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WVU eyeing return to form for struggling Sinkfield

West Virginia football's Alec Sinkfield has regressed following a strong start to the season.
West Virginia football's Alec Sinkfield has regressed following a strong start to the season. (Ben Queen/USA Today)

Through the season’s first few weeks, it seemed like West Virginia’s offense was going to be anchored by a one-two punch in the run game.

Leddie Brown, the team’s starting running back, ran through the Eastern Kentucky defense for 123 yards in a Week 1 performance that seemingly came out of nowhere following last season’s woes.

Alec Sinkfield, despite manning the running back position in a reserve role, saw plenty of snaps in the Mountaineer backfield and had a clearly defined role: the other half of a thunder and lightning duo for keeping the ball on the ground and advancing down the field. He contributed 123 yards and two touchdowns in WVU’s 56-10 win over EKU.

Yet, when Game 2 came, Brown’s success continued. Sinkfield’s fell flat. Brown rushed for more than 100 yards against Oklahoma State on Sept. 26, while Sinkfield struggled to break 10.

If the two running backs have been anything since then, it’s consistent. Brown currently leads the team with 592 yards, while Sinkfield is a distant second with 216. While Sinkfield does see a bit of a diminished role as a second-teamer, he has scrambled to make much progress.


After strong performances from both running backs in Week 1, Brown (blue) continues to be consistently better through five games while Sinkfield (red) has floundered.
After strong performances from both running backs in Week 1, Brown (blue) continues to be consistently better through five games while Sinkfield (red) has floundered.
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Now, as the Mountaineers sit with a 3-2 record prior to taking on Kansas State on Saturday afternoon, the team is hoping that Sinkfield can return to his early season form.

Head coach Neal Brown says that some of the issues that plagued Sinkfield last season have returned.

“The one thing that we’re going to stress with him [is] he’s got to go back to being a one-cut guy, get vertical,” Brown said. “[He] patted his feet more in the game against Kansas and then this game against Texas Tech. That’s kind of where he got in trouble last year. We’ve got to get back where he’s making a one stick cut and then getting vertical.”

Against Texas Tech on Oct. 24, Sinkfield saw his worst statistical performance in the run game, according to Pro Football Focus. The redshirt junior graded out at 53.9, which was his lowest of the season and barely ranked lower than his grade from the week prior.

Sinkfield has seen some successes throughout the season, namely a strong performance against Baylor where he was a key player as a blocker, but he has faced many more struggles in game action.

Kansas State, led by first-year FBS defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman, ranks eighth out of the Big 12’s 10 teams in rushing defense. If Sinkfield is looking for a week to break through, this very well may be it considering WVU’s remaining opponents.


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