West Virginia 42 - Eastern Kentucky 7 First Half Recap

The West Virginia Mountaineers couldn’t have asked for a better start to the first game of the 2020 football season. The Mountaineers won the toss and then immediately took a handoff for 38 yards. The run was longer than any run last season when the running game finished 129 out of 132 teams. Leddie Brown would find paydirt three plays later on a bruising 10-yard run.

After a quick three-and-out by the Colonels, Jarret Doege would go to work hitting mulitple receivers before swinging a pass out to Brown again for a 10-yard swing pass that found the endzone. Two drives and two touchdowns for the Mountaineers.

As the first half came to the end, Alabama Crimson Tide transfer VanDarius Cowan would sack the quarterback for the first sack of the year for the Mountaineers. The sack would push the Colonels back and would lead to a Sam James 32-yard touchdown from Doege. 17 minutes into the game and the Mountaineers were up 21-0.

Eastern Kentucky would settle down after the third touchdown and a 28 yard toss from quarterback Peyton McKinny cut the Mountaineers lead to 21-7. The Mountaineers would answer quickly by giving the ball to Alec Sinkfield. Sinkfield would open the drive with a 28 yard scamper and would finish the drive with a 8 yard bruising run that extended the lead to 28-7.

Back to back punts would give the ball back to the Colonels but when quarterback McKinney pump faked on a throw, he would seal his own fate as Alonzo Addae would pick off his out route pass. The interception gave the ball back to the Mountaineers, who would give the ball back to Leddie Brown. Brown became the first Mountaineer back to break 100 yards in a game since Kennedy McKoy ran for 148 against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2018. Brown would finish the drive with his second rushing touchdown of the game, making the score 35-7.

One final drive at the end of the half saw Doege hit Bryce Ford-Wheaton catch a crossing pattern for his first score of the game.