Running the football clearly has been West Virginia’s forte in 2015, the Mountaineers averaging 4.8 yards per rush and 235.2 yards per game on the ground in their 12 regular season games. WVU had 300 yards rushing in a 31-26 victory over Texas Tech, 257 yards in an 18-point win over Texas, 426 yards rushing in a 49-0 blanking of Kansas and 213 yards in a 24-point home triumph over Iowa State.
West Virginia ran the ball effectively early in the Kansas State game, building a 13-3 halftime lead and getting a 14-yard third quarter touchdown run from Wendell Smallwood to retake the lead, but the Mountaineers were unable to take advantage of what K-State was giving them in the passing game and wound up losing 24-23 when they gave up a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.