During the 31-24 win over rival Pitt, the WVU offense featured more inclusion with the tight ends in the passing game than we have seen through the prior two games against Robert Morris and Ohio.
In the first game of the season, WVU won 45-3 over Robert Morris, tight end Grayson Barnes ended with three catches for 37 receiving yards and no touchdowns. Jacob Barrick added one catch for 15 receiving yards, also with no touchdowns. Three WVU quarterbacks added up for 18 completions in that game, four of them going to tight ends.
The following week, in a 17-10 loss to Ohio in Athens, WVU tight ends barely made it into the box score. Barnes was only able to haul in one catch for two receiving yards in week two. Starting quarterback Nicco Marchiol had 15 completions, and only one of them went to a tight end, and it was for only two yards.
On Saturday, in the 108th edition of the Backyard Brawl, Barnes was much more involved than in the previous week and had one more catch against Pitt than he had total through two games. Barnes finished with five receptions for 58 receiving yards, and hauled in a pair of big receptions on the final drive of regulation – including the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter to force an overtime period against Pitt.
Barrick also added one catch for two yards in the game against the Panthers, coming on the crucial game-winning drive in overtime. The trio of WVU quarterbacks that played in the Backyard Brawl completed 22 passes, with six of them going to tight ends.
It's unsure if getting the tight ends more involved in the passing game was a designed intention or if it was just the result of the tight ends being open more against a Pitt defense than in previous weeks. But either way, the tight ends came out to play, and Barnes especially was able to make a big impact on the game, helping WVU beat its rival.
With an offensive line that is struggling to keep quarterbacks upright and safe, the tight end option might be something to seriously consider keeping more involved in the passing game to get the ball out of Marchiol’s hand quicker, hopefully leading to fewer sacks taken. The tight ends might just be the answer that head coach Rich Rodriguez and the offensive staff might be looking for to help Marchiol get the ball out of his hand quicker and help stay ahead of the chains in earlier downs.
Whether it be by design or just Marchiol taking advantage of open looks for the tight ends, including the big pass catchers, really helped the Mountaineers in their win in the Backyard Brawl.