Week Two Offensive Helmet Stickers

As they say in the sports world “it’s good to have that one behind us”.  The Mountaineers’ trip to Columbia, MO, was not memorable to say the least.  It was an ugly affair that saw Austin Kendall and the Mountaineers offense gasping for air and, defensively, having to play on short field after short field that resulted in multiple Tigers touchdowns.  It was an ugly, lopsided loss and showed the truth of Neal Brown’s initial plea months back that West Virginia fans needed to be patient and embrace what could be a long season.  Well, this is what that looks like in living color.

Despite all of that and despite the altogether poor performance by  West Virginia on Saturday, there were signs of life.  Several offensive players, despite meager opportunities to make much of an impact, did flash some real talent.  Even on a down week, there are still helmet stickers to hand out.  Let’s get to it.

George Campbell, WR- Two games into his swan song at the collegiate level, the former Seminole has done all he can with the opportunities he’s been given.  West Virginia’s lone score of the contest came late in the fourth quarter on a 46 yard lob from Austin Kendall which Campbell more-or-less walked into the end zone.  In terms of game impact, it was pretty meaningless as Missouri had effectively run away at that point but for Campbell, who was one of the most highly-coveted prospects coming out of high school several years ago, it’s of monumental significance.  In just two games as a Mountaineer, Campbell has pulled in three catches, two of which have been in the end zone, for a total of 87 yards.  So, not only his is 29.0 ypc average good tied-7th nationally, but he’s managed to emerge as the Mountaineers’ preeminent deep threat in the passing game.  At this juncture, I understand that might not be saying much, given that West Virginia is only averaging 13.5 ppg and a paltry 200.5 yards passing, but Campbell is inarguably maximizing everything that comes his way and it’s a success story that we should all hope plays out through the entirety of the 2019 season.

Sam James, WR-  James’ numbers from Saturday were far  from eye-popping (5 receptions for 35 yards, 1 carry for 8 yards and no scores), but the Georgia native did show several times during an otherwise down day why he could end up being a special player for Neal Brown.  James appeared sure-handed when targeted, which on its own is a huge positive, but his burst after the catch is the most encouraging thing of all.  The Georgia native is a burner, pure and simple.  The type of speed he possesses will only become more and more visible as he rounds out the rest of his game.  Schematically, the Mountaineers have a lot of work to do everywhere across the offense and it’s the type of top-down build that will stretch the entirety of the season.  However, once the Mountaineers can establish a run game and Austin Kendall finds a consistent rhythm in the pocket,  James has the ability to emerge among the Big 12’s elite receivers and he’s only just beginning to figure things out.  If I’m Neal Brown, Matt Moore and Chad Scott, I’m doing everything I can to get him the ball in space.

Tevin Bush, WR- Sensing a trend, here?  Until West Virginia’s O-line can get any kind of push to create run lanes, it’s going to be hard to dole out accolades to the running back corps or the big guys up front.  Bush, however, has been consistent through two games and is averaging a pretty solid 15.8 ypc average on the season.  Despite only pulling in two passes on Saturday, including being targeted with a bad throw by Austin Kendall that ended up getting intercepted, Bush also carried three times for 15 yards.  Despite his diminutive stature, Bush is West Virginia’s most explosive player off the line and has an arsenal of moves to get free in the open field.  Unfortunately, there’s only so much he, or any of the skill players can do, in light of the numerous problems plaguing the Mountaineers offensively.  Still, Bush has progressed nicely through two games and looks to factor in significantly as the season wears on.  Like with James, Neal Brown and co. should be white-boarding any number of ways to get the ball in no. 14’s hands so he can go win 1-on-1 battles out in space.

Time to shake off the Missouri blues and look forward to NC State at home.

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