Curtis Jones Jr. know a thing or two about playing running back, even if he had never taken a collegiate carry before WVU football's 29-22 win over Colorado on Saturday.
Jones did, after all, play running back in high school. In fact, he was quite proficient at the position during his prep career. A Huntington, W.va native, Jones was a two-time all-state first team running back who ran for over 3,300 yards and 46 touchdowns between his junior and senior seasons at Cabell Midland High School. But he left his time on the offensive side of the ball in the past when he came to play the bandit position at WVU. Or so he thought.
It turns out, however, that the Mountaineers needed him. The running back room in Morgantown is looking skimp – the Mountaineers are missing Jahiem White and Tye Edwards for the season, and Clay Ash and Tyler Jacklich were injured and couldn't play against Colorado. That left four running backs on the roster, and only two who had seen action this season.
The Mountaineers are also missing size in the backfield with the loss of Edwards, and Jones is 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds. So Rodriguez had been getting him snaps at running back, in hope to alleviate some of the size and depth issues the offense had at running back. That news broke ahead of the Houston game, but Jones was never called upon.
Fast forward to the Colorado game, and the Mountaineers have the ball on Colorado's 2-yard line and a 2-0 lead after scoring a safety on a punt block. Jones trotted onto the field with the offense, set to get his first collegiate carry. Less than a minute later, he had scored his first collegiate touchdown after bouncing off one defender's tackle attempt and diving forward through more Colorado defenders to stretch the ball across the plane.
"It was a surreal moment. I was speechless," Jones said after the game.
The first carry of Curtis Jones’ college career was a big one … pic.twitter.com/465KHE91QS
— Jed Drenning (@TheSignalCaller) November 9, 2025
Later in the game, he'd get two more carries in a goal line situation, and would bounce off some more Buffaloes to find himself in the endzone one more time. He finished the day with three carries for nine yards and two touchdowns.
"We had no backs that I think weighed more than 180 pounds," Rodriguez said in his postgame press conference. "The first time we were down on the goal line, I turned around and he standing right there breathing down my neck...he can be a weapon; he was obviously a really good high school running back and, yeah, our running back health situation has been kind of crazy, too."
For a defensive player like Jones, especially as an underclassmen, being called upon to be prepared for both positions can be difficult, and returning to a previous position you haven't played in years might not be easy. Not to mention, getting your first carry in a high-pressure situation in front of 55,000 fans is certainly nerve-wracking. But he was able to pull it off without too much of an issue.
"Just getting back in the game and back on the offensive side, I was very anxious. I was very excited as well," Jones said after the game.
"You know, I had to shake the dust off a little bit in practice. But I wouldn't say it was difficult getting back adjusted to it."
He also credited the running backs and quarterbacks around him – such as Jahiem White, Diore Hubbard, Scotty Fox Jr., and Khalil Wilkins – for giving him advice and tips in the run game, and called it a "blessing" to have those players around him. And he said if Rodriguez needs to continue to call upon him on the offensive side of the ball, he's more than willing to contribute.
I'm just trying to help my team in any situation I can," Jones said. "And if that's what it is, or that's what our goal is, then, you know, I'll be right there."