Running backs were front and center in preparation for the Kansas game.

A renewed rushing attack for West Virginia after two-games of struggles was emerging and of course the two-headed monster on the other sideline in Pooka Williams and Khalil Herbert. Who could run the ball and which team would stop the run, as most football games boil down to in the end, became the focus.

But it was the somewhat forgotten option that made perhaps the biggest impact on the outcome.

Senior Martell Pettaway wasn’t a part of the 173-yard outburst on the ground against North Carolina State. No, the running back didn’t touch the ball or even see the field in that game. It wasn’t a disciplinary issue, it’s just that the coaches felt that others were better suited for that game plan.

It’s easy to see why as Pettaway had struggled in his opportunities with 15 carries for only 14 yards in the first two games with a long run of only 5 yards. His trademark physical style of running the ball wasn’t translating either with only two yard after contact and a pair of forced missed tackles.

That changed in a hurry when given the opportunity against the Jayhawks. The coaches had made the decision earlier in the week to get him into the game after a strong week of practice.

Pettaway didn’t waste the opportunity.

While playing only 13 snaps, Pettaway made the most of it turning that into 6 carries for 40 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He didn’t receive a single carry until the third quarter but his first resulted in a 23-yard touchdown run on third down to give the Mountaineers a 17-7 lead.

“We run it on third and three and he breaks a couple tackles and squirts out for about 20-yards on one,” West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said.

He’d strike again on third down on two more occasions to move the chains, first on a six-yard scamper to extend a drive and then punctuating it with a seven-yard touchdown from the Kansas five.

“Really physical run. He got north and south which is something he didn’t do in the first two games. He put his foot in the ground and got north and south,” Brown said.

Both of the touchdowns were what Brown would call ‘big-time runs,’ that showed what type of player the senior can be after a difficult stretch to open the season. It certainly wasn’t all on the back of Pettaway as the offensive line was struggling as well in those opening contests but it’s a sign of what could be for the program on the ground moving forward.

West Virginia rushed for a season-high 192 yards with Pettaway playing a role and it didn’t come as a surprise to his teammates who have watched him respond in the past after facing adversity.

“He doesn’t worry about things like that. And he knew that when his opportunity came he had to make it work,” fellow senior running back Kennedy McKoy said.

Pettaway figures to be in the mix moving forward as part of a three or four headed committee in the backfield but it certainly beats the alternative.

“That’s the kind of player he can be,” Brown said.

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