Two years after Justin Crawford reached the 1,000-yard mark on the ground, Kennedy McKoy could see the same result in 2019 for West Virginia football.
Neal Brown has plenty of options to choose from in West Virginia’s backfield. You would think that Dana Holgorsen left the cupboard bare in Morgantown with how quickly he darted out of town, but the backfield is loaded.
There’s senior Martell Pettaway who had 623 yards and six touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry last season as well as sophomores Leddie Brown and Alec Sinkfield. Those are three guys who could all push for starting snaps, but at the top of the depth chart is senior Kennedy McKoy who led the team in rushing last season with 802 yards and eight scores.
McKoy is the best option for the Mountaineers moving forward because he’s worked his entire career for this. He rushed for 472 yards as a freshman, 596 as a sophomore and that all led up to 802 yards as a junior. He’s the clear No. 1 back and will be the Mountaineers’ next 1,000-yard rusher after Justin Crawford reached that mark two years ago.
The 6-foot-0, 200-pound back from Lexington, N.C., has a chance to break out in a new offense, getting more carries than he had a year ago and using that to reach the 1,000-yard mark.
Brown may be worried that by choosing McKoy, he’s turning his back on the rest of the talented backs, but that’s not the case. McKoy is the best option to reach 1,000 yards and he has to know that — even if Pettaway averaged more yards per carry last season.
West Virginia’s backfield is in good hands, and it all starts with McKoy. Pettaway will be a solid No. 2 option along with Brown, but the Mountaineers will have another 1,000-yard rusher in 2019.