Morgantown, WV (WOAY) – For the second straight week, West Virginia football put themselves to win at home, only for the opponent to make plays in the second half and secure the victory. Iowa State scored 24 unanswered points in the second half for a 38-14 win at Milan Puskar Stadium.
The Mountaineers found themselves facing obstacles from their opening drive on offense; Austin Kendall left the game with an upper body injury and did not return. Head coach Neal Brown said postgame it was not an arm or shoulder injury, but also stated he wouldn’t know more until Sunday or Monday. Jack Allison threw for 140 yards, a touchdown and an interception in relief.
West Virginia opened the scoring when Tykee Smith returned an interception for a touchdown, but Iowa State answered with two second-quarter scores. Allison’s nine-yard touchdown pass to TJ Simmons made it a 14-14 halftime score, with the Cyclones scoring the only touchdown of the third quarter.
However, in the fourth quarter, their offense took advantage of third-down conversions and several Mountaineer turnovers to put the game beyond doubt. Breece Hall ran for 132 yards and three touchdowns, while Brock Purdy had two total touchdowns – one rushing and one passing.
West Virginia (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) heads on the road next week to Oklahoma. Their next home game comes November 9 against Texas Tech.
