Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
Tony's Take - WVU's Youthful and Inexperienced Offensive Line
November 19, 2021 05:00 PM | Football, Tony's Take
Radio play-by-play announcer Tony Caridi provides periodic commentary on the Mountaineer football program for WVUsports.com. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @TonyCaridi. Tony's Take is presented by Encova.MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - You're not alone.
Like you, I've spent time this football season trying to figure out why the Mountaineer football team has lacked consistency.
There have been flashes of success followed by frustrating miscues.
Why?
We took a deep dive and focused specifically on the offensive line. While it may be the least sexy unit on any team, it just happens to be the most important. You can have the most beautiful car in the world, but without an engine, it's not moving.
And, like engines, offensive lines are complex units that require synchronicity to operate efficiently. When every part does its job, things run smoothly. When something is amiss, things break down and stall.
You get the picture. The question, why is it happening to the WVU offensive line?
While there isn't one answer, the most likely reason is the youth or inexperience of that unit.
When compared to the other nine Big 12 offensive lines, the Mountaineers are dead-last in total games played and one start away from dead-last in career starts.
Heading into last week's game at Kansas State, WVU had just 142 games played among offensive lineman. That's 38 games from ninth-place TCU and 101 games from league-leading Baylor.
The experienced Bears lead the league in rushing offense, and the lack of games played may explain why WVU, currently last in rushing offense, has struggled to consistently run the ball.
There's also a connection between offensive line experience and allowing sacks. There's Baylor again atop the list for fewest sacks allowed (eight) while WVU has surrendered a league-leading (28). Oklahoma State and Iowa State, both in the top five in offensive line starts, are also in the top four when it comes to fewest sacks allowed.
The lack of offensive line experience isn't the only reason for the Mountaineers' inconsistency, but it has certainly made a difference. The entire unit can return intact next season. If that happens, the number of games started would place them in the top three of the Big 12 based on this season's numbers.
That's likely when that unit would reach that point of synchronicity and hum like a well-tuned engine.
(Special thanks to Taylor Kennedy and Joel Bracken for their research and graphic design)
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