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Will three be enough against KSU defense?

MORGANTOWN — There has been only one 100-yard rushing performance by West Virginia’s running backs this season. But you couldn’t tell that when talking with veteran assistant coach Ja’Juan Seider.

“I’m very happy,” said the former-Florida A&M quarterback. “We didn’t have a lot of total yards (against BYU), but we had some impact runs.”

WVU’s trio of Rushel Shell, Justin Crawford and Kennedy McCoy only accounted for 122 yards on the ground against the Cougars’ prevent unit. But every time the Old Gold and Blue found itself in the shadow of its own goal posts, the unit came up with a big effort which pushed the Mountaineers away from their own end zone and closer to their opponent’s.

More importantly, the efforts are coming from all three.

“It really doesn’t matter who we put in there right now,” continued Seider. “We feel like they can all get the job done.”

Crawford leads the way with 227 yards and one touchdown on 42 touches while Shell is close behind with 209 yards and three scores on one more carry. McCoy’s touches have been limited (4-39), but he has also latched onto three passes for 32 yards – one going for a 21-yard touchdown in the win over Youngstown State.

“I think you will see more of all three of them as we enter conference play. If we have learned anything about the Big 12, it’s that you have to have several running backs that are ready to play because of the number of plays that you are running on offense.”

That depth will be tested on Saturday when the Wildcats bring a nationally ranked (No. 1) defense to Mountaineer Field for their Big 12 opener against the Mountaineers. Through its first three games (actually only 2.5 since last week’s 35-0 win over Missouri State was stopped by weather at halftime) KSU leads the conference in every major defensive category. Opponents are only scoring an average of 11 points per game while the prevent unit is giving up a mere 72.3 yards on the ground and only 106.7 yards per game in the air.

“It’s a challenge, no doubt,” Seider explained. “But, I like where our offensive line is going. And, with Skyler (Howard) at quarterback, we aren’t afraid to take our shots no matter where we are on the field.”

Howard, who has 112 yards and one touchdowns on the ground this season, has completed 74-of-108 attempts for 974 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions this season and led the Old Gold and Blue to two second half touchdowns in K-State’s last visit to Milan Puskar Stadium.

“Skyler (Howard) is getting the ball out of his hands quicker than I have ever seen him do that,” assistant coach Ron Crook said. “And, our running backs are hitting the holes fast so it is making our (the o-line’s) job a lot easier.”

An offensive front that lost one starter – left tackle Yodny Cajuste – midway through the first quarter of WVU’s 26-11 win over Missouri and had to play without the services of starting guard Adam Pankey in the season opener due to a one game suspension.

Pankey took over for redshirt freshman Colton McKivitz at left tackle against BYU and will be there again against the Wildcats while McKivitz, who played at Union Local High School, will be seeing playing time at both tackle slots.

“Obviously, we are not as deep inside at the guards as we were when Adam (Pankey) was there, but he did a nice job of sliding into that left tackle slot against BYU so now we are going to keep him there,” said head coach Dana Holgorsen. “Colton (McKivitz) and Marcell Lazard will split time at right tackle and Colton will also see time at left tackle.”

Defensively, fans should expect to see the Mountaineers in what has become their traditional 3-3-5 alignment. But, they should also expect to see a lot more action out of its linebacking unit.

“Obviously, Kansas State will want to control the ball to keep it away from our offense,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. “That means that our linebackers are going to have to be ready for just about anything. They are going to have to be active and they are going to have to make sure they remain disciplined. The last two times we’ve played this group, big plays were what hurt us the most.”

Martinsburg native Justin Arndt leads the group with 18 tackles (11 solo).

After its Big 12 opener against K-State the Mountaineers will take its second week off before hitting the road at Texas Tech on Saturday, Oct. 15.

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