Protecting Grier Utmost Importance to Holgorsen
WVU QB not afraid to run, despite injury last season
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MORGANTOWN -- After last year's devastating hand injury while attempting to score against the University of Texas, quarterback Will Grier has been hesitant to run with football.
Mountaineers coaches and fans understand why as the team failed to win another game during the 2017 season, finishing with a 7-6 mark following a 31-14 loss to Utah in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl.
Fast forward to last Saturday as unbeaten West Virginia played host to a Kansas team that had not won a road game in the Big 12 in its last 41 attempts.
Rational reasoning told WVU coach Dana Holgorsen to continue what he and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital had done during the Mountaineers' present four-game winning streak. A philosophy which called for their Heisman hopeful to stay in the pocket and distribute the ball to a bevy of talented pass catchers, and if the team needed to run the football, hand it off to a strong stable of running backs.
A solid philosophy, but one with one big hole in it -- the competitive nature of Grier.
"I thought Will did a good job," Holgorsen said during Monday's Big 12 Teleconference. "He pulled it on run plays only three times because we've tried to be very careful with him.
"The first time (the officials) protected him (when sliding to the ground). The second time he hit our receiver for a big gain."
But, it was that third time that had WVU's head man a little upset with the Big 12 crew working the game.
Grier had dropped back to pass, but his protection broke down forcing him to take off with the football. All looked good as he slid to the artificial surface at Milan Puskar Stadium following a 6-yard gain.
However, on this occasion, a Jayhawks defender elected to go after the Big 12's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and the hit knocked Grier's helmet off and appeared to be late.
A quick perusal of the field found no flags and West Virginia's quarterback was forced to leave the game for one play.
"He needs to be protected (by the officials) when he slides like that," Holgorsen said. "That's one play I will send in (to the Big 12) and see that he gets protected from now on."
A smart move with any quarterback, but especially needed when one looks at the impact Grier has on a Mountaineers offense averaging 41.4 points per game.
Grier and Company will look to continue their assault upon the school's record book when they travel to Ames, Iowa, on Saturday for a 7 p.m. clash with an Iowa State team coming off an impressive victory over Oklahoma State.
In last year's 20-16 win in Morgantown, the North Carolina native completed 20 of 25 attempts for 316 yards and two touchdowns -- 10 yards to David Sills V and 55 yards to Ka'Raun White.
A performance which remains on the mind of Cyclones coach Matt Campbell.
"(Grier) is getting all of that attention (for the Heisman) because he is a very good quarterback," Campbell said. "He can hurt with his arm, but he isn't afraid to use his legs -- if he has to.
"What we've got to do is mix up things on him, make him uncomfortable in the pocket, forcing him to run. Then we've got to make him pay for running with the football."
A strategy which will become the norm rather than the exception as West Virginia continues to drive toward its first Big 12 crown.