West Virginia (3-6, 1-5 Big 12) controlled the first half in Morgantown, taking a 19–9 halftime lead over Colorado. A blocked punt safety and offensive touchdown from bandit Curtis Jones Jr. gave WVU the early
edge before Sotty Fox and the offense got going.
Colorado opened from their own 22-yard line and went nowhere, missing on two throws before checking down short on third down. West Virginia took over at the 41 and crossed midfield on a pair of Diore Hubbard runs before a bad exchange and a sack stalled the drive. Hubbard stayed down after his second carry and was helped off, unable to put weight on his left leg.
The defense kept control. Colorado picked up one first down before Edward Vesterinen and Ben Bogle closed the door with back-to-back stops, forcing another punt. West Virginia’s next series went nowhere — two short runs and an incompletion — before punting it back near midfield.
Colorado tried to find a spark but ran straight into Fred Perry, who stuffed a fourth-and-one to give WVU the ball deep in Colorado territory. The Mountaineers moved the chains once on a fourth-down throw to Jeff Weimer, but the drive ended when Cyncir Bowers fumbled at the 19-yard line. Colorado recovered, and the game stayed scoreless midway through the first quarter.
Colorado stayed pinned deep on the next drive. Kam Mikell was stopped for a yard, and Reid Carrico dropped Julian Lewis for a seven-yard loss. On third down, Nate Gabriel broke up a short throw to force a punt. Lined up around the 13-yard line, the kick was blocked and rolled toward the goal line before bouncing out the back of the end zone. West Virginia took a 2–0 lead with just over four minutes left in the first quarter.
The Mountaineers kept the momentum going. Starting from their own 25, Scotty Fox hit Grayson Barnes for 20 yards, then Jeff Weimer for 12 more to cross midfield. Diore Hubbard — somehow back on the field after that earlier leg injury — added a short carry to keep the drive moving. Fox added a 14-yard keeper, and the offense moved inside the 10 before stalling on a pair of short runs. On fourth-and-two from the Colorado 2, bandit Curtis Jones Jr. checked in on offense and powered in for the touchdown.
Colorado tried to respond on the next series but ran into more trouble. A short incompletion and a run stuffed by Fred Perry ended the first quarter, and things unraveled from there. Julian Lewis connected once for 43 yards to move across midfield, but back-to-back penalties and another Reid Carrico sack buried the drive. Colorado faced third-and-40 before running a short draw play just to set up the punt. The ball rolled into the end zone for a touchback.
West Virginia couldn’t build on the lead right away. Hubbard was dropped for a five-yard loss on first down, and an incomplete deep shot left them behind the chains. Fox hit Hubbard on a short pass to pick up a few yards before Oliver Straw flipped the field with a 53-yard punt to the Colorado 25.
Colorado finally found some space on the next drive. Dre’lon Miller broke loose for 14 and then 8 yards, with a brief fumble recovered by Colorado to keep possession. A 19-yard pass to Sincere Brown moved the ball to the WVU 30, but the drive bogged down from there. Ben Bogle notched another sack, and a face mask penalty on Jimmori Robinson pushed the Buffaloes into the red zone. WVU tightened up, with Michael Coats Jr. breaking up a throw in the end zone to force fourth down. Colorado settled for a 23-yard field goal to make it 9–3 midway through the second quarter.
West Virginia answered fast. A blown-up run on first down set up second-and-long, but Scotty Fox hit Christian Hamilton over the middle for 10 yards, then found Diore Hubbard streaking deep for a 69-yard completion to the Colorado 4. Two short runs set up third-and-goal, where Fox hit Ryan Ward on a short route for the touchdown. Kade Hensley’s extra point pushed WVU’s lead to 16–3 with 3:29 left in the half.
Colorado countered with their best drive of the game. Dallan Hayden broke free for 24 yards to start it, and Julian Lewis followed with completions of 8, 22, and 9 yards as the Buffaloes moved quickly inside the 15. Kam Mikell added an 11-yard rush, and Lewis capped the drive with a 9-yard touchdown to Joseph Williams. Alejandro Mata’s extra point sailed wide left — snapping a streak of 105 straight makes — keeping the score at 16–9 with 45 seconds left in the half.
West Virginia made those final seconds count. Fox hit Cam Vaughn for 15 yards, and Hubbard followed with a 9-yard run to push into Colorado territory. Fox scrambled twice to the 31-yard line, setting up Kade Hensley’s 41-yard field goal as time expired. WVU took a 19–9 lead into halftime.
Scotty Fox finished the half 10-of-14 for 162 yards and a touchdown, adding 24 yards on the ground. Diore Hubbard totaled 107 all-purpose yards on 11 touches, including a 69-yard catch that set up a score. Ryan Ward caught his first touchdown of the season. WVU posted 214 yards of offense on 38 plays.
The Mountaineers recorded 4 sacks and 8 tackles for loss in the first half, led by Ben Bogle and Reid Carrico with two sacks each. Fred Perry and Darrian Lewis each some big stops against the run, while Michael Coats Jr. broke up two passes in coverage.
West Virginia will get the ball to open the second half.
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