After a strong start last season, things quickly fell apart for the Mountaineers. They went from winning five games in a row to losing five straight. While they did end up winning their last two games, their record was only good enough to send them to the Pinstripe Bowl. The Mountaineers ended up losing that game too. When the NFL Draft came around, three of West Virginia’s most explosive players were selected. Now the whole team is entirely different and many questions have yet to be answered. Also, aside from the team looking different the Mountaineers now have new jerseys and helmets to boot.
One of the biggest questions being raised is; who will play quarterback this year? The Mountaineers currently have three quarterbacks on their roster and all of them have been
battling it out over the summer in order to get the starting job. Junior Paul Millard has been there the longest, except he hasn’t been very productive and struggles when he does in fact play. This inexperience doesn’t bode well for him since during his career his has only racked up 211 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also only played in a total of ten games during his whole college career.
Another viable option is redshirt freshman Ford Childress. The only difference with him is that he has not played a single down in a game. Childress did play in the spring game earlier this year, but even during that he struggled at times. Many people thought he would be the successor of Geno Smith, but after a poor showing and a much better option in a third QB all Childress can hope for is to grab the backup spot.
The third QB option West Virginia has is none other than redshirt junior Clint Trickett. He transferred over from Florida State a few weeks after the spring game. Many people thought this would hurt his chances at getting the starting job, but he has proved them wrong. Trickett has excelled in summer practice and will more than likely be the starter for Saturday. Trickett has a lot more game experience than Millard and Childress combined. During his career so far he has recorded 947 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. With Dana Holgorsen’s offense fans can expect to see those numbers explode.
As for running back the Mountaineers seem much more solid in that position. Aside from Andrew Buie and Dustin Garrison, the Mountaineers also got transfer Charles Sims from Houston. The interesting thing about Sims is that he has been coached by Holgorsen before and he has already been announced as the starter on Saturday. There is also a good mix of talent at this position, but as of right now expect these three to do most of the work in the backfield. Regardless of who is running the ball they should have success since last year the Tribe’s defense gave up almost 160 yards to opposing running backs per game.
Another big question aside from the quarterback position is: who will be the main receivers this season? One player who has really stood out thus far is sophomore Jordan Thompson. Thompson played excellent in the spring game and it seems as though he will be the number one receiver this season. Other players to watch for are; Dante Campbell, KJ Myers and Kevin White. William and Mary’s secondary was much better than their rush defense, they only gave up 193 yards to quarterbacks and their receivers. However, with the conference they play in the talent is nowhere close to West Virginia’s so the Mountaineers may be able to rack up huge amounts of yardage through the air.
Last year, one aspect of the game West Virginia struggled in was their defense. They allowed 38.1 points per game last year which gave them the rank of 117th in the nation. Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson somehow managed not to get fired and he will be running the same type of defense. One major difference is that the corners will be faster and taller than last year. Most of them were less than six foot and would get burned all the time by speedier and more talented receivers. The thing is though just because the secondary is a bit improved doesn’t mean that there will be instant success. While William and Mary only gained 188 yards passing per game last year, the Mountaineers’ defense made even the worst quarterbacks look good.
One player that West Virginia defense has to lock down as much as possible is wide receiver Tre McBride. Last year McBride was able to record 55 catches for 897 yards and ten touchdowns. While this was done against less talented teams than West Virginia, the defense should still take note of him and pressure him as if he were anyone else. If the secondary can limit him as much as possible then the rest of the defense should be able to take care of the running game and force William and Mary to settle for field goals.
This should be a fairly easy game for the Mountaineers to win, since the Tribe hasn't played anyone up to the Mountaineers' caliber in a while. That being said West Virginia cannot slack off against these types of teams like they sometimes do because even those with smaller football programs can upset the big named schools. Although, don’t count on that happening Saturday.
Prediction: WVU- 45 William and Mary-17
Player of the Game: Charles Sims 20 carries 150 yards 3TDs
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