Mountain State Products Keying WVU’s Offensive Resurgence
November 27, 2023 11:31 AM | Football, Blog
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By: John Antonik
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Have you noticed the number of West Virginia players who have contributed to the Mountaineers' offensive success this season?
Of course, there is All-American center Zach Frazier in the middle. Everyone knows about the best thing to come out of Fairmont since the pepperoni roll. He will go down as one of the best centers in Mountaineer football history.
More on Zach in a moment.
Flanking Zach on the offensive line are a pair of Spring Valley High graduates, Doug Nester and Wyatt Milum. Nester began his collegiate career at Virginia Tech before wising up and returning to Almost Heaven, while Milum has been a player the coaches have raved about from the moment he committed to WVU in 2020 after receiving coast-to-coast recruiting interest.
Those guys have helped an 8-4 West Virginia team become the third-best rushing offense in the country with an average of 234.3 yards per game. That's a far cry from the anemic 73.2 yards-per-game rushing average the Mountaineers had in 2019.
Overall, the offense has gone from 321.9 yards per game in 2019 to 438.2 yards per game in 2023.
Unlike Frazier, Nester and Milum, Morgantown High's Nick Malone had to go the difficult route to work his way into the offensive line rotation. After walking on, and through sheer persistence and determination, Malone forced the coaching staff to take notice, eventually earning a scholarship and becoming a valuable contributor to the team.
Nick can play multiple positions and has become the team's Swiss army knife because of his great versatility and intelligence.
It's been a similar deal with Morgantown High teammate Preston Fox, who made catch after catch in practice until he could no longer be ignored. That big grab Preston made in last Saturday night's Baylor game is one he's made countless times in practice over the last couple of years.
Fox ended the regular season third on the team with 26 receptions for 368 yards while finding his way into the end zone twice.
And then there is Martinsburg freshman Hudson Clement, who should have been the hero of the Houston game until misfortune reared its ugly head at the end. Clement was West Virginia's leading receiving against the Bears with all four of his catches coming after intermission, which included a couple of critical ones on the Mountaineers' winning drive.
Hudson also had that great game against Duquesne and finished the regular season leading the team with four touchdown receptions and an average of 23 yards per catch. Hudson Clement makes a catch in Saturday's 34-31 win at Baylor (All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo).
"Let's talk about Hudson Clement, man," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said following Saturday night's come-from-behind, 34-31 victory at Baylor. "Was it two or three plays on that drive? He made some big plays. Preston had to leave, but he made a great catch. I'm surprised it hasn't really caught on more, but I've tried to talk about the kids from West Virginia we have on offense.
"We've been pretty good on offense, especially in our league, and look at the number of West Virginia guys that are heavy contributors," Brown pointed out. "I'd bet you'd be hard-pressed to find this many West Virginia guys making such a significant contribution like they are now."
In the modern era of West Virginia football?
Probably not.
And when you talk about Frazier's historical legacy, his name belongs in the same conversation with some of the very best Mountain State guys to ever play at West Virginia.
The selfless play he made on the winning drive against Baylor when he hopped off the field on one leg to preserve enough time to win the game will be talked about around here for years to come. That encapsulates everything that Frazier has meant to the team, his teammates and the coaching staff.
"I can't say enough about Zach Frazier," Brown beamed. "I'm so appreciative of him and his family. I think that one play sums up who he is for his entire career, and I just hope our fan base understands the young man from Fairmont … I think he's the best center in college football."
Brown continued.
"This is how smart he is and how tough he is. He had an injury that's significant. It's not something that's going to be long term, but he won't play in the bowl game. He limps off because he knows that it is a 10-second runoff if he stays down," Brown explained. "So, he limps off on one leg to avoid a 10-second runoff and that speaks to his intelligence, how tough he is, and he's a great player."
Brown said he plans on coaching a long time, and he doesn't believe he will ever coach a center that's better than Zach Frazier.
"It's kind of bittersweet, really. We win the game at the end, and he gets hurt, so my level of excitement is subdued because of that," Brown concluded.
Once Zach recuperates, a long and productive career in the NFL could be in the offing. The pro folks will have a lot of tape to study over the last four years of Frazier's collegiate career at West Virginia.
