West Virginia football's Tuesday night performance in the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl was a good old-fashioned example of what is sometimes in the world of sports called getting boat-raced: when you fall behind early and just can't catch up enough to pull off a comeback win.
The Mountaineers went down 17-0 early to No. 25 Memphis in a late-night Texas clash that served as an exciting early bowl season contest -- and despite outscoring the Tigers 37-25 the rest of the way, the team's best offensively was never quite enough to out-do their ranked opponent. The game came down to the wire, but a WVU drive that had crossed into Tigers' territory ended with a Garrett Greene interception in the waning seconds of action that secured the 42-37 win for Memphis (11-2).
The loss ends a disappointing season for WVU (6-7) that began with high expectations and ended with a below .500 record , back-to-back losses, and the firing of now-former Head Coach Neal Brown. Meanwhile for Memphis, it is the fourth-consecutive bowl win for the Tigers, the second win over a Power 4 Conference opponent in 2024, and should help secure they keep their Top 25 ranking to finish the year.
The Mountaineers defense that struggled throughout the season under two different defensive coordinators was a weak point again, giving up 42 points and 474 total offensive yards. The Mountaineers actualy outgained Memphis offensively, putting up 534 total yards in an impressive showing during Interim Head Coach Chad Scott's first affair handling play-calling. But a pair of costly turnovers in scoring scenarios helped do the Mountaineers in.
A trio of standout performances offensively were the highlight of the loss for WVU as Garrett Greene finished his final game at WVU 29-of-40 passing for 328 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception while adding 95 yards and 1 touchdown on 7 carries, leading the team in passing and rushing yards for the game.
Junior CJ Donaldson Jr. added 83 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries, while sophomore Hudson Clement caught 11 passes for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns.