Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Monday Mountaineer Football Notebook
October 08, 2018 03:17 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia nearly got on Saturday against Kansas what the offense has been lacking since 2014 – an explosive touchdown run from scrimmage from one of its running backs.
Leddie Brown broke free for a 47-yard run early in the first quarter against the Jayhawks before eventually getting hauled down by Hasan Defense at the KU 19.
It was West Virginia's longest running play from scrimmage since last year's season opener when Justin Crawford broke free for a 42-yard gainer against Virginia Tech.
It also nearly snapped a streak that has now grown to 691 rushing attempts since the last time a Mountaineer running back has busted off a 50-yard-plus run from scrimmage, that also coming from Crawford in the third quarter of the 2016 Baylor game (a 63-yarder).
It's been nearly four years since a West Virginia running back has gotten loose for a 50-yard-plus touchdown run from scrimmage when Rushel Shell did it in the first quarter of the Iowa State game (a 54-yarder).
That's a drought that has now spanned 45 games.
Since then, the only explosive run from scrimmage that resulted in a long touchdown was quarterback Skyler Howard's 50-yard TD jaunt at Oklahoma on Oct. 3, 2015.
Prior to 2016, Dana Holgorsen had at least one 50-yard touchdown run from scrimmage each year he coached at West Virginia, extending a streak that began in 2004 with running back Kay-Jay Harris, and then Steve Slaton, Pat White and Noel Devine in the late 2000s and continuing with Tavon Austin, Charles Sims and Dreamius Smith under Holgorsen.
It's the longest such drought since a 42-game stretch from Nov. 22, 1997 to Oct. 13, 2001 when Avon Cobourne finally got free for a 60-yard touchdown run at Notre Dame, duplicating Amos Zereoue's 60-yard TD burst against the Irish four years prior.
West Virginia managed to run for 177 yards and average 4.5 yards per carry against Kansas, but the Jayhawks came into the game with worst rushing defense in the Big 12 permitting 202.4 yards per game.
Sixty-two yards in losses were a contributing factor in the Mountaineers' final rushing total, however.
"People run the ball on them," Holgorsen said following his team's 38-22 victory, improving its record to 5-0. "They do a good job of mixing fronts with not enough people to stop the run and that's one reason why they get interceptions is because you're throwing the ball into a lot of coverage."
Consequently, quarterback Will Grier had much tighter passing windows to throw into and that's partly the reason why he threw three interceptions last Saturday against the Jayhawks.
All three occurred in the red zone and came after the Mountaineers were unsuccessful running the football on the previous play.
Keeping defenses honest with an explosive threat from the backfield will help open some of those passing windows for Grier - something Holgorsen alluded to on Saturday.
"If we don't get better at running the ball, we're going to have a hard time winning ball games moving forward," he said.
Still, West Virginia is averaging an impressive 526.8 yards per game and has received plenty of explosive plays in the passing game from receivers David Sills V, Gary Jennings Jr., Marcus Simms, T.J. Simmons and even Tevin Bush.
Popping a long touchdown run from scrimmage (and getting that on tape for opposing defenses to see), or moving people off the line of scrimmage and punching one in from close to the goal line, will make this offense even more difficult to stop.
It will also help an offensive line that is still making tweaks along its interior.
This Saturday, the Mountaineers will have another big challenge running the ball against Iowa State, which is ranked third in rushing defense in the Big 12 this week surrendering just 122 yards per game.
Briefly:
* West Virginia jumped three spots to No. 6 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and two spots to No. 6 in the Amway Coaches' Poll. It's the highest the Mountaineers have climbed in the polls since reaching No. 5 on Oct. 1, 2012.
* Despite the success the Mountaineers have enjoyed defensively this year, you have to feel for veteran WVU defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. This week will be the fourth straight week his staff must prepare for multiple quarterbacks.
They had to do it against Kansas State, they were forced to do it on the fly at Texas Tech and they also had to watch extra tape getting ready for Kansas prior to last Saturday's game.
In preparation for this Saturday's matchup at surging Iowa State, Gibson is going to have to watch tape on three different guys behind center - Zeb Noland, Brock Purdy and game-one starter Kyle Kempt, whose injured ankle could be well enough to make a return against the Mountaineers.
Purdy stepped in for Noland after the first offensive series last Saturday at Oklahoma State in leading the Cyclones to an impressive 48-42 victory. The freshman quarterback accounted for more than 400 yards of total offense, breathing life into a struggling Iowa State attack that entered last week ranked last in the Big 12 in points and total yards.
So, who does Gibson spend most of his time preparing for this week, Purdy or Kempt?
At the very least, he's used to the extra time spent in the film room.
By the way, West Virginia is ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 this week in points allowed, second to TCU in total defense, and also ranks No. 2 in the conference in rushing and pass defense.
* Despite playing one fewer game, junior linebacker David Long Jr. ranks fourth in the Big 12 this week with 56 total tackles. He's also second with 9 ½ tackles for losses.
* Evan Staley was one yard shy of becoming the first Mountaineer kicker since Mike Molina to boot a 50-yard field goal.
Molina did it against Baylor on Dec. 3, 2016.
Staley's 49-yarder last Saturday against Kansas gave the Mountaineers a 31-14 fourth-quarter lead.
The feat has only been accomplished 18 times in school history by nine different kickers. Josh Lambert had the most 50-yard field goals with six, followed by Pat McAfee and Paul Woodside with three each.
Before Woodside did it in 1983, the last kicker to successfully boot a 50-yard field goal was Ed "Pitching Poet" Kenna against Grove City College on Oct. 19, 1901 (a drop kick).
The "Pitching Poet" was so called because he once appeared in a Major League game for the Philadelphia Athletics while also having some of his literary works published.
He later became editor of the Charleston Gazette before his premature death at age 34 to a heart condition, according to the American Association Almanac.
Dana Holgorsen Monday Morning Big 12 Teleconference
Leddie Brown broke free for a 47-yard run early in the first quarter against the Jayhawks before eventually getting hauled down by Hasan Defense at the KU 19.
It was West Virginia's longest running play from scrimmage since last year's season opener when Justin Crawford broke free for a 42-yard gainer against Virginia Tech.
It also nearly snapped a streak that has now grown to 691 rushing attempts since the last time a Mountaineer running back has busted off a 50-yard-plus run from scrimmage, that also coming from Crawford in the third quarter of the 2016 Baylor game (a 63-yarder).
It's been nearly four years since a West Virginia running back has gotten loose for a 50-yard-plus touchdown run from scrimmage when Rushel Shell did it in the first quarter of the Iowa State game (a 54-yarder). That's a drought that has now spanned 45 games.
Since then, the only explosive run from scrimmage that resulted in a long touchdown was quarterback Skyler Howard's 50-yard TD jaunt at Oklahoma on Oct. 3, 2015.
Prior to 2016, Dana Holgorsen had at least one 50-yard touchdown run from scrimmage each year he coached at West Virginia, extending a streak that began in 2004 with running back Kay-Jay Harris, and then Steve Slaton, Pat White and Noel Devine in the late 2000s and continuing with Tavon Austin, Charles Sims and Dreamius Smith under Holgorsen.
It's the longest such drought since a 42-game stretch from Nov. 22, 1997 to Oct. 13, 2001 when Avon Cobourne finally got free for a 60-yard touchdown run at Notre Dame, duplicating Amos Zereoue's 60-yard TD burst against the Irish four years prior.
West Virginia managed to run for 177 yards and average 4.5 yards per carry against Kansas, but the Jayhawks came into the game with worst rushing defense in the Big 12 permitting 202.4 yards per game.
Sixty-two yards in losses were a contributing factor in the Mountaineers' final rushing total, however.
"People run the ball on them," Holgorsen said following his team's 38-22 victory, improving its record to 5-0. "They do a good job of mixing fronts with not enough people to stop the run and that's one reason why they get interceptions is because you're throwing the ball into a lot of coverage."
Consequently, quarterback Will Grier had much tighter passing windows to throw into and that's partly the reason why he threw three interceptions last Saturday against the Jayhawks.
All three occurred in the red zone and came after the Mountaineers were unsuccessful running the football on the previous play.
Keeping defenses honest with an explosive threat from the backfield will help open some of those passing windows for Grier - something Holgorsen alluded to on Saturday.
"If we don't get better at running the ball, we're going to have a hard time winning ball games moving forward," he said.
Still, West Virginia is averaging an impressive 526.8 yards per game and has received plenty of explosive plays in the passing game from receivers David Sills V, Gary Jennings Jr., Marcus Simms, T.J. Simmons and even Tevin Bush.
Popping a long touchdown run from scrimmage (and getting that on tape for opposing defenses to see), or moving people off the line of scrimmage and punching one in from close to the goal line, will make this offense even more difficult to stop.
It will also help an offensive line that is still making tweaks along its interior.
This Saturday, the Mountaineers will have another big challenge running the ball against Iowa State, which is ranked third in rushing defense in the Big 12 this week surrendering just 122 yards per game.
Briefly:
* West Virginia jumped three spots to No. 6 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and two spots to No. 6 in the Amway Coaches' Poll. It's the highest the Mountaineers have climbed in the polls since reaching No. 5 on Oct. 1, 2012.
* Despite the success the Mountaineers have enjoyed defensively this year, you have to feel for veteran WVU defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. This week will be the fourth straight week his staff must prepare for multiple quarterbacks.
They had to do it against Kansas State, they were forced to do it on the fly at Texas Tech and they also had to watch extra tape getting ready for Kansas prior to last Saturday's game.
In preparation for this Saturday's matchup at surging Iowa State, Gibson is going to have to watch tape on three different guys behind center - Zeb Noland, Brock Purdy and game-one starter Kyle Kempt, whose injured ankle could be well enough to make a return against the Mountaineers.
Purdy stepped in for Noland after the first offensive series last Saturday at Oklahoma State in leading the Cyclones to an impressive 48-42 victory. The freshman quarterback accounted for more than 400 yards of total offense, breathing life into a struggling Iowa State attack that entered last week ranked last in the Big 12 in points and total yards.
So, who does Gibson spend most of his time preparing for this week, Purdy or Kempt?
At the very least, he's used to the extra time spent in the film room.
By the way, West Virginia is ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 this week in points allowed, second to TCU in total defense, and also ranks No. 2 in the conference in rushing and pass defense.
* Despite playing one fewer game, junior linebacker David Long Jr. ranks fourth in the Big 12 this week with 56 total tackles. He's also second with 9 ½ tackles for losses.
* Evan Staley was one yard shy of becoming the first Mountaineer kicker since Mike Molina to boot a 50-yard field goal.
Molina did it against Baylor on Dec. 3, 2016.
Staley's 49-yarder last Saturday against Kansas gave the Mountaineers a 31-14 fourth-quarter lead.
The feat has only been accomplished 18 times in school history by nine different kickers. Josh Lambert had the most 50-yard field goals with six, followed by Pat McAfee and Paul Woodside with three each.
Before Woodside did it in 1983, the last kicker to successfully boot a 50-yard field goal was Ed "Pitching Poet" Kenna against Grove City College on Oct. 19, 1901 (a drop kick).
The "Pitching Poet" was so called because he once appeared in a Major League game for the Philadelphia Athletics while also having some of his literary works published.
He later became editor of the Charleston Gazette before his premature death at age 34 to a heart condition, according to the American Association Almanac.
Dana Holgorsen Monday Morning Big 12 Teleconference
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