MORGANTOWN — The smallest man on the field man made one of the biggest plays Saturday for West Virginia against Kansas State on Saturday, but it came at the expense of one of his teammates.
David Sills knew that play was going for a touchdown all well — it was some something the offensive coaching staff noticed on film. The Mountaineers ran bunched three-receiver set to the left and the slot receiver ran a wheel route down the sideline.
All week, David Sills was the man to get the opportunity deep. When he checked out of the game, the play call came through to run it with 5-foot-6 Tevin Bush getting the chance in the third quarter.
“Coach (Tyron) Carrier subbed out David Sills and David was pretty hot because he knew that was gonna be a touchdown,” offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said. “We caught them at the right time and I was pleased to see Tev get into the end zone.”
Quarterback Will Grier slung a deep pass to Bush sprinting down the left sideline and Bush outran Wildcats cornerback A.J. Parker for a 62-yard touchdown, the first of Bush’s career.
Bush, a sophomore from New Orleans, was mobbed by his teammates from the end zone to the sideline. With Gary Jennings catching three scores against Youngstown State and Sills infamous for always finding paydirt (he caught three more against the Wildcats), when others find success, it’s worth celebrating even if it comes at other’s expense.
“That play was definitely something I was really looking forward to but it was really great to see Tevin get in the end zone,” Sills said. “When he got to the sideline, he had the biggest smile on his face. It was really big for him and our offense because he’s a dynamic player that I think it going to be really good for West Virginia.”
The score put the Mountaineers up 28-3 and though it wasn’t the type of play many envisioned Bush making when he arrived at West Virginia for spring practice in 2017, his speed was never a doubt.
“I just read it and Tevin’s pretty fast and I trusted him and he made a play,” Grier said.
Bush moved from running back to receiver this offseason, mainly due to an abundance of running backs in the backfield. With his elusiveness, he was a natural fit in the slot, but not necessarily as a deep threat.
With the reputation of Sills and Jennings and the emergence of Marcus Simms and T.J. Simmons, Carrier is excited when the next wave can make a play.
“It always nice when you can get those goes that nobody really knows much about to get in and prove what they can do.
“As a coaching staff, we know what Tevin can do, it’s just good that we can get everybody else to see it too.”
Bush finished the game with two catches for 69 yards but also gained the confidence of his coaches because of it.
“I was really happy for Tevin,” Spavital said. “At the moment, I didn’t know who was in the game. I knew coach Carrier had that handled and it was just a nice play to see Tevin run down that sideline.”
Twitter SeanManning_DP; email smanning@dominionpost.com
