West Virginia football RB Brown continues strong campaign
It’s almost hard to believe by looking at him now that Leddie Brown was struggling with his confidence on the football field just a season ago.
Brown mustered only 3.4 yards per carry behind an overmatched offensive line and managed only 367 yards for the entire season good for tops on the team. Over the course of the year, he forced only 13 missed tackles and 13 runs over 10+ yards. That alone is a reflection of simply how much the Mountaineers struggled to generate anything on the ground.
“Last year confidence was really, really low that’s why I decided to get closer to the offensive line and understand what they’re doing up front and making sure the run game is clicking,” he said.
That hasn’t been the case in 2020.
Brown is leading the Big 12 Conference in rushing with 515 yards in four games, with 248 yards or 48-percent of that total coming after contact. His yards per carry also has improved to 6.4 per tote. He’s also already eclipsed his other key rushing totals in those four contests as well with 17 missed tackles forced and 17 runs over 10+ yards despite only playing 33-percent of the total games.
In the process, Brown has become the focal point of the offense and the most reliable player for the Mountaineers on that side of the ball. When Neal Brown needs a play, he often goes to No. 4.
“Weight lifted off my shoulders. Really proud of my progress last year to this year,” Brown said of his start. “I hope I keep doing what I’m doing.”
Brown is coming off a career high performance with 195 yards on 18 totes, an average of 10.8 yards per carry against Kansas. That was bolstered by an 87-yard touchdown run where the junior running back was able to show patience in a 3rd and 1 situation and then hit the crease and race to the end zone.
On the play Kansas played a bear front and were squeezing the interior part of the line, but Chase Behrndt and Mike Brown created a seam on the right side for Brown to squeeze through and with the Jayhawks selling out to stop the run the middle of the field was open. That was the only snap that the Mountaineers utilized 12-personnel, or two-tight ends.
“What he has grown into is a patient back. He kind of hung there and hit it,” Brown said.
From Brown’s perspective?
“I was put in the game to get the first down, but I saw a little crease and I jumped it and saw a whole bunch of green field and I just hit it,” he said.
Thing didn’t start well for Brown, or the West Virginia offense, as the offense struggled through their first two possessions resulting in a turnover and a punt. But after that the coaches flipped the script and decided to go back to their bell cow in the backfield.
But it’s not just on the ground either, as Brown has developed into one of the most reliable pass catchers on the team as well. He has caught all 12 of his targets this season for 91 yards and two scores. He was only able to reel in 17 passes all of last season.
It’s no accident either, as Brown has put a lot of work into refining that part of his game as he’s developed as a true feature back for the Mountaineers. That was coincided with his improvement in the way he practices and his preparation throughout the week.
“I think people assume big backs are interior guys but he actually does a really good job on perimeter runs and he’s excellent catching the ball out of the backfield,” his head coach said. “He does a nice job too of when we split him out.”
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