Texas Longhorns vs West Virginia Mountaineers Match Player Stats On Nov 18, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 18, 2017

Freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger passed for two touchdowns as Texas became bowl-eligible for the first time in three years with a 28-14 victory over West Virginia on Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va.

The game was marred by a grotesque finger injury sustained by Mountaineers junior quarterback Will Grier in the first quarter.

Ehlinger, who was 12-of-19 passing for 136 yards, added 68 yards rushing and tossed TD passes to tight end Kendall Moore and running back Chris Warren III. The Longhorns (6-5, 5-3 Big 12) snapped a two-game losing streak to West Virginia.

Sophomore Chris Chugunov replaced Grier and was 14-of-26 passing for 189 yards as the Mountaineers (7-4, 5-3) fell out of Big 12 title contention. Chugunov was 10 of 16 this season entering the game.

Texas took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter on Ehlinger's 4-yard touchdown pass to Moore. The score capped an 11-play, 91-yard drive kept alive by a 50-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Reggie Hemphill-Mapps on third-and-4 and Ehlinger's 8-yard run on fourth-and-2.

The Longhorns led 14-0 at halftime after Ehlinger found a wide-open Warren for a 20-yard TD pass 2:29 before the break.

West Virginia's defense got the Mountaineers on the scoreboard in the third quarter. Ehlinger, while nearly getting sacked by freshman safety Dylan Tonkery, tried to throw the ball way but instead it was intercepted by freshman safety Kenny Robinson and returned 94 yards for a touchdown.

Texas restored its 14-point lead on a two-play drive -- freshman running back Daniel Young's 36-yard run and running back Kyle Porter's 10-yard touchdown jaunt with 1:23 remaining in the third.

Chugunov connected with wide receiver Ka'Raun White for a 12-yard score with 9:01 to play and got the ball back trailing 21-14 when the Longhorns put the game away. Defensive lineman Chris Nelson recovered a fumble after Chugunov was sacked and two plays later, Young flipped in from the 1 to make it 28-14 with 5:07 remaining.

Grier sustained the injury when he fumbled near the Texas goal line while diving for the pylon in the first quarter. He ran off the field holding his hand high with the middle finger on his throwing hand displaced.

Grier, who was 6 of 8 for 50 yards before the injury, entered the game second nationally with 34 touchdown passes and fourth in passing yards per game at 344.