WVU football is looking for weapons to spark a stagnant offense, and they may have found one last week.
Jarod Bowie, a Martinsburg, W.Va. native who played for current WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez at Jacksonville State before following him to the Mountaineers this season, hasn't gotten much of a chance to shine for WVU before the Utah game. He had only seen 17 offensive snaps all season before the Week 5 showdown with the Utes, and all but one of those came against FCS opponent Robert Morris in Week 1. But last week, Bowie saw 16 snaps and had a massive 68-yard rush on an end-around that set up the Mountaineers' second touchdown of the day. He also added one catch for four yards. He was the Mountaineers' highest-graded player by Pro Football Focus (PFF) who saw more than 10 snaps in the contest.
So far, Bowie has been sitting below Rodney Gallagher III and Oran Singleton Jr. on the depth chart. But with Singleton out with an injury this week and Bowie having seen nearly as many snaps against Utah than in the previous four games combined, he could be set to see even more action against the Cougars this week and prove his worth.
Bowie is no stranger to performing at a high level – while playing for the Concord (WV) Mountain Lions at the Division 2 level, Bowie was the 2022 Mountain East Conference Player of the Year and a Harlon Hill Trophy finalist. His case for success is also boosted by the fact that Khalil Wilkins will now get his first nod at the starting quarterback role this season. Wilkins looked as if he could spark the offense better than any quarterback who has seen the field yet for the Mountaineers, and he could by the dynamic weapon Bowie needs at signal caller to help get him the ball.
If Bowie can finally see enough consistent snaps to find a rhythm against Big 12 competition in an offense he's already well acquainted with, he could be set to have a big Friday night in Provo.