Photo courtesy of Allen Melson WVU’s Diore Hubbard fights for yardage during Saturday’s 29-22 win over Colorado.

MORGANTOWN — If you had WVU scoring a safety off a blocked punt and then getting two rushing touchdowns from an outside linebacker on your list of expectations Saturday, then a lottery ticket should be your next purchase.

Those were just two stories on a day filled with them, as West Virginia outlasted Colorado, 29-22, inside Milan Puskar Stadium.

How about freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr.? He came back from throwing two interceptions on back-to-back plays in the third quarter that led to the Buffaloes (3-7) getting back into the game to leading the Mountaineers (4-6) to a field goal minutes later and then a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

That touchdown drive in the fourth, by the way, was capped off with a 4-yard run by Curtis Jones Jr. You will not find that name on the WVU offensive depth chart. He is the sophomore linebacker who now doubles as a power rusher in short-yardage situations. Against Colorado, Jones had three carries. Two of them went for touchdowns. The third converted a third down into a first down that set up his second TD.

It was an idea WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez came up with not long ago after the Mountaineers continued to get decimated by injuries, especially at the running back position.

Which is what sets up the best story of the game, which, quite simply, was WVU running back Diore Hubbard.

Let me tell you how Hubbard’s day ended: A powerful 7-yard run right up the middle on third-and-three that led to Fox taking some knees to end the game.

Now, here’s how it began: In the blue tent after taking a viscous helmet right to his left knee from Colorado defensive back Teon Parks on a screen pass.

It was a blow that surely would have hobbled most common men. It was the type of hit we’ve all seen too many times on Sundays and Saturdays that generally lead to seasons, sometimes careers coming to an end.

And, man, it would have been just demoralizing for the Mountaineers, who have already lost so much. Second game of the year, potential star running back Jahiem White goes out after an illegal horse-collar tackle.

A couple of weeks later, it was running back Tye Edwards out with a hip injury after he had just become the star in a win against Pitt.

Now this? This would have been bad. Real bad.

“Our running back health has been kind of crazy,” WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said.

Except someone forgot to tell Hubbard he was supposed to stay down. Instead, the freshman from Gahanna, Ohio was back into the game just eight minutes later.

In between was a trip to the locker room, where we assume some quick X-rays were taken. He came back out with a brace and began running and making cuts behind WVU’s bench.

And then it was maybe the play of the day.

Hubbard motions out of the backfield. It’s third-and-eight and WVU leads 9-3.

For some reason, Colorado linebacker Jeremiah Brown just kind of jogged out there to defend Hubbard. Brown probably believed Hubbard was nothing more than some sort of decoy on the play.

Except Fox does, indeed, throw it right at Hubbard and Brown gets tied up with one of his teammates in the underneath coverage. It was all the space Hubbard needed and 69 yards later he is pushed out of bounds at the Colorado 3.

Not bad for a guy who nearly had his knee torn off just a quarter earlier.

“When we get to the point where everyone knows you’re going to run it and you’re still going to run it and get first downs, then you got what you want,” Rodriguez said. “At least, at the end of the game, that was a positive sign.”

In all, Hubbard finished with 158 total yards (94 receiving, 64 rushing). He led WVU with six receptions. He was a lead blocker on jet-sweep plays that helped the Mountaineers to continue moving forward.

About the only thing Hubbard didn’t do on this day was sell the hot dogs and sing the National Anthem.

Give him time. He’s just a freshman, after all. He may wind up doing those things, too, before it’s all said and done.

“Diore battled,” Rodriguez said. “He wasn’t 100%, but he ran hard.”