MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The smallest man on West Virginia’s roster made one of the biggest plays Saturday for in a 35-6 win over Kansas State, but it came at the expense of one of his teammates.
David Sills figured all week that the play-call — a bunched three-receiver set with the slot receiver running a wheel route — might go for for a touchdown. And in practice, Sills was the man getting the opportunity deep.
When receivers coach Tyron Carrier pulled Sills to the sideline for a breather in the third quarter, however, the play call came through to run it. Alas, the 5-foot-6 Tevin Bush got the chance instead.
“David was pretty hot because he knew that was gonna be a touchdown,” offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said.
“At the moment, I didn’t know who was in the game. I knew Coach Carrier had that handled and it was just a nice play to see Tevin run down that sideline. We caught them at the right time.”
Quarterback Will Grier slung a deep pass to Bush sprinting down the left sideline and Bush outran Wildcats cornerback A.J. Parker for a 62-yard touchdown, the first score of Bush’s career.
A sophomore from New Orleans, Bush was mobbed by teammates.
“That play was definitely something I was really looking forward to, but it was really great to see Tevin get in the end zone,” Sills said. “When he got to the sideline, he had the biggest smile on his face. It was really big for him and our offense because he’s a dynamic player that I think it going to be really good for West Virginia.”
The score put the Mountaineers up 28-3, though it wasn’t the type of play that typically involves Bush.
“I just read it and Tevin’s pretty fast, and I trusted him and he made a play,” Grier said.
Bush moved from running back to receiver this offseason, mainly due to an abundance of running backs in the backfield. With his elusiveness, he was a natural fit in the slot, but not necessarily as a deep threat.
With the reputation of Sills and Jennings and the emergence of Marcus Simms and T.J. Simmons, Carrier is excited when the next wave can make a play.
“It always nice when you can get those goes that nobody really knows much about to get in and prove what they can do. As a coaching staff, we know what Tevin can do, it’s just good that we can get everybody else to see it too.”
Bush finished the game with two catches for 69 yards.