West Virginia Football: 5 bold predictions for October 2019
By Phil Poling
4. The running game will continue to improve
After having three Mountaineers finish with over 400 rushing yards a season ago, this year’s lack of production on the ground was a bit unexpected. Yodny Cajuste, a multi-year starter, did move on to the NFL, forcing three-year starter Colton McKivitz to move from right guard to left tackle. There was more shuffling after two games that appeared to solve some problems, but were they long-term fixes?
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Senior running back Kennedy McKoy has been a workhorse, tallying the most rushing attempts (48) and the most rushing yards (151) while scoring three times. He’s also added 16 receptions — the second-most on the team.
Sophomore Leddie Brown’s only played in two games this season, but owns the team’s best yards per carry average at 5.5; he’s amassed 105 yards on just 19 carries and one score. At 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds, Brown is built for hard-nosed football. His size could come in handy to spell McKoy more often as the ‘Eers get into the thick of things in Big 12 play.
While there is some experience along West Virginia’s offensive line with McKivitz, Chase Behrndt (redshirt junior) and Kelby Wickline (redshirt senior), the left guard and center positions are about as new as can be. Starting left guard, James Gmiter, is a redshirt freshman who moved to the offensive side of the ball during the spring. And to his right, at center, is another redshirt freshman in Briason Mays.
These guys simply aren’t going to get worse, and more reps can only help them in the immediate future, but also down the road for the WVU football program. When it clicks with this unit, the Mountaineer running backs are going to be running wild.