BUILDING MOMENTUM: WVU OFFENSIVE LINE AIMS AT PENALTY REDUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT AS COLLEGE SPORT ENTERS A NEW ERA
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia totaled 401 yards of offense and allowed just one sack in their recent 31-26 victory at Arizona, heading into their second and final bye week of the season.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Nicco Marchiol was well protected in his second career start, and the Mountaineers established a strong ground game, rushing for 203 yards. However, the offensive line had some issues, committing five of the team’s seven penalties.
Building solid points
Three of these penalties occurred on the opening drive, which ended with a 45-yard field goal by Michael Hayes. The drive included two false starts and a holding penalty on right guard Ja’Quay Hubbard. Another false start and a holding penalty on left guard Tomas Rimac in the second half contributed to six offensive penalties for a total of 45 yards. Tight end Kole Taylor’s holding call on the first play of the second-to-last drive proved crucial, leading to a punt while WVU was ahead 31-19.
West Virginia head coach Neal Brown expressed concerns about officiating consistency, noting, “On the speed sweep, it was borderline whether Kole held or not, but they had a fourth down conversion with a similar hold that wasn’t called. We just need to be consistent in how we call the game.”
Offensive line magic
He also pointed out that some procedural penalties were incorrectly attributed, emphasizing that while the holding calls were likely accurate, the offensive line’s procedure mistakes were unique in nature. “Brandon Yates had some snapping issues again, echoing previous problems in a 28-16 loss to Iowa State where the offense struggled,” Brown said. “But Nicco managed the snaps well this time.”
All five offensive linemen—Johnny Williams, Rimac, Yates, Hubbard, and Nick Malone—played all 66 snaps. For Williams, it was his first career start, filling in for injured Wyatt Milum, who is considered one of the team’s best players and a likely NFL Draft prospect. Milum had missed the second half of the previous game against Kansas State and did not travel to Arizona due to lingering injury issues.
The 6-foot-7, 315-pound Johnny Williams has filled in for Milum at crucial moments this season, including during a significant stretch in the season opener against Penn State.
Milum return a welcome development
Milum is expected to return for the team’s next game on November 9 at Cincinnati, but coach Neal Brown felt that Williams performed well in his first career start. “He wasn’t perfect, but for his first start on the road, he went up against two solid players. No. 3, Tre Smith, is a strong player with NFL potential, and No. 11, Chase Kennedy, while undersized, has excellent speed off the edge. He made some mistakes, but I’m really encouraged by Johnny Williams.”
One standout moment for the offensive line came during a fourth-and-2 situation at the Arizona 14-yard line in the first quarter. Punter Leighton Bechdel, acting as the holder, took the snap in field goal formation and sprinted to his left to score the game’s first touchdown.
Brown mentioned that the Mountaineers had considered attempting a fake field goal earlier in the game but decided against it when faced with a fourth-and-9 situation. “Leighton Bechdel is a really good football player—he’s athletic, can run, jump, and has great movement skills. He’s capable of adjusting if the defense overloads the side. We had a good look and executed well, similar to our run game scheme.”
