While possessing the No. 3 rushing offense at the FBS level last season, West Virginia was often able to keep defenses honest not only through its ability to pass, but also by relying heavily on a trio of ball-carriers.
If head coach Neal Brown has his way, that’ll again be the case in the upcoming 2024 season.
The Mountaineers return each of their three leading rushers from last season in tailbacks Jahiem White and CJ Donaldson as well as quarterback Garrett Greene.
“Offensive football is about getting your best players the football any way possible,” Brown said Wednesday from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas during Big 12 Media Days.
White burst on to the scene in a big way over the second half of his first season of college football. Eighty-four of his 109 carries came over the final six games, including 100-yard efforts against BYU and Baylor and a 200-yard performance against Cincinnati that also included a 75-yard touchdown reception.
White hauled in a 29-yard game-winning touchdown pass to help the Mountaineers prevail against the Bears in their regular season finale, then rushed for 50 yards and a score in a victory against North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Nov 18, 2023; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Jahiem White (22) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
All but 185 of White’s team-high 842 rushing yards came over the final seven games, as did five of six total TDs for a player who averaged 7.7 yards per carry.
“We have Jahiem White coming back who I think is dynamic,” Brown said. “He finished the year off really strong and he’s only going to be a sophomore. So I think he’s ready to take the next step, be a premier player.”
Donaldson returns for his junior campaign after finishing second to White with 798 rushing yards in his second season of college football.
Like White, Donaldson also arrived as a true freshman, when he rushed for 526 yards and eight touchdowns on six yards per attempt back in 2022.
However, he was limited to seven games that year after suffering a season-ending injury at TCU, and Donaldson was sidelined with an injury for the win over the Tar Heels to wrap up the 2023 campaign. That came after Donaldson rushed only five times in each of the last two regular season contests after he’d carried the ball no fewer than 13 times through the first 10 games.
While injuries have plagued Donaldson and limited his impact over the second half of each of his two seasons at West Virginia, the bruising tailback has rushed for 1,324 yards and 19 touchdowns for his Mountaineer career.
West Virginia Mountaineers running back CJ Donaldson Jr. (4) rushes against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. (Photo by Teran Malone)
At about 240 pounds (Donaldson arrived in Morgantown as a tight end ahead of the 2022 season), the Miami native has more of a power running style to complement White.
“CJ Donaldson was kind of beat up last year. He’s a big, powerful running back,” Brown said. “I think he’ll go back and show, remind our fan base and college football fans across the country what he showed as a freshman and the type of potential he has.”
Perhaps the most important ingredient to WVU’s rushing success is Greene, a dual-threat signal caller with high-end speed capable of making plays on designed runs or by getting out of the pocket on pass plays.
Greene’s 13 rushing touchdowns were a team-best a season ago, and his 772 rushing yards came on 120 attempts.
As a result of the attention Greene often draws from opposing defenses, it helps free both Donaldson and White.
“Garrett Greene is an elite runner,” Brown said.
Altogether, White, Donaldson and Greene were responsible for 2,412 of 2,976 rushing yards and 28 of WVU’s 32 rushing touchdowns in 2023.
Their success could also largely be attributed to the play of the team’s offensive line. The unit returns every starter from a season ago with the exception of center Zach Frazier, one of the more accomplished offensive lineman across college football who was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the NFL Draft.
Yet the group still has another potential high NFL Draft pick in left tackle Wyatt Milum, the only Mountaineer to be named to this year’s Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team.
“We’re keeping the main thing, the main thing,” Greene said. “We relied heavily on our offensive line last year and we look forward to doing the same. Our offensive line is anchored by Wyatt Milum, who’s the best tackle in the country. I look forward to playing behind him and him helping us win some games.“
Source link : https://wvmetronews.com/2024/07/11/with-trio-of-leading-rushers-back-brown-hopeful-west-virginia-can-continue-on-with-one-of-top-ground-games-in-college-football/
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-11 17:08:14
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
