COMMENTARY
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — There’s no sugar-coating it — the West Virginia offense has been less than stellar in almost every facet this season … almost.
It’s no secret quarterback play has been inconsistent, though the emergence of Jarret Doege has the position trending in a positive direction.
The running game has been a major disappointment. Considered a position of strength before the season began with a deep stable of running backs, including senior veterans Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway, a seasoned Leddie Brown and healthy Alec Sinkfield. Instead, the Mountaineers are averaging a dreadful 2.58 yards per carry and are on pace for their worst season output in almost 30 years. They have just 793 total yards.
Which brings us to the offensive line — it’s been a struggle up front all season, between battling injuries, needing to play young guys and switching positions. The tackle spots were locked down all year by Colton McKivitz and Kelby Wickline, but the interior of the line has likely been the weakest part of the entire offense.
It began when Josh Sills needed surgery after just two games, which ended his season. Chase Behrndt bounced around from guard to center and back to guard again. Briason Mays and James Gmiter, both redshirt freshmen, were forced into roles they may not have been ready for. John Hughes took his lumps while realizing the Big 12 is a bit tougher than junior college. Michael Brown has shown steady improvement at left guard, but his maturation didn’t happen until the end of the season.
But while the overall offense hasn’t performed the way coach Neal Brown hoped it would, the wide receivers should have fans excited for the future. The corps is made up of underclassmen who are getting their first taste of college football, but has proven there is a lot of potential that could be unpacked over the next few years.
Of the top eight receivers in terms of yards this season for West Virginia, seven are expected to be back in 2020 — the lone graduate is George Campbell, who has made quite a name for himself in his only season at WVU. Campbell had 19 catches for 469 yards and seven touchdowns.
Starting from the youngest, three of the Mountaineers’ top five receivers this season are freshmen — Sam James, Bryce Wheaton and Ali Jennings. James may be the best of the bunch, and Neal Brown said he works James the hardest because he knows the untapped potential he has moving forward.
Which is saying something, because James has far and away been the most productive receiver on the team — he has 66 catches for 663 yards and two touchdowns. With his speed, James has been involved in the screen game, so his yards per catch numbers are less than stellar. If the offense continues to mature, James could be the next great receiver to come out of West Virginia.
Wheaton became a household name with his touchdown catch in the win at Kansas State, and Brown mentioned that Wheaton has continued to get better and better as the season’s gone on. Total, he has 12 catches for 201 yards and two scores, but most of those numbers have come down the stretch.
Jennings, a true freshman, has also gotten more playing time as the season goes on. Too talented to keep off the field and redshirt, Jennings has 18 catches for 186 yards and a touchdown.
Winston Wright, another true freshman, has had his fair share of ups and downs, but he’s still caught 19 passes for 97 yards. The speedster should continue to get comfortable in the slot position and has proven to be a special teams asset in the return game — Wright took a kickoff back for a touchdown at Baylor.
All four have gotten their first taste of major college football and have shown flashes of being big-time playmakers. They will only continue to get better moving forward.
A couple of sophomores have also burst onto the scene this season — Sean Ryan and Isaiah Esdale. Ryan transferred from Temple and was ruled immediately eligible, and Brown liked what he saw from Ryan so much that he gave him a lot of reps in fall camp, despite his eligibility being in question.
Ryan made several critical catches early in the season but was injured against Texas in the fifth game. He missed nearly a month, but returned for the Kansas State game, playing in seven games so far this year, tallying 16 catches for 185 yards.
Esdale hasn’t caught a touchdown, but he did throw one on a trick play against Texas Tech. Like many in this group, he’s come on late as a tall, sure-handed target who can make catches in tight coverages. He has 13 catches for 132 yards.
In the receiving corps, freshmen and sophomores were responsible for 145 catches, 1,475 yards and five touchdowns in 2019, and this was with inconsistency at quarterback. Total, Mountaineers receivers have 198 yards for 2,390 yards.
Campbell and T.J. Simmons are the only receivers who recorded a catch who are on the back end of their careers, but unlike Campbell, Simmons, a junior, will be back next season. Add in his 34 catches for 446 yards and four touchdowns, and the 2020 receivers are definitely the preseason top unit for West Virginia.
