West Virginia heads into the locker room down 28–10 after a first half that was defined by explosive BYU plays, missed Mountaineer chances, and a late Cougar touchdown that swung momentum right back before the break.

The Mountaineers opened with quarterback Khalil Wilkins keeping it himself on three straight plays, but the drive stalled after just eight yards. Punter Oliver Straw flipped the field with a 48-yard kick, and BYU took over at its own 13 after a six-yard loss on the return.

The Cougars responded when quarterback Bear Bachmeier connected with wideout Chase Roberts for 47 yards to the WVU 40. But the Mountaineer defense held, with linebacker Reid Carrico hurrying Bachmeier into an incompletion on third down. Kicker Will Ferrin missed wide right from 48 yards, keeping it scoreless.

The Mountaineers looked to answer, with Wilkins hitting wide receiver Rodney Gallagher for 13 yards and a first down near midfield. But on the very next play, he was intercepted by cornerback Therrian Alexander, who returned it 49 yards to the 3-yard line. Wilkins chased him down to make the stop but was flagged for a horse-collar tackle, moving the ball to the 1.

BYU needed just one snap, as wideout Parker Kingston scored to put the Cougars ahead 7–0.

WVU put together its best drive to that point, with running back Diore Hubbard and Wilkins carrying the offense across midfield. But on fourth-and-2 at the 44, running back Tye Edwards was stopped short and the Mountaineers turned it over on downs.

Bachmeier made them pay, hitting Kingston up the seam for a 54-yard touchdown that stretched the lead to 14–0 late in the first.

Wilkins picked up 9 yards on a keeper before taking a helmet-to-helmet hit that forced him to the sideline. Backup Scotty Fox stepped in and ripped off a 23-yard run to keep the drive alive before Wilkins returned. The series stalled at the 30, but kicker Kade Hensley knocked through a 45-yard field goal to make it 14–3 early in the second quarter.

On their fourth possession, BYU leaned on Bachmeier’s short throws to wideout Cody Hagen and runs by LJ Martin. A pass interference call on cornerback Michael Coats, thrown by an official across the field, moved the ball to midfield. The Cougars reached the red zone, but safety Chase Wilson intercepted Bachmeier at the 18.

WVU started at its own 37 with running back Jarret Bowie gaining 8 yards to the 45. A BYU offsides penalty on fourth-and-1 extended the drive across midfield, but the Mountaineers came up empty. Wilkins lost 4 yards on a swing pass to Edwards, then threw back-to-back incompletions before Straw punted it away to the Cougar 12.

BYU wasted no time stretching the lead. Bachmeier hit Roberts on a short throw to the right, and Roberts broke free for 85 yards before being dragged down at the 4-yard line. On the next snap, Martin powered up the middle to make it 21–3.

The Mountaineers went three-and-out after briefly moving the sticks, and Straw’s punt pinned BYU at its own 15. But on the very next play, Bachmeier kept it and was stripped by defensive lineman Fred Perry, who fell on the fumble at the 3. Hubbard finished the job on the next snap, running straight ahead for a 3-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 21–10 with just under two minutes left in the half.

BYU answered quickly. Bachmeier connected with Kingston for 35 yards, then found Roberts and Hagen to push inside the 10. A pass interference call set up first-and-goal, and Bachmeier kept it himself for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 28–10 at halftime.

Wilkins went 4-of-10 for 20 yards with one interception while rushing 13 times for 60 yards. Hubbard added 20 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, and Bowie chipped in 24 yards. Gallagher led the receivers with two catches for 14 yards. On defense, Perry forced and recovered a fumble, while Wilson had an interception. For BYU, Bachmeier was 10-of-14 for 249 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Roberts had three catches for 133 yards.

BYU will get the ball first to start the second half, with West Virginia needing a stop right away to keep the game within reach.