For the second consecutive contest, the WVU Football offense was able to cross the first down marker more than 20 times and secure a victory. Rich Rodriguez has stated in the past that his goal is for the offense to obtain 25 first downs, as he feels that is a winning recipe. The Mountaineers are inching ever closer to that threshold. Last week against Houston, they picked up twenty first-downs before racking up 21 in this week’s win over Colorado. Additionally, the win over Colorado saw the Mountaineers showcase one of their more balanced offensive attacks of the season as WVU gained 369 total yards, with 167 of them coming on the ground, and 202 coming via the passing game.
The offensive performance may not have been as flashy as it was in the Houston victory, but it was relentless and consistent against the Buffaloes. Some may even describe it as “hard edge”, but regardless of what term you use to describe it, the fact that remains is that the WVU offense has now put together a “winning” performance in back-to-back games.
Here are just some of the individual players that helped contribute to that offensive performance, according to their offensive grades (min. 20 snaps) provided by Pro Football Focus:
LT Nick Krahe (74.2 Offensive Grade)
In addition to the improved play at the quarterback position in recent weeks, the pass protection has also helped the Mountaineers be able to increase their production on the offensive side. Protecting Scotty Fox’s blind side at the left tackle position, Nick Krahe has certainly been assisting in the recent offensive resurgence, and his high marks from Saturday’s win certainly prove that to be true. Krahe’s incredibly impressive 88.6 pass blocking grade is a big reason why the Sophomore Offensive Lineman graded out so highly in the game. His pass protection is also a key contributing factor to the Mountaineers only allowing a total of 2 sacks over their past 2 contests.
TE Ryan Ward (69.8 Offensive Grade)
Despite playing nearly fifty-percent less snaps than his fellow upper-classmen at the position, Ryan Ward’s potential was certainly on display on Saturday. Grayson Barnes (40 snaps) and Jacob Barrick (42 snaps) may have been on the field more than Ward (21 snaps), but it was the Freshman who was able to reach the endzone. This marked the young Mountaineer Tight End’s first career touchdown in the gold & blue and was the perfect cap to a day in which he had already blocked well, as evidenced by his 77.2 pass blocking grade. The future is certainly bright for Ward who is already making a great case to take over as the WVU starting Tight End in 2026.
RB Diore Hubbard (68.0 Offensive Grade)
Another week, another impressive performance from the Mountaineer running back. Last week, WVU needed Hubbard to be a workhorse; carrying the football a career high number of times and gaining a career high total in rushing yards. Against Colorado, WVU still relied on Hubbard heavily, although in a different capacity at times, as this week Hubbard set another career high but this time it was receiving yards (94).
Hubbard still toted the rock his fair share of times as well as he gained 64 yards on 16 carries. However, it was his 69-yard reception in the second quarter that was not only the longest play of the entire season thus far for WVU, but also allowed the Mountaineers to pull away and never look back. That reception, accompanied by four more catches in the game, helped the WVU ball carrier earn a 72.3 passing game grade which is a big contributing factor to his high marks in the game overall. His 158 yards of total offense in the victory highlight that he will continue to be a key cog in the WVU offense down the stretch this season.
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