West Virginia has found some additional versatility in the secondary with the return of Marcis Floyd.
The redshirt senior spent last season at safety for the Mountaineers but struggled at times over the course of his 596 snaps after transferring in from Murray State. After missing the first two games of the season due to injury, Floyd has played at various spots on the field including nickel and spear.
The results have been noticeable.
In his return against Pittsburgh, Floyd was limited to just 17 snaps but primarily in passing situations and held up in coverage and held his own.
That role grew considerably to 62 snaps against Texas Tech where he earned defensive player of the week honors with his all-around performance. In that game, Floyd recorded 4 tackles that included a sack, three pass breakups and three hits on the quarterback.
“What a game by him excited for him and excited about what he is going to bring to the defense for the rest of the season. This was one of his best games,” safety Aubrey Burks said.
The Mountaineers were able to use Floyd in a number of ways which helped him to make an impact in areas that he is best at on the field.
“He played some high safety and some at nickel. That’s what he played at Murray State. He played safety for us out of necessity, but he gives the ability to play man or zone there in some passing situations and he’s a good tackler,” head coach Neal Brown said.
It took some time for West Virginia to find his role but due to his aggression, Floyd is a better overall fit closer to the ball either by alignment or what he’s being asked to do in coverage.
But his ability to cause disruption was a surprise even to coordinator Jordan Lesley.
“Quite honestly, I had no idea he was as good of a blitzer as he was Saturday. Had no idea. Get to about the third quarterback hit after the sack watching him, he has a natural knack,” he said.
It’s a strong start for Floyd who has overcome some of his early struggles in his first season to find a role where he can make an impact in the secondary. It’s something that is even more important with the loss of Keyshawn Cobb for the season due to injury and Montre Miller at cornerback.
Some of that is the fact that Floyd is more comfortable now in his second year at the power five level but some of that is directly tied to his willingness to improve.
“Things weren’t really going the way that he wanted them to go at his position and it’s his perseverance and able to fight through and now he’s able to contribute at all three positions,” Lesley said.
Now, the goal is to continue to that level of play moving forward.
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