MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Taking the yo-yo nature of his freshman year in stride, Martell Pettaway chalks it up to a lesson in preparedness.
The new recruit figured to play early in 2016 but didn’t. Then he figured to redshirt but didn’t. Instead, he pressed into action during West Virginia’s 11th game after the team’s top three running backs were hobbled.
Pettaway’s 181-yard debut highlighted a 49-19 win at Iowa State and his 16 carries for 63 yards were pivotal in a 24-21 victory over Baylor. But he was barely needed against Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl, meaning his usage as a late-season pinch-hitter essentially boiled down to two games.
“I was thinking, ‘Man, I’m supposed to redshirt and it’s a year gone,’ but I was excited though,” Pettaway said. “I learned a lot during those three games when they threw me in.”
He also showed — however briefly — that he has a nose for the first-down marker. Pettaway successfully converted all three of his short-yardage runs on third and fourth downs.
That could portend more situational usage this season, especially on the goal-line.
“They say I’m going to be the bruiser,” Pettaway said. “I think I’m pretty physical.”
Stockily built at 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds, he can churn between-the-tackles, and if he squirts through the first level, defenders might be surprised by his speed. Former West Virginia running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider said last season that the kid he recruited out of Detroit was timed at sub-11 seconds in the 100 meters.
“People might underestimate my speed, because I haven’t really gotten out in the open field yet,” Pettaway said.
He had his chances during that breakout game in Ames. Among his 30 carries that day, Pettaway regrets a few misreads in which he cut back prematurely into the defensive pursuit.
“Some of the big plays I made could’ve been bigger,” he said.
This season he combines with 1,000-yard rusher Justin Crawford and fellow sophomore Kennedy McKoy to give the Mountaineers the deepest backfield in the Big 12.
Behind them is a promising true freshman Alec Sinkfield, who reminds Pettaway of himself a year ago.
“The other day he didn’t get that many reps so I told him, ‘Look, it’s a long season. You don’t know what can happen.’ I’m proof of that,“ he said.
“It was shocking how so many went down throughout the course of last season, so you’ve got to be ready.”