Halftime Report: WVU Defense Disappoints in First Half

After all the talk this week about how great the West Virginia defense has played this season, the Mountaineers did not hold up against the Texas Tech offense in the first half Saturday.

The Red Raiders scored 20 points in the first half and gained 235 yards. Coming into the game, WVU’s defense was giving up just 248 yards per game.

New TTU quarterback Henry Colombi looked very comfortable making his first career start. He completed 15-18 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown and ran for 31 more yards and another TD.

Some notes:

• Tech scored TDs on three of its first five drives. Colombi ran it in for the first, SaRodorick Thompson took it 48 yards on the ground for the second and Colombi passed to Trey Cleveland for the third.
• The Red Raiders converted 5-9 third downs and 2-3 fourth downs.
• WVU’s touchdown came on a three-yard TD run by Leddie Brown, his sixth of the year. On that drive, Jarret Doege completed passes of 32 and 34 yards to set up the score.
• Brown finished with 57 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards with the rushing touchdown.
• Doege completed 16-24 passes for 176 yards. Winston Wright was his leading receiver with 5 catches for 51 yards.
• Even Staley went 2-2 on field goals in the first half, making kicks of 41 and 45 yards.
• Senior linebacker Tony Fields was ejected in the first quarter due to targetting and is ineligible for the remainder of the game.
• Both Stills brothers, Darius and Dante, had sacks in the first half. Neither defense generated a turnover.

Texas Tech will get the ball first out of halftime.