, totaling just 142 yards through the air.
The Mountaineers will now look to bounce back on Sept. 27, when they face Utah at home
