Charlotte, NC (WOAY) – West Virginia football began its 2018 season on a winning note Saturday with a 40-14 victory over Tennessee in the Belk College Kickoff.
The Mountaineers raced out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, before Tennessee answered with a touchdown following a second-quarter drive that lasted nearly nine minutes. WVU took a 13-7 lead into halftime, but a weather delay extended the break to nearly an hour.
West Virginia’s offense took advantage of the extra break time by scoring touchdowns on its first three drives of the second half. Tennessee would find the end zone a second time but struggled throughout the afternoon with difficult field position.
Will Grier, playing in his hometown, completed 25 of 34 passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns, two of them to fellow preseason All-American David Sills V. Jarrett Guarantano passed for 172 yards and a touchdown for Tennessee.
The Mountaineers are now 6-2 in season openers under Dana Holgorsen, including 1-2 in neutral-site games. West Virginia hosts Youngstown State next Saturday.
