West Virginia football: 3 takeaways from Eastern Kentucky beat down
By Phil Poling
3. Emphasis on running the football
The FOX Sports 1 broadcast played a clip of Neal Brown multiple times throughout the game in which he was asked about the WVU running game. His answer to if it will be improved was met with a resounding, “It better be.” And it was. Exponentially.
Leddie Brown gashed the Colonels early, with Alec Sinkfield sprinkled in and Tony Mathis taking over late. Brown rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries, while Sinkfield added 123 yards and two scores on 15 carries. Freshman Tony Mathis chipped in 55 yards on 18 carries which included his first career rushing touchdown.
The total damage on the ground eclipsed 300 yards, a feat the Mountaineers didn’t achieve once in 2019. It’s important to take into account their opponent, but remember — the ‘Eers were down two starters on the offensive line before the game even kicked off.
The Behrndt and Uzebu suspensions are said to only be for one game, so assuming that holds true, that unit will only get better. Today’s experience, though, could go a long way for the other guys.