WVU Runs Over Towson, Led By Newcomer CJ Donaldson

West Virginia’s running backs put on a rushing clinic yesterday at home versus Towson, dominating the Tigers on the ground.

“Having fun and playing with confidence, that’s what our game is all about and that’s what we did today,” said running back Tony Mathis Jr.

In a game where the Mountaineers put up 316 rush yards and six touchdowns over 45 attempts, it wasn’t hard to see why Mathis had fun, as he rushed for over a hundred yards and scored two touchdowns, his first two of the season.

Mathis Jr. wasn’t alone in his dominant performance, with true freshman CJ Donaldson also boasting a game with over a hundred yards to go along with three touchdowns.

“I’m still kind of getting used to it, playing running back, because this is like my third game ever playing running back, so today I kind of surprised myself with that long run,” said Donaldson, referring of course to his 82 yard touchdown score.

Donaldson, who had never played the running back position before coming to WVU, has now put up two, hundred yard rushing performances, across three games. Today's three scores added to Donaldson’s exponentially growing touchdown count, bringing him to six on the season.

“I knew this in recruiting: he’s a really good football player, you know? And we didn’t recruit him to play running back,” said head coach Neal Brown. “But, CJ started running versus our first team defense and those guys don’t wanna tackle him. I mean he’s big. That’s a tough tackle, you know? And he’s got a natural feel for it.”

The Mountaineers run game is already showing tremendous growth under first year offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. The team is currently averaging 217 yards per game, a massive leap from last season's meager 117. The WVU offensive line also received much praise for the newfound success, from Coach Brown and the two standout running backs.

“Our O-line is very great this year, we know having them is going to help us with everything, passing and running. They’ve made the run game possible this whole season so far,” said Mathis Jr.

A key aspect of yesterday’s game was the ability for a variety of players to get real game reps, including the running back position, with backs Jaylen Anderson and Justin Johnson Jr. adding a combined 55 yards.

Donaldson had some thoughts on the depth of the running back chart, stating that it isn’t just the duo of him and Mathis bringing all the success.

“I feel like the whole running back room can do the same thing, it’s just more of like who’s got the opportunity,” said Donaldson.

The running back squad shows no signs of slowing down, with Mathis Jr. stating after the game: “There’s still a lot left.”

Fans will get a chance to see exactly what Mathis Jr. means on Thursday night in the trophy game against Virginia Tech.

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