Derrek Pitts pulled off one of the rarest plays in West Virginia history late in the second quarter.
Pitts grabbed a Kenny Bigelow blocked field goal out of mid-air, then returned it 72 yards for a touchdown. It’s the first field goal return touchdown for the Mountaineers since 1994, when Harold Kidd returned one against Pitt.
“He made a play. Pitts made a nice play,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. “I thought our momentum and energy on the sideline were good. If you can’t get a first down, your energy is going to go away. Your defense is out there playing the whole time, your energy is eventually going to go away.”
Kidd’s score was the only recorded instance of a field-goal return for a score in West Virginia history. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, Pitts left the game in the fourth quarter with a left leg injury.
Quotable
“Multiplicity was the key tonight and the ability to be multiple throughout the football game. Our defensive staff did a great job at having a plan to constantly switch up the looks and be as multiple as we could.” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell
Crunching numbers from Saturday’s game
445: The number of yards Iowa State’s David Montgomery has rushed for in three games against West Virginia. He finished with 189 yards on 29 attempts Saturday.
152: West Virginia’s total offense, the lowest output since losing to Virginia Tech in 1995.
1.9: What West Virginia averaged per carry on its 27 attempts.
1-10: WVU’s third-down conversions. Iowa State was 5-of-13 on third down and also 2-of-2 on fourth down.
42: The number of offensive plays for the Mountaineers, the lowest since running 40 plays against Boston College on Oct. 15, 1977.
