WVU defense has Hill to climb against TCU

One thing definitely working in the favor of West Virginia this weekend is that Trevone Boykin won’t be on the field when TCU comes to town.

“Boykin was a pain in our side,” head coach Dana Holgorsen said.

That much was true. In four games, three wins, Boykin played quarterback and wide receiver for the Horned Frogs and more often than not was the best player on the field. In those four games he accounted for 809 passing yards, 164 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards with eight touchdowns.

Now in the absence of Boykin, the Mountaineers now have another challenge in defending another dynamic player in new Horned Frogs quarterback Kenny Hill.

By now Hill’s story is well known as the one-time September Heisman front runner at Texas A&M eventually lost his job and transferred to TCU. After sitting out last season, Hill seized the starting job and has been the key catalyst on the Horned Frogs offense this season to date.

Hill is one of three players nationally to rank inside the top five in total offense per game and passing yards. The junior has accounted for a total of 19 total touchdowns but has thrown eight interceptions. Six games into the season, Hill is on pace to set the total offense record at TCU.

But it’s not Boykin that Hill is drawing comparisons to. It’s the quarterback that West Virginia saw last week in Texas Tech signal caller Patrick Mahomes given both of their abilities to buy time in the pocket with their legs and then make throws down the field.

“Hill can run the ball a little better, he’s a little faster. I think he may have a little more arm strength, but they both can sling it around,” redshirt senior linebacker Justin Arndt said.

The TCU offensive package is the same with Hill under center but the differences in the abilities between him and Boykin are noticeable. That means instead of crashing, the defensive backs have to watch biting up so the football isn’t thrown over top of them when he escapes the pocket.

“Hill scrambles to throw,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said.

As far as tempo, expect much of the same with the Horned Frogs as they will attempt to get lined up and snap the football quickly to keep defenses off balance. And much like a week ago, a key for West Virginia will be to keep Hill uncomfortable when he’s on the field.

“Make sure he doesn’t have all day to stand back there and pick the defense apart,” redshirt junior linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton said.

The Mountaineers opened the game against Texas Tech a week ago holding back on their blitzes before utilizing them much more frequently in the second half. Pressure will be a key element to keep Hill uncomfortable but it will have to be balanced because of the Horned Frogs ability to leak backs out of the backfield for big chunks of yards as well as the quarterback’s mobility.

“He’s not going to feel comfortable sitting in the pocket when he’s getting heated up from different directions on the field. That definitely plays into what we do,” redshirt senior safety Jarrod Harper said.