(Neal Brown postgame press conference)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — One of West Virginia’s primary goals Saturday against Duquesne was to display an improved downfield passing attack.
By involving a player who had not caught a pass in college before, the Mountaineers were able to do just that.
Redshirt freshman wideout Hudson Clement hauled in three first-half touchdowns among five receptions for 177 yards, and the Mountaineers took control of their 56-17 victory against the Dukes after the game resumed from a near 2-hour weather delay nearing the midway point of the second quarter.
After the game, Clement, a former Martinsburg High School star and the 2021 MetroNews Football Player of the Year, learned he had earned a scholarship.
“It’s something when I came here, I knew I’d have to grind for,” Clement said. “Every day you’re sort of playing with that in your mind. Three touchdowns is a crazy accomplishment, but that scholarship is the biggest thing for me.”
Clement’s breakout performance came not long after learning he’d start in place of the injured Devin Carter, who was stepped on in Wednesday’s practice and held out after Brown said he “didn’t look good in pregame.”
(Game highlights)
“I liked it better that way,” Clement said, “because I would’ve thought about it more and been in my head a little bit more.”
A 38-yard field goal from Duquesne’s Brian Bruzdewicz pulled the Dukes to within 14-10, though immediately after, the game was delayed as a result of nearby lightning.
When it resumed following a stoppage of 1 hour and 54 minutes, the Mountaineers regained possession and made the most of it as quarterback Garrett Greene connected with Clement for a 70-yard touchdown pass on their fourth play from scrimmage.
“Life is about opportunities. He earned his scholarship,” WVU head coach Neal Brown said. “He’s been really productive in practice. We were just waiting for it to happen in a game and he broke out. He has a real chance. He can run.”
The 21-10 advantage grew to be 28-10 when on WVU’s next series, Greene found an uncovered Clement behind the Dukes’ defense for a 46-yard touchdown with 3:57 to play in the first half.
“You’re running down the field wide open,” Clement said, “and you know you’re going to score. It’s the best feeling as a wide receiver.”
The Mountaineers forced a second straight three-and-out and got the ball back for a final first-half series at their 37 with 2:50 remaining. Greene ripped off a 12-yard run on the fifth play, threw to Preston Fox for 12 yards on the next play and then found Fox down the seam for a 22-yard scoring strike with 39 seconds remaining.
“I felt comfortable in the pocket and hopefully I can continue that next week,” Greene said.
(Greg Carey and Joe Brocato break down the game)
After outscoring Duquesne 21-0 over the final 6:49 of the half, WVU led 35-10 through two quarters. As a result of the weather delay, there was no halftime break.
“That 2-hour break is hard for anybody,” said WVU bandit Jared Bartlett, who recorded a sack. “You get all warmed up and it’s right in the middle of the second quarter. I don’t know how long we were inside for, but it’s not the best. We got warmed up and came back out more explosive, so we got it done.”
Nicco Marchio took over for Greene at quarterback from the outset of the second half. Tailback CJ Donaldson was stopped at the line of scrimmage on fourth-and-1 on WVU’s opening second-half series, though the Mountaineers abruptly got the ball back by forcing a turnover on downs courtesy of Tomiwa Durojaiye’s second sack this season.
The Mountaineers appeared on their way to a sixth touchdown of the night when Marchiol threw a safe pass to freshman wideout Rodney Gallagher III, who moved inside the 5-yard line and stretched for the goal line, only to fumble his 12-yard reception out of the side of the end zone for a touchback.
“You should never reach the ball there unless it’s on fourth down,” Brown said.
WVU again forced a three-and-out and got another true freshman in the end zone upon regaining possession as tailback Jahiem White scored on a 19-yard run that upped the advantage to 42-10.
Darrius Perrantes’ 16-yard touchdown pass to Teddy Afful with 1:02 remaining in the third quarter put an end to WVU’s streak of unanswered points at 28.
Avery Wilcox intercepted Perrantes on the second play of the Dukes’ next series, and it directly led to Marchiol’s 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal, which capped a six play, 20-yard drive.
True freshman DJ Oliver’s 5-yard touchdown run with 2:08 left concluded the scoring.
It was a lackluster start for WVU, which limited the Dukes to 2 yards and forced a punt on the game’s opening series, only for that punt to bounce off cornerback Jacolby Spells, which gave Duquesne the ball back 4 yards past midfield.
“Winning is hard and we made it harder than it needed to be at some points tonight,” Brown said.
Dukes’ receiver DJ Powell then beat Mountaineers’ cornerback Andrew Wilson-Lamp on a 38-yard touchdown catch for the game’s first points.
“We have to be better in the secondary,” Brown said.
WVU pulled even on its second series when Greene threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Clement that marked the first catch of his career.
Beanie Bishop’s interception of a Perrantes pass on the next series marked WVU’s first forced turnover this season and helped the Mountaineers take their first lead when Jaylen Anderson reached pay dirt on an 8-yard run on the second play of the second quarter.
Following the weather delay, WVU picked up its level of play and gained a comfortable enough lead through two quarters that it was able to get a look at a plethora of less experienced players over the final two quarters.
“The coaches did a great job of keeping us focused on the game plan and any additions or subtractions,” Greene said.
Greene became the first West Virginia quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in Brown’s WVU tenure. He finished 10-for-18 with 240 yards.
Six Mountaineers — White, Donaldson, Anderson, Oliver, Greene and Marchiol — rushed for at least 22 yards as the Mountaineers amassed 304 of their 619 yards on the ground.
White led all ball-carriers with 110 rushing yards in his debut after missing the season opener at Penn State due to injury.
“He has a chance to be special,” Brown said. “He’s not real tall, but he’s strong.”
Marchiol hit on 7-of-14 passes for 75 yards.
Durojaiye finished with 1.5 sacks.
The Dukes passed for 213 yards but managed 3 rushing yards on 28 attempts.
(Postgame “Round of Sound”)
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