West Virginia’s offense is going to have to get going if they want to get a win to close out their long month of September on Saturday.
“This is our last opportunity before we get a much-needed bye,” West Virginia football head coach Neal Brown said. “This is about proving if we’re going to be a contender in the league or not.”
For the Mountaineers this first month of the season has been one with a lot of twists and turns.
It started on Sept. 2 with a loss to Penn State, took being greeted at homeby a two-hour long weather delay. Finally, when all seemed to be good to go in the Backyard Brawl, WVU lost their starting quarterback in Garrett Greene, and he has not returned since.
While the West Virginia defense has seemingly exceeded expectations, when the Mountaineers head to Fort Worth to face defending national runner-up TCU, they are going to have to hope their offense can find its groove.
Brown’s offense could find itself being operated backup quarterback Nicco Marhciol for the third game in a row. Brown said he does not want to take any chances with Greene’s ankle injury by bringing him back prematurely. For Marchiol, there has been positive signs, but if WVU’s offense wants to get going it comes down to the skill position players.
“Overall, decision making was improved. Not exactly what we would like but improved,” Brown said of Marchiol’s performance against Texas Tech. “He just didn’t get a whole lot of help. Our offensive skill guys got to help him out. Whether that’s making plays, making people miss, we just got to do a better job around him.”
Part of the issue for West Virginia has been finding reliable options at the wide receiver position. WVU’s best receiver in Devin Carter didn’t play his best game against Texas Tech, with Brown attributing it to the passing of his grandmother earlier in the week.
“Devin didn’t play well. He’s our number one guy and he earned that opportunity. But his grandmother passed away late in the week last week and I think that bothered him,” Brown said. “And I think sometimes not on purpose, just in college sports, we lose the fact that some of these kids are dealing with a lot off the field and that’s naturally going to turn into some on-field performance.”
Outside of Carter who has proved himself at this level, there are still a variety of unknowns. West Virginia tried to work in freshmen Traylon Ray and Rodney Gallagher, while also having Preston Fox, Hudson Clement, and a little bit of EJ Horton in the mix as well.
“They just got to make plays. We’re going to shorten the rotation up. I think we’re playing too many guys,” Brown said. “I think EJ Horton’s going to play more… He (Horton) and Hudson (Clement) and Traylon Ray, we’re going to get those guys up and ready.”
To have success on offense it stems further than the receiver room. According to Brown, he needs to see more out of his running backs.
All four main running backs in WVU’s backfield saw carries on Saturday against the Red Raiders. This includes CJ Donaldson, Jaylen Anderson, Justin Johnson, and Jahiem White.
Donaldson saw 36 percent of WVU’s carries, while Anderson saw 19 percent. Both Johnson and White though, each only had one carry, combining for 11 yards.
“I think he didn’t finish runs as well as he can and he’s got some nagging things but nothing’s that going to keep him out,” Brown said of Donaldson. “I think he’s got to finish his runs better. If you look at how he ran the ball against Penn State and how he ran the ball versus Pitt, he can do that. He knows it, he can play better.”
Offensive coordinator Chad Scott says his offense is going to have to make plays in space if they want to take a step forward as an offense.
“Make people miss, break tackles, get yards after contact, have some explosive plays on top of it. Those are things we talk about. Does your talent equal your production, those are four ways you produce as a guy with the ball in your hands,” Scott said.
If the Mountaineers want to win on Saturday, they are most likely going to have to get away from the run game more than they would like. In the past two games, WVU has ran the ball on 73 percent of their plays.
TCU on the other hand has the second-best run defense in the Big 12, but the worst pass defense. The Horned Frogs will enter Saturday with a 3-1 (1-0 Big 12) record, with their only loss coming in a 45-42 home loss week one to Colorado.
In that game TCU allowed 510 yards passing and only 55 yards on the ground. If West Virginia wants to win their third consecutive game in Fort Worth, they will likely have to air the ball out to do so.
On the flip side, TCU’s offense is one of the most potent in the Big 12, and the Mountaineers are going to have to keep up defensively.
The Horned Frogs have the Big 12 leading rusher in Emani Bailey as well as the Big 12 leader in total offense in quarterback Chandler Morris.
“[Morris is] playing at a high level. He can run, he throws the ball from a bunch of different arm angles,” Brown said. “They’re tough, physical runners. People don’t talk about that enough; I think they’re really physical runners.
Bailey has rushed for 453 yards on the ground this year, while he has added two touchdowns while rushing for 5.96 yards per carry. Morris has combined for over 325 yards per game this season, which is ninth-best in the country.
“They’re going to be committed to the run all the time. They’re going to be a run-first team. They’re going to throw it, but they’re committed to the run,” Brown said.
If West Virginia wants to stop TCU this weekend, they are going to have to continue to find success on third down.
West Virginia leads the Big 12 in third-down defense, and is sixth in the country, as opponents are only converting on 25 percent of their third-down attempts.
“First down is always key in that. It’s getting them off schedule, getting them behind the chains,” West Virginia defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said. “It’s really been just great team defense. Everything working together from whether it’s something you play in coverage, or simulating pressure, or bringing pressure.”
Brown is looking to go 4-1 through his first five games for the first time at West Virginia. The Mountaineers are currently 3-1 (1-0 Big 12), and this is the third time in Brown’s five years at WVU that the Mountaineers have found themselves with three wins through four games.
“You’ve got to beat quality teams on the road, and this is the first opportunity we’ve had in league play,” Brown said. “I think we got to prove that we’re a contender. We’re 1-0 but I’m not sure we’ve grabbed national attention or anything yet, we’ve got to continue to win games.”
West Virginia versus TCU kicks off Amon G. Carter Stadium at 8:00 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
