MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Chase Behrndt has seen the stats and heard the talk. Last year, the WVU ground game was statistically one of the worst in college football. Although the Mountaineers have played just two games so far, they have shown marked improvement, averaging just under two hundred rushing yards per game. Behrndt says the front line remains a work in progress.
“We have definitely shifted things around,” Behrndt said. “I think we are still trying to figure things out. We are really coming a long way. We are getting young guys a lot of playing time. I would say we are really trusting the process. We are trying to get the best five out there. I think we are in the middle of that and we are still sorting through some stuff. We are coming in strong and trying to get the best offensive line we can get.”
Junior Leddie Brown has has posted back-to-back hundred-yard rushing efforts. Behrndt says the relationship between the line and the running backs is much stronger this fall.
“We have definitely been behind some good running backs on this team with my career so far. Leddie is doing it stronger than anyone I have seen in my career here. He is one of the strongest running backs we have had, maybe that we have seen in the Big 12 in a little bit. To have someone that you know on every run he is going to get back to at least the line of scrimmage helps you out as an O-Line.
“Every running back, whether it is the fifth-string or the starter, all of us are really close.”
On the flip side, the Mountaineers struggled at times in pass protection in Saturday’s loss at Oklahoma State. Quarterback Jarret Doege was sacked five times by the Cowboys. Doege has impressed Behrndt with his toughness to take hits and keep pushing forward.
“It is disgusting to turn around and see him on the ground. The fact that he can get up time and time again and still come back with the same composure, still compete the same or maybe even compete harder, it is amazing to watch,”
In his four years in Morgantown, Behrndt has played all across the Mountaineer offensive front.
“I am perfectly fine moving anywhere. Anything that can help the team out, anything that can get other guys more reps to get the best five out there possible, I am willing to do anything with that.
“I am perfectly fine playing anywhere, whether that be center, guard, tackle, anything.”
Behrndt is starting now at the center spot and he is playing ahead of true freshman Zach Frazier. The Fairmont Senior graduate has made a strong impression on Behrndt in his first season.
“He is a very hard-working kid. I think he still has ways to go and some things to learn. I am doing my best personally to try to lead him through that process and help him be the best player he can possibly be right now.
“He is going to have a good career. We are trying to get him to be a key part of this offense right now.”
Behrndt has played in eleven games in each of the last two seasons. Last year, he played through pain the entire season after suffering a shoulder injury in preseason camp.
“I played every game with it torn. I tore it in training camp last year. It really helped me figure out how you can work the offensive line position, being able to play, I guess without all your extremities. When something is not a hundred percent, you have to overcompensate with some stuff. You work on leverage. You work on body position. Once you lose some of your strength, you have to figure out ways to use your footwork and use your technique to overpower a lot of the strong D-linemen we have in this league.”
Behrndt wrapped up his undergraduate degree in advertising and public relations in the summer. As he enters what could be his final season in the WVU program, the Missouri native believes he made the right choice by becoming a Mountaineer.
“I love everything that this program instilled. I love the mindset. I love the hard-working atmosphere. I love this town and I love this state. I don’t know if it could ever take away from home. It is definitely my second home. I love this place with every bit of me. Coming out here, I didn’t know what to expect. But I can definitely say the five years has proved to me I made the best choice possible. Because I love this place.”