Hail WV
Fansided

West Virginia Determined to Avenge 2018 Loss to Iowa State

By Greg Patuto

NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 25: Running back Kennedy McKoy #4 of the West Virginia Mountaineers looks to get around cornerback Tre Norwood #13 of the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated West Virginia 59-31. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 25: Running back Kennedy McKoy #4 of the West Virginia Mountaineers looks to get around cornerback Tre Norwood #13 of the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated West Virginia 59-31. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Everyone in Morgantown remembers West Virginia’s 30-14 loss to Iowa State last season. How the Cyclones reacted to the win will provide extra motivation for the Mountaineers when these two teams take the field on Saturday.

October 13, 2018 was a dark and dreary day for the West Virginia faithful. The No. 6 Mountaineers traveled with one of the best offenses in the nation to Ames to take on Iowa State. In the end, the Cyclones throttled West Virginia 30-14.

This is a game that fans probably have not thought about since so let’s do a quick recap. Iowa State outgained West Virginia 498-152. Will Grier was held to 100 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception. The Mountaineers were just 1-10 on third down and were outgained on the ground 244-52. This was not just a loss, this was a complete beat down.

It was not the loss on the field that stuck with West Virginia, it was what happened after. Fans at Jack Trice Stadium stormed the field to celebrate with their team which is common when you upset a top-10 opponent. What was not right is how they treated Mountaineer players. Defensive end Reese Donahue remembers every detail.

“Fans running behind me screaming, guys bumping into you and pushing you. Some people decided to say some ugly things to you,” Donahue said. “Some people come up and shake your hand and say ‘great game.’ It just depends on the people.”

This time around, the game will be played in Morgantown. Both teams come in with an overall record of 3-2 and are 1-1 in the Big 12. West Virginia is looking to get back in the win column after a hard-fought 42-31 loss to No. 11 Texas. What better way to do that than to take down the Cyclones, who were big winners last time out over TCU.

“One thing’s for sure – if you’re not ready to play this game after what happened last year, you’re not going to be ready to play any game,” Donahue said. “It’s a little bit of a personal agenda not just because of the fact we lost, but because of how things were handled in the postgame. For me this game means a whole lot, and I know for everybody that was there last year it means a lot as well.”

Home/WVU Football