(Neal Brown pregame press conference)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In large part due to a combination of experience and development, West Virginia expected its offensive line to be much improved in 2022.
Through four games, the unit has met and perhaps exceeded expectations, and it’s a big reason the Mountaineers boast one of college football’s most balance offenses.
“We played young and took some lumps when we were young,” WVU head coach Neal Brown said. “Some of those lumps that we took, there was a lot of growth there and now we’re reaping some of those benefits. It’s gone from a weakness to now we feel it’s a strength of ours. We felt that was the case going into the year and it’s played out.”
Center Zach Frazier was the team’s top offensive lineman for a second straight week, while right guard Doug Nester was praised by Brown for playing at a high level against his former school in West Virginia’s 33-10 win at Virginia Tech.
Nester began the season at right tackle beside right guard Jordan White, but with White sidelined each of the last two weeks due to a lower body injury, the Mountaineers moved Nester back inside while Ja’Quay Hubbard and Brandon Yates split time at right tackle.
Yates started last season at left tackle, while Hubbard played sparingly.
“Have you noticed them? That’s how you know they’re getting better,” Brown said. “They’ve both been solid in the run game and they’re getting better in pass protection. Those were pretty good d-ends we played last week from a pass rush standpoint, and they hung in there and did well.”
Wyatt Milum transitioned from right to left tackle in the offseason and plays beside the team’s most experienced linemen, left guard James Gmiter.
In the preseason, Brown said the Mountaineers were comfortable playing up to those seven aforementioned players up front, and the group has been instrumental in allowing West Virginia to rank 20th among FBS teams with 217.5 rushing yards on average.
Combined with their 272.5 passing yards, the Mountaineers are one of nine FBS teams averaging at least 200 rushing and 250 passing yards. The other eight — Ohio State, TCU, UCLA, Alabama, Florida State, Utah, Coastal Carolina and Michigan — have a combined record of 30-1.
“I don’t know if it’s balance or good football players, but it’s something,” offensive coordinator Graham Harrell said.
Tony Mathis began the season as WVU’s featured option and leads the backfield with 58 carries. Mathis has gained 272 yards, which ranks second behind CJ Donaldson’s 380 yards.
Donaldson, a 240-pound true freshman, is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has six rushing scores despite coming to campus without playing tailback in high school.
Justin Johnson had a career effort to this point in Blacksburg, gaining 83 of his 145 rushing yards and scoring his first touchdown.
“You don’t have to have a runner [at quarterback] to be able to run the football, but you have to create edges, have some things in the screen and RPO [run-pass option] game, be proficient in play action and have skill players. That matters,” Brown said. “It’s been a progression. It’s not just the offensive line, running backs or tight ends. It’s all the pieces together and schematics plays a role in it, too.”
For as solid as West Virginia has been run blocking, the team’s pass protection has been equally effective, allowing only five sacks, including two over the last three games.
While some of that credit also belongs to quarterback JT Daniels for his ability to get rid of the ball, the offensive line has more than adequately protected him on the majority of its opportunities, evidenced by the Hokies failing to record a quarterback hurry last Thursday.
“The nice thing is we feel like we have enough guys that if we have to throw it to win, we can throw it and win, and if we have to run it to win, we can run it and win,” Harrell said. “The offensive line plays a large role in both of those. They’ve done a heck of a job in protection, and in the run game, without a good offensive line, you’re not going to have the production we’ve been able to have.”
Frazier, a sophomore starting for a third season and second at center, continues to be a standout. Brown believes at least part of the Fairmont native’s success can be attributed to his preparation and football IQ, which benefits the group as a whole.
“We put a lot of responsibility on him for front identification. He’s really well prepared,” Brown said. “We spend a lot of time with him on how we’re going to ID the run game, how we want to pick up the blitzes. He’s an intelligent football player. We’re getting hats on the right people.
“He’s really strong, so we can man him where a lot of other teams can’t. That allows us opportunities with guards and tackles to double in pass protection and in the run game. He wins a lot of 1-on-1s. I say this to our players a lot — ‘There’s 22 on the field, but it’s really decided by a lot of 1-on-1s’, and he wins his 1-on-1s a lot.”
While Brown admits the group’s depth likely remains “a year away” from where he’d like it to be, White’s return appears imminent, which would strengthen that aspect in the present.
“Jordan is getting really close to being full speed, so we’ll see how that goes,” Brown said. “He may be a factor in there. He’s really been slowed with a lower injury. He’s dressed the last two weeks, but we didn’t feel like he was 100 percent. We’ll see how we looks today and tomorrow in practice.”
Moving forward, a unit that’s been a work in progress since Brown took over is viewed as one that can help lead a turnaround, which the Mountaineers (2-2) hope to continue Saturday when they pursue a third consecutive win at Texas (2-2).
The 7:30 p.m. contest marks West Virginia’s third road game at night this season and will provide another tough test for an offensive line out to control the line of scrimmage at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
“I’ve said this since I’ve been here — offensive line is probably what you’d build your team around,” Harrell said. “They’ve done a heck of a job. They get things hatted up. The running backs have done a good job always going forward. That’s been something that’s really helped us In the run game is not taking too many negative yardage runs. Even if you’re only getting 2 or 3, As long as you’re not going backwards and way behind the sticks, there’s value in it.
“A lot of that has to do with the offensive line playing a lot games together, so they’re not getting confused and giving free runners into the backfield. When you’re getting positive yards every time you call it, you continue to do it.”