A Look Back at Jack Bicknell Jr.'s One Year with Rich Rodriguez at Ole Miss

West Virginia's new offensive line coach does have a little history with Rich Rod.
Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Rich Rodriguez is going to bring a lot of familiar faces with him to Morgantown to be a part of his coaching staff at WVU, but there are some who have been with him for several years. Offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. isn't one of those guys.

The two did, however, spend one year together on Matt Luke's staff at Ole Miss in 2019, where they coached the sixth-best rushing attack in all of college football, averaging 254.2 yards per game.

John Rhys Plumlee led the team in rushing, toting the rock 154 times for 1,023 yards and 12 touchdowns. Jarrion Ealy (722 yards, 6 TDs), Scottie Phillips (542 yards, 5 TDs), and Snoop Conner (512 yards, 5 TDs) all contributed significantly to complement the QB run game.

As far as the passing game was concerned, the Rebels didn't throw it around a bunch, but they were able to do just enough to have a balanced approach. Redshirt freshman Matt Corral split time at quarterback with Plumlee and completed 59% of his pass attempts for 1,362 yards and six touchdowns with just three interceptions. Plumlee threw for 910 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions

Bicnkell's offensive line was stout in the run game and was a notch above average in pass protection, ranking 49th nationally in sacks per game allowed (1.9). The Rebels' offensive production in 2019 may be a good barometer for the Mountaineers in 2025, considering they'll have a run-heavy approach with some question marks along the offensive line, at quarterback, and wide receiver.

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Publisher of Mountaineers Now on FanNation/Sports Illustrated. Lead recruiting expert and co-host of Between the Eers, Walk Thru GameDay Show, Mountaineers Now Postgame Show, and In the Gun Podcast.