MORGANTOWN — Statistically speaking, Will Grier’s performance against TCU on Saturday did not jump off the page. Not by the lofty standards he’s established at West Virginia, at any rate.
In terms of completion percentage, it was his second-worst game of the season at 64.1 percent. Measured by quarterback rating, it was his seventh-best performance this year (158.23). Even his total of 343 yards was lower than usual — he passed for more yardage in six games this year.
Yet by the measure of his coaches, it was among the best games Grier played at West Virginia. Possibly the very best.
“I think he’s coming off his best performance yet,” West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen said. “Gary [Patterson] always coaches up his defense. We scored 47 on them and got after them pretty good. That’s because of Will Grier. He understood when to push it and when not to push it.”
Holgorsen noted that most of West Virginia’s incompletions were the result of drops.
Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital agreed that Grier was operating on another level.
“I thought this past game was Will’s best game that he has ever managed,” Spavital said. “There were times when he was going through his progressions, there were protection breakdowns, and he threw it away.
“There were times when he got to his hot reads immediately. The Gary Jennings route for the touchdown was his second progression. There were multiple times he got to his third progression.
“So, I thought, overall, how he was managing the game, getting through his progressions and checking out of bad run calls, I think he just has a really good grasp on what he is trying to accomplish right now.”
Grier acknowledged he played smart football, but said it is a result of trusting his teammates.
“Taking what they give you is a big part about playing quarterback,” Grier said. “Not forcing things; really seeing it. There’s a couple times on third down I threw it short of the chains, and I’m trusting our guys in space. We’ve got good players. Throwing it underneath the sticks and letting them get up the field, sometimes you’re not going to get it, but sometimes it’ll run. That’s just me not forcing things downfield all the time.”
It’s no surprise to Grier he played a game in which his grade on film far exceeded what the stat book indicated.
“Sometimes you play a good game and the stats don’t show it, and sometimes you play a bad game and the numbers are pretty good,” Grier said. “That’s why it’s important as a player to not read too much into that. I’m focused on moving the chains and scoring points; being efficient as an offense. Playing with effort and passion.”
