West Virginia vs. Iowa State football: Five players to watch
By Brian Spaen
A couple of injuries to Clint Trickett and E.J. Bibbs could keep them out of the game for West Virginia and Iowa State, respectively. But the Mountaineers’ backup quarterback looked decent against Kansas State while the Cyclones will be focused on riding a different offensive weapon for another week.
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West Virginia
With Clint Trickett dealing with both a concussion and some bad performance on the field, his regular season might come to a close. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Howard on the field, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 198 yards with two touchdowns and no picks against Kansas State.
The workload has increased for the guy favored to lead his team this season. Smith has had 10 or more carries in four of the last five games, and hit the century mark at Texas. He also did pretty good against two of the top Big 12 teams, picking up 60 yards against Baylor and 70 yards against TCU.
Nov 1, 2014; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers cornerback Daryl Worley (7) reacts after stopping TCU Horned Frogs on third down during the second quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
DB Daryl Worley
It’s harder to pass on West Virginia than it is to run, which is why Worley is a tough cornerback for the Iowa State receivers to go up against. This season, Worley has accumulated three picks, four broken-up passes, and is fourth on the team in total tackles (47), and just six of those are assisted. In his last two games, Worley had eight tackles against Texas and five (all solo) against Kansas State.
Iowa State
Wimberly almost had three 100-plus yard rushing games in three of the last four games — he was just three yards shy from the century mark against Kansas. He’ll have another chance to break the mark against a 70th-ranked rushing defense that allows 165 rush yards per game.
The sophomore, who showed signs of greatness early this season, has really stepped up his game. He’s one of the lone bright spots in a bad Iowa State defense. He’s recorded 8 or more tackles in four of his last five games, and currently leads the team with 76 total tackles (20 assisted).