West Virginia offense making strides
West Virginia is playing a better, more aggressive brand of offensive football over the last four games.
And the numbers clearly reflect that shift.
Prior to the bye week, the Mountaineers were at 26.4 points per game and averaging 347.4 yards with the splits being 191.8 rushing and 155.6 passing per contest.
But since the Houston contest, the offense has been much more successful averaging over 10 points more per game at 37.8 and 509.5 total offensive yards. That’s boiled down to 250.8 yards rushing and 258.8 yards passing per game or a nearly perfect balance.
During the four-game stretch, the offense has piled up the highest overall total of the Neal Brown era which dates back to 2019 while in back-to-back weeks has hit the highest rushing total against FBS opponents with 286 against UCF and then 336 against BYU.
The Mountaineers aren’t just more productive, but it’s an exciting brand of offense that is far removed from the one that struggled to generate much through the early games in the season.
So, what’s changed?
For one, it simply comes down to the health of the offense. The coaching staff expected this group to be successful under the leadership of redshirt junior quarterback Garrett Greene this season but those expectations were somewhat derailed after an ankle injury five snaps into the Pitt game.
“I thought that was going to be Garrett’s coming out party,” head coach Neal Brown said.
Greene would miss the bulk of that Pittsburgh game and then Texas Tech, before making a surprise return on the road at TCU albeit somewhat limited. However, things took a turn after the bye week with the offense starting to find its footing across the board.
“I think if you look at it we’ve probably played pretty good since the bye week. It’s probably as much health as anything,” Brown said.
Greene has played the best football of his career of late and on top of developing chemistry with his pass catchers is playing behind a veteran offensive line.
“I feel like I’ve come a long way not just from a leadership perspective but from an offensive standpoint, I think our offensive unit is a hell of a lot better,” Greene said.
That isn’t everything though.
Related: ESPN FPI projections for West Virginia football's remaining games
The Mountaineers have made a concerted effort to be more aggressive as well as change the way that they script opening drives for the game and the starting of the half after struggles there. Over the past two games, West Virginia has scored on all four opportunities.
And some of that is scripting plays that will work against any way that a defense could play them.
“Anytime you don’t get the results you want you make some changes,” Brown said.
The Mountaineers also are loosening up things in the run game given the ability to test opposing defenses vertically down the field. The average depth of target through the four games without Duquesne involved for the quarterback that played the majority of the game was at 10.1, while that has jumped to 12.85 since then.
"Once we opened the offense a little bit as far as throwing it downfield it will keep defenses honest and keep guys out the box," coordinator Chad Scott said.
The development between Greene and his wide receivers has allowed for more confidence and execution when taking those shots which has prevented teams from stacking the box.
“We’ve been reading the run game, more perimeter-oriented as far as getting receivers involved in that and we’re throwing the ball downfield better. We’re starting to hit our stride,” Brown said. “No. 6 gives us a chance. He’s a really good player. He gives us a chance week in and week out.”
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