Through two weeks, West Virginia's Will Grier seems to have put his troubled past behind him. The junior quarterback will look to keep the offense moving when the Mountaineers host FCS foe Delaware State on Saturday in a tune-up for their Big 12 opener the following week against Kansas.
Grier earned his second straight Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award last week after throwing for 352 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-20 rout over East Carolina.
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The Florida transfer, who was suspended for the entire 2016 season with the Gators for testing positive for performing-enhancing drugs, threw for 371 yards and three scores in the opener as the Mountaineers dropped a heartbreaking 31-24 decision to in-state rival and No. 16 Virginia Tech.
"I'm proud of the way the guys bounced back after the disappointing loss last week," West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen told reporters after the East Carolina game. "I really felt like after the game last week, our guys were motivated to go play again, and five-and-a-half days later they showed up today."
Delaware State has dropped 13 consecutive games and are 3-33 since the start of 2014.
ABOUT DELAWARE STATE (0-2)
Quarterback Jack McDaniels completed 15-of-30 passes for 156 yards and Mike Waters ran for 67 yards on 14 carries in a 28-15 loss at Hampton last week. Including an opening week 22-3 loss to Delaware, the Hornets are being outgained by 190 yards per game and have forced just one turnover this season. Delaware State's last win was a 32-31 triumph over Howard in the 2015 finale.
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (1-1)
Grier ranks first in the Big 12 in passing touchdowns (eight), passing yards (723) and total offense per game (390.5), and he became the seventh quarterback in school history to throw for at least five touchdowns in a game. Wide receiver David Sills V caught seven passes for a career-high 153 yards and three TDs against the Pirates, while Justin Crawford added his second straight 100-yard outing on the ground. The defense yielded 470 yards to East Carolina, but safety Kyzir White had a pair of interceptions - the first two turnovers the defense has forced this season.
EXTRA POINTS
1. This is the first meeting between the teams, but West Virginia is 15-1 hosting non-conference foes during Holgorsen's seven-year tenure.
2. Crawford has run for 224 yards on 28 carries this season, good for eight yards per carry. He ran for 1,184 yards and a 7.3 average last season.
3. Grier threw four TD passes in the first half last week as the Mountaineers built a 49-3 lead, matching the highest-scoring first half for the Mountaineers since their 70-33 Orange Bowl win over Clemson following the 2011 season.
PREDICTION: West Virginia 63, Delaware State 7