(2022) WVU Season Preview

[smackemz]

Morgantown - When coach smackemz got the call prior to the beginning of the 2021 season, he knew he was in for a climb. However as a graduate of West Virginia University it was always his dream to come back and take the reigns of one of college football's winningest programs. "We're talking about a program with the 15th most wins in NCAA history, it was painful to see the roster rated 123rd by Rocketship media. I knew this would be a challenge, but I owed it to the state and the school." Underdogs in every game on the schedule, the Mountaineers would surprise those around the country and pull off 4 wins in the 2021 campaign. "Our games weren't pretty" smackemz recalled, "but we found ways to win by taking care of the football and leaning on our defense." The Mountaineers will likely be in for another difficult season in 2022 as they look to replace almost all of their offensive production and Big-XII first team ILB Victor Lewis-Harris.

 

Offense

 

Quarterback

Who's Out - Logan Gabriel - 148/255 for 2,057 yards, 10 TD, 6 INT - Gabriel was the epitome of a game manager for the run heavy Mountaineers. Tasked with keeping the turnovers low, he had success keeping the Mountaineers in games by taking care of the rock. Gabriel was a senior and has graduated from the program.

Who's In - Sr. Shelby Musa will take over the reigns at quarterback for the Mountaineers. Musa has a balanced game and will look to keep his turnovers low and rely on a strong defense in 2022.

Why are we excited? The Mountaineers brought in 4 star QB Dzanan Reid from Hellertown, PA. Reid has everything you could want in a quarterback. He has a college ready body at 6'4" and 225 LBs and he brings an excellent arm and pocket awareness with him. Coach smackemz has elected to red shirt his this year as they work to build a competitive roster around him.

 

Running Back

Who's Out - Pasoni Adames - 256 rushes for 1,249 yards, 5 TDs, 32 receptions for 281 yards and 1 TD. Adames was the heart and soul of the Mountaineer offense during the 2021 season. He made the gameplan work and more often than not the Mountaineers won/lost based on his ability to impact the game.

Who's In - (So) Chad Dolis/ Sr. Mario Allen - Look for the Mountaineers to get both Dolis and Allen involved in the offense this year. Dolis is extremely talented at catching out of the backfield and Allen is more of a balanced back.

Why are we excited? The Mountaineers brought in 4 star RB Michael March-Lillard from Lynchburg, VA. MML is a speedster who will pair nicely with fellow freshman Reid. Similar to Reid, March-Lillard will be redshirted this season as the Mountaineers look to build a more competitive roster.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Who's Out - WR Malcolm Mauger - 43 catches for 599 yards, 1 TD - TE Xavier Garcia - 27 for 436 yards , 2 TDs - WR Ben Milone 22 catches for 334 yards, 5 TDs. The passing numbers weren't prolific for the Mountaineers, but they will be replacing nearly all of their receiving options from the 2021 season.

Who's In - Sr. WR Avery Sterling - 5 catches for 100 yards, 1 TD, Jr. TE Anfernee Ford, (Jr) WR Martin Law - Avery Sterling is one of the more talented players on the roster and should immediately give Musa a reliable target in which to move the chains. Law/Ford will look to provide reliability and stability among the pass catchers.

Why are we excited? The Mountaineers have a pair of Sophomore wide receivers in Leo Gilbert and Kevin Purcell who are primed and ready to break out. They also brought in a pair of 3 star recruits in Daniel Murray and Mike Glennon.

 

Offensive Line

Who's Out - LT Nick Collmenter, OG Kenneth Sayles, C Eric Lynch, RG Taylor Davis, RT Josh O'Quinn - The Mountaineers will be starting a completely new offensive line in 2021. This group paved the way for Adames to have over 1,200 yards rushing.

Who's In - LT Gavin Bradley, LG Andrew Hughes, C Chris Faulk, RG Ethan Valez, RT Antone Lowrie - Starting a whole new offensive line is never an ideal situation, but one the Mountaineers must contend with for the 2022 season.

Why are we excited? The Mountaineers have built depth in the trenches and should provide some continuity across the offensive line in the coming years.

 

Defense

Defensive Line

Who's Out - None

Who's In - Sr DE Mike Anderson 52 Tackles, 8 TFL. 2 Sacks, Jr DE Kyle Anderson 49 Tackles, 7 TFL. 3 Sacks. 1 FF, Sr DT Jeurys Rogers 55 Tackles, 7 TFL. 3 Sacks, Jr DT Edgar Bass 31 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 Sacks - This is the Mountaineers strongest unit and it shows. The defensive line has depth and talent and is an integral part of WVU's ability to find success in 2022

Why are we excited? The Mountaineers bring is a 4 star DE in Robert Cabral and 4 star DT in Riley Jennings that will allow the defensive line to continue to be a strength for years to come.

 

Linebackers

Who's Out - ILB Victor Lewis-Harris, 1st Team All-Big XII, 87 Tackles, 11 TFL, 1 Sack - Lewis-Harris was the best player on the 2021 Mountaineer squad and his loss will be difficult for WVU to overcome. 2nd in the nation in tackles and an all conference performer at arguably the most important spot on the defense.

Who's In - So OLB Chris Cecil, Sr Anthony Flores - Flores started during the 2021 season and will look to build off his campaign. Cecil was an rotational player who had a great spring camp. Jr ILB Marvin Williams -Marvin was a special teams player last year who will have the difficult task of replacing Lewis-Harris.

Why are we excited? The Mountaineers brought in 4 star OLB Mike Johnson who will redshirt this year and look to pair with Chris Cecil next season. The pair should form a solid OLB duo.

 

Secondary

Who's Out - SS Zach Romero 52 Tackles, 6 TFL, 1 FF, 3 INT, CB Malik Burdi 25 Tackles, 1 INT, FS DaQuan Watson 36 Tackles, 1 FF, 3 INT

Who's In - Sr CB Pedro Gathers 24 Tackles, 1 INT, Preseason 2nd-Team Big XII, Jr CB Donovan Kikaha, (So) FS Ryan Davis, Sr SS Jacob Thompson - Pedro Gathers is the defacto leader of the secondary and was nominated as a preseason all conference player. This group should have plenty of chances to make plays with the relative strength of the defensive line.

Why are we excited? The Mountaineers sport a trio of 4* freshman secondary players which should set this unit up for the long haul. CB Andre Bell, SS Dante Smith, and FS Kelvin Gurley should grow together and form a stout unit in the secondary.

 

Fans will need to keep their programs handy as the team takes the field in week 1 for their home opener against Miami of Ohio. Smackemz reflected on the preparation for that game "with so many new starters on offense we're going to have to build out the complexity as we progress through the season. I'm confident in our defense and we're going to have to rely on them to keep us in games early in the season. After opening with the Redhawks the Mountaineers will travel to Lynchburg to play Liberty University during the 2nd week of the season.

[alexfall862]

Great write-up!

 

How nervous are you about replacing an entirely senior offensive line?

[smackemz]

It's definitely not an ideal situation. The offensive line usually takes some time to build chemistry, so a whole new unit is definitely a cause for concern. Fortunately they go against a tough defensive line in practice, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't something we were thinking about.