FIRST QUARTER
WEST VIRGINIA: 45-yard field goal by Evan Staley (11:03) WVU leads 3-0
A promising first drive couldn’t overcome three offensive penalties as WVU settled for Staley’s line-drive kick. Grier worked short passes, going 5-of-7 for 29 yards. The incompletions came on a drop by T.J. Simmons and a third-and-10 deep ball to Sills that was broken up by Kris Boyd. Texas lost cornerback Davante Davis to a left shoulder injury on the second play, forcing Todd Orlando’s secondary to use three freshmen. Leddie Brown extended the drive with a physical 17-yard run on third-and-4, some of which was negated by an illegal block downfield. (Drive: 11 plays, 42 yards in 3:57)
TEXAS: 1-yard touchdown run by Sam Ehlinger (4:36) Texas leads 7-3
On the play before the touchdown, Ehlinger beat a third-and-4 blitz by lobbing a 23-yard pass to Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, who made the sideline grab over Toyous Avery. The drive, which started near midfield after a 39-yard punt by Billy Kinney, featured Ehlinger scrambling for 13 after the pocket collapsed. (Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards in 2:42)
WEST VIRGINIA: David Sills 60-yard touchdown pass from Will Grier (3:08) WVU leads 10-7
Sills ran wide-open on a twist, zipping past safety Caden Sterns for an easy catch-and-run. But that’s when the weirdness began. Sills was flagged for flashing a double horns-down sign toward the student section. On the extra point, more questionable officiating when Yodny Cajuste was ejected for an open-handed shove that refs called a punch. That leaves a huge hole at left tackle to be filled by Kelby Wickline. (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards in 1:28)
TEXAS: Lil’ Jordan Humphrey 21-yard touchdown pass from Ehlinger (1:50) Texas leads 14-10
Thanks to two unsportsmanlike penalties, WVU kicked off from its 10-yard line and Humphrey’s 29-yard return provided a short field for Texas. Ehlinger capitalized when Humphrey ran loose on a seam route. (Drive: 3 plays, 39 yards in 1:10)
SECOND QUARTER
WEST VIRGINIA: David Sills 18-yard touchdown pass from Will Grier (14:49) WVU leads 17-14
A breathtaking drive for the Mountaineers, as Grier’s left knee was bent on a late-hit in the pocket by Malcolm Roach. (The hit actually saved WVU on a third-and-15 incompletion.) Just when it seemed that Texas might have knocked out the QB for a second straight year, he returned two plays later for a precise touchdown pass to Sills in the back corner of the end zone. Before the illegal takedown, running back Kennedy McKoy struck for 37 yards on a sideline catch-and-run. (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards in 2:01)
TEXAS: Tre Watson 5-yard touchdown run (10:04) Texas leads 21-17
A 45-yard touchdown catch by Collin Johnson was erased by Humphrey’s illegal pick that wiped out Josh Norwood, but Texas overcame the resulting third-and-20 anyway. A 17-yard pass to Devin Duvernay set up fourth-and-3, where the Ehlinger threw a deep curl that Johnson snatched for a 26-yard gain over Hakeem Bailey. Watson capped the series with runs of 12 and 5 yards. (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards in 4:45)
WEST VIRGINIA: Martell Pettaway 55-yard touchdown run (7:36) WVU leads 24-21
Pettaway set a new career-long with an explosive inside-zone run on which he slipped a tackle near the line of scrimmage. (It also marked the biggest gain by a WVU running back this season.) Earlier in the drive, West Virginia converted third-and-3 on a 8-yard pass to Tevin Bush and a third-and-1 on a Grier sneak out of T-formation. (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards in 2:28)
TEXAS: Tre Watson 32-yard touchdown pass from Ehlinger (2:40) Texas leads 28-24
After a simple slip route in the flat went uncovered, Watson raced toward the goal line and made safety Toyous Avery miss badly at the 10. As bad as the Mountaineers defense looked on the scoring play, it had a shot at forcing a three-and-out after an incompletion to Devin Duvernay. But a defensive holding flag on Dravon Askew-Henry away from the play gave Texas a first down. (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards in 2:28)
WEST VIRGINIA: Staley 44-yard field goal (0:09) Texas leads 28-27
West Virginia made up some ground before the half, and two third-down plays to tight end Jovani Haskins were key. An incompletion to Haskins was negated by cornerback Kris Boyd committing pass interference. Then came third-and-11 from the Texas 45, where Haskins caught a pass over the middle and lunged for the marker. Ultimately it came down to Staley, who missed wide right on an attempt negated by Tom Herman’s timeout. Staley drilled the second chance. (Drive: 11 plays, 48 yards in 2:31)
THIRD QUARTER
TEXAS: Cameron Dicker 22-yarder (2:55) Texas leads 31-27
For the second straight drive, WVU’s defense concocted a stand inside the 5. This time it followed Ehlinger rolling away from pressure and heaving a jumpball that Lil’Jordan Humphrey caught for 29 yards over Kenny Robinson. Texas reached the 1 on the next snap when Devin Duvernay caught an 8-yarder on the sideline, but Ehlinger lost 4 yards on a second-down keeper. His third-down rollout to the left was well defender resulting in an incompletion. (Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards in 3:49)
FOURTH QUARTER
TEXAS: Cameron Dicker 38-yard field goal (9:38) Texas leads 34-27
After each team suffered fourth-down meltdowns in the red zone, Tom Herman opted against gambling on fourth-and-inches at West Virginia’s 21. After the series Tre Watson had — gaining 51 yards on six carries — West Virginia might have caught a break on the decision to kick. (Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards in 5:22)
WEST VIRGINIA: Pettaway 13-yard touchdown run (5:40) Game tied 34-34
West Virginia generated its first points of the half and squared the game with a methodical drive. Trevon Wesco made two catches underneath and McKoy ripped off 19 yards on a third-and-2. Pettaway eclipsed 100 yards on the scoring run. (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards in 3:58)
TEXAS: Devin Duvernay 48 yard touchdown pass from Ehlinger (2:34) Texas leads 41-34
A stop-and-go move allowed Duvernay to blow past Josh Norwood in man coverage. Tight end Andrew Beck also made a 19-yard (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards in 3:52
WEST VIRGINIA: Gary Jennings 33-yard touchdown pass from Grier (0:16) WVU leads 42-41
West Virginia answered in clutch fashion, patiently making a few short gains to set up Grier’s rolling lob to Jennings, who ran behind the secondary and caught the touchdown with one foot down. Then came the do-or-die decision by Holgorsen to try the 2-pointer instead of settling for the tie. WVU actually converted the 2-pointer twice — once on a slant to Sills that came nanoseconds after Texas was granted a timeout Holgorsen stuck with the decision on the second try, this time allowing Grier to keep it. The inside draw was clogged but he bounced outside for the game-winner. (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards in 2:18)
