West Virginia freshmen make presence known
Given the way that the 56-17 West Virginia win over FCS opponent Duquesne unfolded, the coaching staff was able to get a long list of players into the game.
That comes with the territory and overall, the Mountaineers had a total of 71 players take snaps on both sides of the ball.
Given the redshirt rules which allows a player to see action in up to four games before losing a year of eligibility it also means that some of the freshmen or newcomers on the roster would get a shot on the field to show what they could do for a number of snaps.
And some of those certainly made their mark.
On offense the obvious choice was freshman running back Jaheim White who rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown after missing the opener against Penn State. Each of the coaches simply referred to him as “special,” and his role should only continue to increase given his abilities as a rush and pass catcher.
True freshman wide receiver Rodney Gallagher also saw 33 snaps and turned that into a catch for 12-yards as well as a run for seven that ended in a fumble for a touchback as he was reaching for the endzone. Like White, that’s another obvious choice that should get more time.
But others on the offensive side include freshman offensive tackle Johnny Williams who stood out not only being physical but did a great job on combos and plowing to the next level. The Georgia native enrolled at West Virginia in the spring and has been catching the eyes of the coaches ever since with his level of play that continues to improve.
“He’s a guy we’ve been excited about thought he did some nice things,” head coach Neal Brown said.
Freshman running back DJ Oliver handled 10 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown while showcasing his downhill rushing style and redshirt freshman Sully Weidman also did some good things.
On the defensive side, freshman linebacker Ben Cutter is going to be asked to play a larger role as the season continues to move forward and he played 28 snaps against the Dukes. There was a mix of both good and bad in those snaps but it’s to be expected for a first-time player.
The last touchdown was on Ben and that’s a tough route on a WILL linebacker in that coverage and he plays it at practice but he’s a freshman. That’s not even a negative to me that’s a learning curve for guys like that,” defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said.
The encouraging thing is how he played both fast and physical when he was on the field which helps to erase some of those mistakes that come with more experience.
On the defensive line, legacy option Corey McIntyre made his mark across his 13 snaps on the defensive line and looked the part of what the Mountaineers expected when they recruited him. He was productive on the field and has what the coaches believe is a bright future.
“He’s athletic, quick twitch and powerful. We knew we had some bigger guys coming in he’s exactly what we wanted out of that. He can move, be quick and play a number of different positions and he’s going to be a really good player for us,” Lesley said.
For some of these players that might not happen until further down the road, but the experience is something that is only going to help each of them progress quicker. The coaching staff believes that the future is a bright one at West Virginia and those players helped to propel that belief with their play.
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