WVU finds way to ten wins
You can call it luck, skill or even long overdue but no matter how you think it happened, the Mountaineers have finished the regular season with a 10-2 record, their best since 2011.
Obviously, West Virginia’s 10 wins have not come easy. In fact, most of those wins can be considered ugly wins by many. Four of the West Virginia’s 10 victories have come by a margin of four points or less.
The Mountaineers have overcome many obstacles this season including injuries and setbacks during games. In five different games this season, the Mountaineers either lost the turnover battle or were outgained in total yards by their opponent but still found a path to victory, the Baylor game included.
“I guess it’s fitting that in a year where we battle and fight and get to 10 wins, we get to it the hardest way possible,” head coach Dana Holgorsen said.
Depth has also played a significant role in West Virginia’s success this season. Saturday’s win over Baylor culminated the recruiting job this coaching staff has done and showcased the depth talent at each position the Mountaineers have on the roster.
Redshirt junior safety Marvin Gross Jr. and sophomore wide receiver Gary Jennings in particular this past Saturday were the unexpected x-factors in earning the team’s 10th victory.
Gross led the defense with two sacks, a forced fumble and an interception in place of the injured Kyzir White while Jennings caught only his third career touchdown to give the Mountaineers the lead in the third quarter and a shift in momentum.
Perhaps the most notable position where players have stepped up this season is the running back position. With West Virginia’s backfield suffering numerous injuries this season, players like Justin Crawford and true freshmen Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway have each rushed for 100 yards in at least one game this season along with Rushel Shell.
These four running backs along with quarterback Skyler Howard, fullback and tight end Elijah Wellman and an offensive line led by center Tyler Orlosky have established a consistent running game that ranks 18th in the country and solidifies how critical some of these non-starters have been to West Virginia’s success this year.
“One of the reasons why we’re able to win is because we’ve got guys continuously stepping up,” Holgorsen said. “We don’t use any excuses. Just keep playing. The guys really want to continue to fight and do what they got to do to win.”
The fact that the Mountaineers have had many young players step up and play pivotal roles this season is a promising sign for the future as they will likely be the ones to lead this team and continue to the help the Mountaineers build up to something better than just a 10-win season.
This coaching staff has also shown that they are capable of bringing in the right recruits that can step up and produce. A lot of these players aren’t exactly four or five star recruits coming out of high school either.
Crawford for example was a JUCO prospect and has rushed for over 1,100 yards this season. Howard was a JUCO prospect as well and was not heavily recruited. Now, he sits third all time in both passing and yards produced in team history.
Call it ugly wins if you want but if there’s anything that this West Virginia team has proven this year, it’s that it pull together team victories. This is a team that does not have a lone superstar but have epitomized what it takes to win a team game.
As the Mountaineers prepare to take on a Miami team that is looking to end its 10-year bowl victory drought, look for them to play with extra passion and tenacity as they look to send the seniors out with the team’s 11th victory and gain more momentum for the offseason as they continue to build up toward the promising future that holds West Virginia football.