East Carolina @ West Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 12, 2009 ) East Carolina 20, West Virginia 35

West Virginia looks to rebound from an agonizing season-opening setback when it hosts East Carolina on Saturday. The Mountaineers got a strong debut performance from quarterback Will Grier, but his potential game-tying touchdown pass fell short in the end zone in the final minute of the 31-24 loss against Virginia Tech last week.




East Carolina will try to bounce back from a dreadful 34-14 loss to FCS powerhouse James Madison in its opener. The Dukes dominated the game by compiling 614 yards of offense in front of a disappointed crowd of 40,169 Pirate fans. West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen saw plenty to like about his team's opener despite the loss. "It has the same type of feel as when we lost to Alabama (in the 2014 season opener)," he told reporters. "I thought we played well. We just ran out of time."
TV: Noon, ET, Fox Sports 2. LINE: West Virginia -24


ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (0-1): It took only one game but Pirate coach Scottie Montgomery will make the switch to Thomas Sirk at quarterback. Sirk and last week's starter, Gardner Minshew, combined to throw for 292 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions, but Montgomery liked the fire that the Duke graduate transfer brought to the team. “Everything was all aligned for Gardner to be the (starter), but you’ve got to make decisions in this business or they will be made for you,” Montgomery told reporters. “So I made the decision to put Thomas Sirk in there and he’ll be our guy.”
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (0-1): Grier, a transfer from Florida who left Gainesville after being suspended by the NCAA for failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs in 2015, passed for 371 yards and three touchdowns against Virginia Tech. "For someone who hadn't played in two years, live snaps, I thought he played really well," Holgorsen said. "I mean he's a ball player. Everything we thought he was he is." Gary Jennings Jr. was Grier's top target, snagging 13 passes for 189 yards including a crucial 60-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against a rugged Hokies' secondary.

EXTRA POINTS
1. West Virginia rushed for 221 yards -- a 6.3 yards-per-carry average -- against Virginia Tech. 2. James Madison RB Cardon Johnson ran for 265 yards against the Pirates It was the most rushing yardage East Carolina has allowed in a game since West Virginia's Kay-Jay Harris ran for 337 in 2004.
3. West Virginia leads the 18-3 with the last meeting coming in 2009.


PREDICTION: West Virginia 37, East Carolina 10