For the first 30 minutes, West Virginia has hung around but hasn’t quite found their spark. The Mountaineers trail TCU 20–7 at the half, showing flashes of rhythm behind Scotty Fox but struggling to sustain
drives. Fox looked poised in the pocket, completing 13 of 17 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. The defense, led by Devin Grant and Curtis Jones Jr., has kept WVU within reach by forcing stops and limiting big plays, but TCU’s balance and field position advantage have dictated the flow so far.
TCU got on the board first after Josh Hoover found Major Everhart down the sideline to set up a 35-yard field goal from Nate McCashland. The Mountaineers’ next drive went nowhere — a short Rodney Gallagher run and a stuffed sneak left them turning it over on downs near midfield. The defense got a stop the next time out, forcing a punt after a holding flag erased a long gain.
Still, WVU couldn’t find any rhythm. Hubbard picked up a few, Fox hit Jeff Weimer on a short throw, and another run was shut down, forcing a punt that barely cleared midfield.
TCU answered quickly. Hoover connected with Eric McAlister twice to move inside the 25-yard line, and Trent Battle finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to make it 10–0 late in the first quarter.
Trying to spark something, WVU put together their first extended drive. Hubbard handled most of the early carries, and Fox mixed in short passes to Gallagher and Ryan Ward to push across midfield. The Mountaineers reached the TCU 21-yard line but stalled out after a short run and an incomplete pass on fourth down.
TCU’s next series stalled after Devin Grant broke through for a sack and Chase Wilson helped stuff the next play, forcing a punt from deep in Horned Frog territory.
Starting at the TCU 35-yard line, WVU finally capitalized. Bowers lost a few on first down, but Fox hit Bowie on a quick out to the 23-yard line. Bowers nearly fumbled but fell on it to keep the drive alive, and Fox followed with a 17-yard strike up the seam to Grayson Barnes for the touchdown. Kade Hensley’s extra point cut the lead to 10–7 early in the second quarter.
TCU responded with another efficient drive. Hoover found Jordan Dwyer and Eric McAlister to move the chains before a pass interference call on WVU pushed the Frogs across midfield. Hoover then connected again with Dwyer and Major Everhart to reach the 8-yard line. A short throw to DJ Rogers set up second and goal, and Hoover finished it with a quick toss to McAlister for a 4-yard touchdown. McCashland’s kick made it 17–7 midway through the second quarter
At the break, the Mountaineer offense has moved the ball efficiently through the air but found little room on the ground. Diore Hubbard leads the rushing effort with 29 yards on 12 carries, while Rodney Gallagher paces the receiving corps with five catches for 22 yards. Grayson Barnes provided the highlight of the half with a 17-yard touchdown grab from Fox midway through the second quarter. Defensively, Grant recorded a sack and Jones broke up multiple passes as the Mountaineers notched four tackles for loss and held the Horned Frogs to just 182 yards. WVU will need figure out a way to extend these drives if they want to climb back into this one.
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