Lambert's 47-yard field goal lifts WVU past Terps

The kick was running out of gas as it approached the goal posts, just as West Virginia seemed to be after building a 28-6 lead in the first half, but Lambert’s kick fluttered over with a couple of yards to spare to give WVU a three-point victory and a 2-1 record heading into next Saturday’s game with Oklahoma at Mountaineer Field.

It was an improbable moment in an improbable game. Lambert had missed a couple of field goals earlier this season and had his only other try in this game was blocked. Now he was looking at 47 yards on a wet field with the game — maybe the season — on the line and he made good.

Certainly Coach Dana Holgorsen had talked to him before he went on the field and talked to him after he came off.

Or had he?

“I haven’t talked to Josh since he got on campus and we’re going to keep it that way,” Holgorsen said, almost half kidding. “He got one blocked but when he’s missed, he’s come back and made it.”

West Virginia’s offense was spectacular, gaining 694 yards, quarterback Clint Trickett stringing together one of the great games in WVU history.

Trickett completed 37-of-49 passes for 511 yards — the second most yards thrown for in WVU history — and four touchdowns, using wide receivers Kevin White and Mario Alford much as Geno Smith used Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey when the offense was running on all cylinders two years ago.

White caught 13 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown, Alford caught 10 for 130 yards and two scores.

White making big plays, and getting into the end zone, that was a pregame emphasis.

“Three times over 100 yards,” said Holgorsen of White, who now has 32 catches for 460 yards in three games. “He got in the end zone once. It was great to see. He did things to get in the end zone.”

What Holgorsen meant wasn’t a pass he caught in the end zone. Previously he’d been tripped up on plays when he tried to run the ball to the end zone. This time he worked for it and got in.

The Mountaineers needed all of that and more as they blew a 28-6 lead on some shaky defensive play and some downright awful special teams play that included a punt return for a touchdown, an interference with a fair catch call and a blocked field.

Special teams coach Joe DeForest called the special teams play “a wash.” He must have slept through the mistakes if he thought that was a wash.

Maryland came out wearing their fancy, Star-Spangled Banner uniforms with the word TRIUMPH on the back where the players name should have been.

West Virginia came out to play football.

It was obvious from the game’s first play from scrimmage as Trickett connected with Wendell Smallwood on a nifty two-man pattern on the outside that wound up a 50-yard gain.

Right then two things were obvious. West Virginia would rediscover its big play potential and Maryland was in trouble.

The Mountaineers turned the big gain into a touchdown, Rushel Shell banging into the end zone, giving the defense something to work with and they were, if anything, as inspired as the offense, getting a sack of quarterback C.J. Brown on the first play and an interception by Daryl Worley on a pass tipped by Christian Brown on the third play.

But if it seemed as though Brown was in for a tough day, he rebounded to complete 19-of-35 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown and rush for 161 yards including a 75-yard TD, a Pat White-like performance for the Maryland quarterback.

WVU couldn’t turn the interception into a score, as happened all too often during this game. But the next time it possessed the ball, Trickett ran a play that began with a double fake, giving Alford time to get loose downfield to gather up a deep bomb at the 5 with two defenders around him.

He bounced into the end zone and it was 14-0 as the first quarter came to a close, Trickett having completed 12-of-13 passes for 175 yards at this point.

The second quarter turned completely whacky, though, as the Terps cut into the lead and went into halftime down just 28-20.  Maryland overcame a tough break when it seemingly ran a punt back for a touchdown after WVU had interfered with a fair catch, the ball bouncing loose.

The touchdown, however, was overturned because once a fair catch is signaled the ball can not be advanced.

One play later the Terps suffered another tough break when quarterback Brown was knocked silly by Mountaineer linebacker Shaq Petteway, his helmet knocked from his head.

This brought backup Caleb Rowe into the game and two passes later Maryland had its final touchdown of the half as Rowe threw to Jacquille Veii for a 26-yard score.

“I’m fine,” Brown said after the game. “I was trying to get down and he got me pretty good. My helmet came off and that’s just the protocol that you have to come out of the game. Everything is clear. I’m fine.”

Trickett finished the half with 20 completions in 26 attempts for 307 yards and three TDs, but he mixed in his first interception of the season as the lead shrank to eight points.

Brown, his head clear, came back in to start the second half and made his presence felt immediately, splitting a pair of WVU tacklers as he went wide around left end, then dancing down the sideline 75 yards for the longest touchdown run by a Division 1 quarterback this season, the lead now down to a precarious point at 28-27.

“Coming out of the half we knew that we were going to get the ball and wanted to make a statement, especially with the momentum we had going,” Brown said.

But WVU regained its momentum despite a fumble lost by Shell inside the 10 when Jarrod Harper, from Frostburg, Md., broke through to block a punt through the end zone for a safety that increased WVU’s lead to a field goal.

“It was just like we drew it up,” DeForest said of the block.

Trickett was just beginning to heat up again, too, connecting with Dakiell Shorts on an 11-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 37-27 as the game entered the fourth quarter. Trickett carried 438 passing yards into the final quarter with 28 completions in 36 attempts for four TDs.

The fourth quarter opened with Maryland being forced to punt, only to have Jordan Thompson fumble, giving the ball to Maryland in scoring territory.

The defense rose up and forced a field goal, cutting the lead to a touchdown … a touchdown that another special teams disaster would give up, William Likely running a punt back 69 yards for the tying touchdown to make it 37-37.

The special teams were still staggering as Thompson made another mistake, failing to catch a punt at his own 20, the ball rolling down to the 5 as the clock was running down.

Follow Bob Hertzel on Twitter @bhertzel