Week 8 of the college football season is here and despite there not being a ranked matchup this weekend in the Big 12, there is still plenty on the line with conference play in full swing. One of the most important games of the weekend took place in Morgantown, West Virginia as the West Virginia Mountaineers hosted the Kansas State Wildcats.
Kansas State was fresh off a big win against Colorado on the road while West Virginia was coming off a disappointing loss to Iowa State. With both teams in the hunt for a Big 12 title, this game played a crucial role in determining who could end up in Arlington. In the end, it was Kansas State who came out on top 45-18. Here are my top three takeaways from the game.
Avery Johnson Was Fantastic
Coming into the game, DJ Giddens was the Big 12’s leading rusher and in his last two games, he had rushed for a total of 369 yards. But against West Virginia’s defense, Giddens had a much tougher time finding running lanes as he ran for just 57 yards on 19 carries.
Luckily for Kansas State, quarterback Avery Johnson led the offense. Avery threw for nearly 300 yards and tossed three touchdowns. What impressed me the most was the fact that he didn’t need to use his legs in this game because he was able to move the offense with his arm. It seems like every week he is getting better and that is what is going to make this Kansas State team so dangerous heading into November.
Related: DJ Giddens: The Most Underrated Player in the Big 12 in 2024?
West Virginia’s Health Issues
I don’t like to make excuses for a team, but the Mountaineers were put in a tough spot in this game. Coming out of halftime, West Virginia was down by just a touchdown. But when they hit the field, they were going to be without three key offensive pieces. Starting quarterback Garrett Greene was ruled out due to an upper body injury and leading rusher Jaheim White was also ruled out as well. To make matters worse, starting tackle Wyatt Milum was also injured. That is certainly not ideal for any team especially when you have to play a team like Kansas State. Would West Virginia have won this game if those three guys were playing? Probably not but they would have at the very least put up more of a fight.
Two Teams, Two Directions
While both Kansas State and West Virginia are right in the mix for a Big 12 title, they appear to be heading in completely different directions. Kansas State started off conference play with an ugly 38-9 loss to BYU back in September, while West Virginia started 2-0 in Big 12 action. However, the script has been flipped for these teams because after Kansas State’s win on Saturday night the Wildcats have now won three-straight conference games while the Mountaineers have lost two in a row.
The good news for both teams is that they are both technically still in the conference title hunt, but it’s clear that West Virginia’s path will be much tougher. For the Mountaineers to even have a chance at getting to Arlington, they will have to win out, which means five-straight conference wins. Kansas State has a little more wiggle room but not much. The Wildcats have a very favorable schedule left and there is a good chance that their Big 12 title hopes will come down to the last weekend in November when they travel to Ames to take on Iowa State.
