True sophomore wide receiver Kaden Prather seems to be more comfortable in his second year under head coach Neal Brown.
Prather has emerged as a top three target for quarterback JT Daniels and has shown that by getting in the end zone against both Towson and Texas.
As for the WVU wide receiver room in general, the group has shown flashes of talent thus far but has not gotten the consistency aspect down to a science quite yet.
Bryce Ford-Wheaton leads the way with his 412 yards and four touchdowns and has been the clear leader of the position group by showing NFL traits such as route-running, making tough catches, and being able to high-point the football.
Coming in behind Ford-Wheaton for the Mountaineers is Sam James, who has 305 yards receiving and two touchdowns on the season, and Prather, who has 260 yards receiving and two scores.
Despite the talent and experience, the Mountaineers have struggled with drops at points this season, and that showed in WVU’s last game against Texas.
Against the Longhorns, the Mountaineers dropped seven passes in the 38-20 loss, and a handful of those were drive-killers.
Prather spoke to the media about what the wide receivers have been doing to right those wrongs.
“Really just get back to the basics, get back to Morgantown and get on the jug machines and catch more balls,” Prather said.
Though the talent is there, some are questioning if the receivers are an Achillies heel of the offense.
Prather made sure to defend his group when speaking to the media on Tuesday.
“I say we’re (the wide receivers) slept on a lot,” Prather said. “We have one of the best groups in the country. At the end of the day, all you can do is make plays on the field to change other people’s perspectives.”
Despite the drops, the WVU wide receivers have made some plays throughout the season to garner attention.
Ford-Wheaton made two impressive touchdown grabs against Pitt and showed out against Kansas, racking up 152 receiving yards with two more touchdowns against the Jayhawks.
James got loose for a 59-yard touchdown against Kansas and made a crucial touchdown catch at Virginia Tech to give the Mountaineers the lead right before halftime.
Prather caught his first collegiate touchdown against Towson and made a huge play by blocking two defenders at once to help CJ Donaldson run in an 84-yard score. Prather also made a contested touchdown catch at Texas with one-on-one coverage over the middle.
The West Virginia wide receivers will have a chance to correct the mistakes from the Texas game and continue to show their talent against Baylor on Thursday night.
With the forecast showing plenty of signs of rain, the Mountaineer wide outs will need to bring their best in order to secure a win against the talented Bears.
Photo by Dale Sparks/WVU Football
