West Virginia huge receiver Hudson Clement (84) will get clear of Houston defensive again Jalen Emery (3) on a landing reception right through the fourth quarter of an NCAA school soccer recreation Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
MORGANTOWN – Not to be ignored as they appeared throughout the blurred imaginative and prescient created through the tears of a horrible ‘Hail Mary’ defeat at Houston is the only sure they are able to latch cling of and construct off as they regroup this week to stand Oklahoma State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at house is the reality that they have got discovered an offense.
It wasn’t essentially the offense, the only they felt they’d experience via this season, however it used to be an offense, one that might put 39 issues at the board after topping out at 24 issues in 4 earlier Power 5 video games.
It wasn’t the facility operating recreation constructed round CJ Donaldson’s most evident skills and the damaging legs quarterback Garrett Greene has all the time used to make his risk other from maximum different quarterbacks.
No, towards Dana Holgorsen, their former trainer who lived at his highest strictly throughout the air, they went Air Raid on us and it labored.
It used to be a recreation that Neal Brown knew used to be there as he put his staff in combination, believing in Greene’s talent to throw the ball on a prime stage and with North Carolina State receiver Devin Carter’s talent to search out openings and catch his passes.
“Offensively it was our best game, everything I thought we could be if we got our pieces together,” Brown stated when his staff regrouped on Monday and started arrangements for the Cowboys from Stillwater.
“Garrett was special. He can build off that,” Brown added.
It seemed that the times at West Virginia of throwing for 400 yards had been over, that Marc Bulger and Geno Smith and Clint Trickett and Will Grier had been long past, however remaining Thursday Greene threw for 391 yards — probably the most any Mountaineer QB had netted since Grier in 2018 and 151 yards than he’d ever handed for in school.
And there have been loads of yards that will have been that weren’t, Greene lacking a easy, wide-open turn into the flat to a large open Donaldson and Carter, regardless of having his best moments since coming to WVU, additionally struggling sufficient drops that Brown would notice he “probably left 60 yards out on the field.”
Now whether or not or now not this used to be a signature recreation of now not stays unsure. It got here with two beginning offensive lineman — take on Wyatt Milum and guard Tomas Rimac — out with accidents, which will have affected the run recreation whilst forcing extra aerial fireworks.
One factor is bound is that Brown believes in Greene, has from the start, and can middle any recreation plan towards Oklahoma State round him.
“What makes him great is he has this exuberant energy,” Brown stated. “I wish I had his energy. He doesn’t have many bad days. He’s always upbeat, bouncing around … but also you have to be able to limit that. Sometimes what makes him great is his Achilles heel. Whether that’s playing quarterback or celebrating a touchdown.”
After that Houston recreation, Greene and Brown now will have extra self belief within the huge receivers. Hudson Clement’s skills endured to develop as he added any other giant play to his repertoire, the landing that gave the impression to give WVU a victory.
Preston Fox continues to make the hardest of catches and tight finish Kole Taylor has grow to be a goal.
But it used to be the 6-3 Carter who in spite of everything become the receiver WVU concept he used to be after they recruited him clear of N.C. State, surpassing 100 yards for the primary time as he took good thing about the training personnel giving him routes from the slot in addition to out of doors.
“He had some big plays, man; had a couple of really strong runs after the catch, blocked on the perimeter and we put him at the point of contact a lot,” Brown stated. “I think he can build off that. Really, I do and we need him to have those types of games. Our pass game, that was by far the best it has looked. We kind of opened it up, too, but he made a lot of that stuff happen.”
Now, the focal point shifts again to getting the operating backs going as anticipated. CJ Donaldson simply hasn’t been the similar again he used to be a yr in the past ahead of his damage, operating with energy and burst. Part of it’s defenses keying on him — particularly when Greene wasn’t in there for nearly two complete video games for him to play off.
While he’s averaging 4.0 yards a raise, his season lengthy is simply 18 yards and he has received 112 fewer yards than remaining yr with 16 extra carries.
“I thought CJ played better,” Brown stated after the Houston recreation. “We’ve got get those other guys giving us something.”
The different guys are Jaylen Anderson, Jaheim White and Justin Johnson Jr., who has been in poor health and owns simplest two carries all season. A rotation must be labored out. Donaldson, Anderson and White all have differing kinds and will be offering quite a lot of demanding situations to the protection … the impact of which now multiples with a passing recreation seeming to return of age.
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