WVU sophomore Josh Lambert kicks a 55-yard game-winning field goal against Texas Tech. (Photo credit: WV Illustrated)
My mom likes to refer to the Mountaineers as the cardiac kids, and I think that’s a pretty apt moniker. Games like last Saturday’s always give me acute tachycardia.
For the second time this season, sophomore Josh Lambert became a Mountaineer hero when he kicked a long, game-winning field goal with virtually no seconds left on the clock. The impressive 55-yard field goal in Lubbock, Texas, tied the school’s record set by former Mountaineer kicker Paul Woodside in 1984.
Kevin White had 123 receiving yards against Texas Tech, setting a WVU record with 6 consecutive games with 100 or more receiving yards. (Photo credit: Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
Lambert also came through in a clutch situation in September when he kicked a 47-yard, game-winning field goal against Maryland.
He has proven you can count on him when it matters. In fact, Lambert is the only kicker in the country who’s 3 for 3 for more than 50 yards.
He’s made 9 field goals this season of 40-plus yards. He also leads the nation in total field goals with 14.
Looking ahead to Baylor
While West Virginia rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Texas Tech, 37-34, the Mountaineers can’t afford to allow the undefeated Baylor Bears to gain that big of a lead.
Baylor had one of its biggest comebacks in school history last Saturday. They wiped out a 21-point deficit against #12 TCU in the final 11 minutes of last weekend’s game. Now #4 Baylor is 1 of 6 ranked teams that’s undefeated.
Key WVU stats and highlights
In addition to long-shot Lambert, here are a few other notable highlights of this season’s Mountaineers:
Photo credit: WV Illustrated
- Clint Trickett is the first player in school history to have 7 straight games with more than 300 passing yards. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound quarterback also ranks 3rd nationally in passing yards.
- Senior Kevin White now leads the nation in receiving by over 100 yards. The 6-3, 210-pound senior also ranks 3rd nationally in catches per game (9.6). White has set a school record with 6 consecutive games with 100 or more receiving yards. Together, Trickett and White make a formidable pitch-and-catch duo.
- Running backs Wendell Smallwood and Rushell Shell each had 100-plus yards rushing, the first WVU duo to do that since 2008. Shell is also the first Mountaineer since Noel Devine (2010) to run for more than 100 yards in back-to-back games. Smallwood achieved a career-high 123 yards rushing against Texas Tech.
- The Mountaineers have run the most plays in school history this season. Last Saturday, the Mountaineers ran 94 plays. In September, they ran 108 plays against Maryland and 96 versus Towson.
- WVU set a school record with over 500 yards in 5 consecutive games.
Watch the highlights of the WVU vs. Texas Tech game, courtesy of Coca-Cola.
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