Johnson steps up to create ‘three-headed monster’ in backfield

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Over the first four games of the 2022 season, the play of true freshman tight end-turned-tailback CJ Donaldson has been among West Virginia’s most positive storylines.

Donaldson has thrived at a position he didn’t have experience playing in high school and one he wasn’t originally brought in to play for the Mountaineers, who boast one of college football’s top rushing attacks through the opening month in large part because of his production.

Yet Donaldson isn’t the only West Virginia running back showing he can make the most of his opportunity, with sophomore Justin Johnson doing likewise last Thursday in the most extensive action of his career that helped the Mountaineers pull away from Virginia Tech for a 33-10 victory at Lane Stadium.

“The game is kind of slowing down for me as I’m starting to get more reps,” Johnson said. “Thursday night was big for us as a team. I credit most of my success to the offensive linemen. We were phenomenal up front. They’re doing a good job this season and I know they’re going to keep it up.”

Johnson rushed for 83 yards and his first career touchdown on 11 carries. His 6-yard touchdown run 47 seconds into the fourth quarter allowed the Mountaineers to lead by two scores as they began to pull away from the Hokies.

Johnson’s steady play gives West Virginia a third tailback it can rely on. Tony Mathis, who began the season as the Mountaineers’ top tailback, has a team-high 58 carries for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Donaldson’s 380 yards, 7.3 yards per carry and six scores lead the the team, while Johnson shows 145 yards on 30 rushes.

“I had to wait my turn, but that’s always a story,” Johnson said. “Just be patient and blessings will come. We’re all tremendous running backs and a three-headed monster. Me, CJ and Tony are really something special. I think we’re the best in the nation.”

Johnson played sparingly as a true freshman in 2021, when he carried 24 times for 90 yards. 

A native of St. Louis, the 5-foot-11, 198-pound Johnson was behind lead tailback Leddie Brown and Mathis last season as he transitioned from high school to college football.

“The most challenging thing from the transition to college is pass protection and how to pick up on pass pro,” Johnson said. “[Running backs coach Chad Scott] has done a great job of teaching us that and slowed the game down for us a lot.”

Johnson noticeably struggled with pass protection at times in 2021, and Scott and head coach Neal Brown discussed the need for him to improve in that aspect.

“It wasn’t discouraging at all,” Johnson said. “It showed me I had to get in the film room and study a little bit more. I wasn’t ready yet. Coach Scott saw that and believed in me. He let me get ready and threw me back out there into the fire to get better and better.”

Not long after the Mountaineers wrapped up a 6-7 campaign in 2021, they hired Graham Harrell to coordinate an offense in need of a spark.

An accomplished quarterback at Texas Tech who went on to play in the NFL and CFL, Harrell is a disciple of the Air Raid coaching tree that often features a pass-heavy attack.

Over his first four games at West Virginia, however, Harrell has relied heavily on an experienced and improved offensive line and three tailbacks for West Virginia to average slightly better than 217 rushing yards — good for the No. 20 rushing offense among 131 FBS teams.

“We play more balanced,” Johnson said, “and we run the ball just as much as we pass the ball.”

Moving forward, the Mountaineers plan to continue utilizing the trio of tailbacks, and Brown said Tuesday, “whoever has the hot hand will play more.”

Each of the three has a different stature and skill set. Johnson’s description of his style is one centered around patience and hitting running lanes hard when they open up. The 240-pound Donaldson is a bruising back that’s displayed both power and patience as he consistently keeps his feet moving and falls forward. Mathis, at 207 pounds, has a combination of size and speed and is the team’s most experienced tailback.

“We’ve been intentional about playing all three,” Brown said. “In the first half of every game, we’ve played all three and we’ll continue with that. We may look at some multiple running back packages down the road, especially if all three of them continue to run the ball effectively and are unselfish. 

“We weren’t necessarily surprised that [Johnson] ran the ball well at Virginia Tech, because we’d seen that in camp and spring ball.”

Johnson sees no reason the three can’t continue to build on their September success.

“We’re all going to succeed. We’ve all done some great things and we all have our own style,” Johnson said. “At anytime, we can have a breakout game just depending on the defense and how they play us.”





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