Kansas Jayhawks vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Pick & Prediction SEPTEMBER 21st 2024
Preview and Prediction
Both Kansas and West Virginia enter their Big 12 opener with a sense of disappointment after losing leads in their previous games.
This makes Saturday's matchup in Morgantown, W.Va. even more crucial as both teams look to bounce back with a win.
According to Kansas coach Lance Leipold, this game will be a challenging test for his team. He also acknowledges that West Virginia, who has also been struggling, will be determined to get a win as well.
The Jayhawks are coming off a close 23-20 loss to UNLV, where the Rebels were able to drive 75 yards and score the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes.
Similarly, the Mountaineers also suffered a heartbreaking loss to Pitt, where they gave up a 10-point lead in the final minutes of the game.
West Virginia coach Neal Brown recognizes the disappointment and negativity that comes with losing a rivalry game in the final minutes. However, he is focused on moving forward and improving as a team.
Quarterback Garrett Greene, who has been a standout for the Mountaineers, threw his first two interceptions of the season in the loss to Pitt. On the defensive side, T.J. Jackson has been a force with seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Brown has stated that changes will be made to address the long scoring drives that the defense allowed in the previous game.
On the other side, Kansas has a strong running game led by star running back Devin Neal, who has surpassed 100 yards in all three games this season. However, quarterback Jalon Daniels has struggled with interceptions in the past two games.
Despite the challenges, Leipold remains supportive of Daniels and believes there are positive moments to build on.
West Virginia currently holds a 10-2 lead in the all-time series between the two teams.
Kansas Jayhawks vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Recap SEP 21TH 2024
Garrett Greene threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Gallagher III with 26 seconds left as West Virginia rallied for a 32-28 victory over Kansas in the Big 12 opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Morgantown, W. Va.
The Mountaineers overcame a late 11-point deficit behind two scoring passes from Greene. The first was an 8-yard scoring pass to Kole Taylor with 3:27 left and was followed by a trick play two-point conversion throw from Traylon Ray to Taylor as West Virginia moved within 28-25.
Greene rushed for one touchdown in addition to the two passing scores. He was 15-of-30 passing for 295 yards and was intercepted twice for West Virginia (2-2, 1-0 Big 12).
Jahiem White rushed for a touchdown and Hudson Clement had seven receptions for 150 yards for the Mountaineers.
Kansas star Devin Neal rushed for 110 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries while recording his fourth straight 100-yard outing this season. It also is the 16th of his career, leaving him one behind the school mark held by Tony Sands (1988-91).
Jalon Daniels completed 15 of 25 passes for 184 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Jayhawks (1-3, 0-1), who also blew a fourth-quarter lead in last week's loss to UNLV.
Luke Grimm caught a touchdown pass and scored on a reverse for Kansas. Daniel Hishaw Jr. added a rushing score.
After the Mountaineers' go-ahead score, Kansas reached the West Virginia 39-yard line before Tyrin Bradley's strip sack of Daniels. Bradley recovered the ball for the Mountaineers with eight seconds left to seal it.
The game was temporarily halted by a lightning-related weather delay that lasted just shy of two hours. Kansas led 21-17 when it was stopped with 10:43 remaining.
Just over five minutes after the resumption of play, Grimm took a reverse and cruised for a 32-yard scoring run to give Kansas an 11-point advantage.
Kansas scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 21-17 lead.
Daniels tossed a 7-yard scoring pass to Grimm to knot the score at 14 with 9:08 left.
Michael Hayes kicked a 40-yard field goal to put the Mountaineers back on top with 7:03 remaining. The Jayhawks responded with Hishaw's 11-yard scoring run with 4:30 left in the period.
West Virginia led 14-7 at halftime on scoring runs by White and Green. Neal rushed for the Kansas touchdown.