MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Mired in a four-game losing streak and in desperate need of something positive to go its way, West Virginia did something nobody would associate with its pass-happy coach – it ran, and did so quite well.
With a decided schematic advantage against the No. 124 run defense in the 127-team Football Bowl Subdivision, the Mountaineers, led by their two-man backfield of Wendell Smallwood and Rushel Shell, ran for 301 yards to pave the way to a 31-26 victory against Texas Tech Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Smallwod, who is among the top 20 FBS players in yards per carry, had a team-high 163 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown.