WVU Football: 4 Things ‘Eer Fans Should Be Thankful For

Everybody brings something to Thanksgiving dinner – whether it’s your grandma’s famous noodles, your mom’s stuffing or simply the presence of someone who’s moved away. The same goes for all of the gadgets Holgorsen has to work with on offense; they’re all unique and appreciated in their own way.

Wide receivers Daikiel Shorts, Jr. and Shelton Gibson have over 700 receiving yards apiece. Shorts, Jr. leads the team in catches (53) while Gibson ranks third with 37. Shorts, Jr. is the possession receiver, Howard’s most-targeted receiver, while Gibson is a threat to go deep every play. Ka’Raun White has emerged as of late, and is second on the team with 46 catches. He also has 546 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore Jovon Durant has 31 catches for 311 yards and two touchdowns, while also garnering a few touches in the run game.

We mentioned the stats of the running backs on the previous slide, but it’s worth noting their  expectations coming into the season.

Senior Rushel Shell was expected to have an increased workload after Wendell Smallwood departed early for the NFL, but JUCO transfer Justin Crawford quickly filled in. Even when they were hampered with injuries, freshman Kennedy McKoy stepped up in their absence.

With all these receivers and running backs at Dana Holgorsen’s disposal, it’s imperative he doesn’t get stuck play-calling for one player. He always talks about “riding the back with the hot hand,” which he did against Oklahoma with Crawford, out of both gameplan and necessity; McKoy went down with an injury early, and Shell still wasn’t able to go. But it’s nice to have options when opposing defenses’ take away your go-to player, and WVU can attack just about anywhere.