West Virginia Football: 10 best individual seasons under Dana Holgorsen
By Phil Poling
No. 1: Wendell Smallwood, Running Back | 2015
When you think of Dana Holgorsen, there are a few associations you immediately make. First of all, his love for energy drinks. Whether Monster or Redbull, Holgs is consuming them. Great wide receivers is another one, though, and that’s exactly why Wendell Smallwood’s 2015 campaign is the best individual season under the Air-Raid aficionado.
As a three-star recruit out of high school, Smallwood didn’t generate much interest from big-time college football programs as a running back. He held offers from Boston College, Connecticut, Hawaii, Rutgers, and Temple, but ultimately chose the Mountaineers.
Holgorsen usually deploys a two- or even three-back system, often rotating his runners. Smallwood waited for his turn, but took advantage of every opportunity. He amassed 722 yards as a sophomore splitting carries with Rushel Shell, but took over in 2015 as the feature back. 1,519 yards later, and Smallwood was the leading rusher in the Big 12 Conference.
He did it every single week for the WVU offense too, eclipsing 100 yards rushing 7 different times. There wasn’t a single game where the 5-foot-11, 200-pound back didn’t rush for 72 or more yards, either. Smallwood’s two highest totals came in back-to-back games against Texas Tech and Texas. In the former he rushed for 163 yards, in the latter, 165.
Next. West Virginia's game-by-game predictions for 2018. dark
This production, while unexpected to many, was exactly what the Mountaineers’ offense needed in 2015. WVU was desperately trying to replace a quarterback who had left years earlier, but Smallwood held down the fort, leading the ‘Eers to a 8-5 record.