How CJ Donaldson's Absence Changes WVU's Offensive Approach

What will the Mountaineers do without their leading rusher?

Two months ago, no one really knew who C.J. Donaldson was. He was a true freshman that had been recruited to play tight end/receiver at WVU but with the lack of depth in the running back room, he switched positions and ended up in the backfield.

WVU head coach Neal Brown hinted at how talented the 6'2", 240-pound back was, but considering he had never played the position before combined with the fact that he was a freshman, the coaching staff was unsure of how much he could actually handle. 

Donaldson did the unexpected. 

In the season opener against Pitt, he rushed for 125 yards and a score on just seven carries. He quickly gained the trust of the coaching staff and has seen his workload increase each week. Through the first five games of the season, Donaldson leads West Virginia in a number of categories; rushing yards (389), yards per carry (6.9), longest run (82 yards), and rushing touchdowns (6). 

Unfortunately, Donaldson suffered a concussion in the loss to Texas and had to be carted off the field. He was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation and was cleared to fly back home with the team that night. The bye week came at a good time as it gave Donaldson more time to recover, but he'll miss tonight's home game against Baylor. 

So, what will the Mountaineers do without Donaldson in uniform? How does it change their approach? Neal Brown explains. 

"From a situational standpoint, it changes how we approach the running back rotation. That's probably the biggest thing. After game one, we were like okay, this kid's a player, so we started using him situationally. He wasn't playing as well as he had against Texas. I think that was a little bit of fatigue. Not that we wanted to create this break for him by any means but I do think he'll come back even stronger. But it will be a factor situationally for sure."

Tony Mathis will likely earn the start considering he has logged the most carries (70) on the season and has the most experience. Sophomore Justin Johnson Jr. will see an increased role, which might have been the case regardless of Donaldson's status. He led the Mountaineers in rushing against Texas and has rushed for a combined 125 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries over the last two games. 

Brown also mentioned during his show on Monday that Jaylen Anderson could be sprinkled in here and there as well. It will be a running back-by-committee approach, meaning whoever gets hot will see the bulk of the carries. In spots where Donaldson would normally get the ball, such as short-yardage/goal line we'll likely see Mathis who is a bigger, more physical back. If the coaching staff has enough confidence to get Anderson involved, he could be featured in those situations as well. 

The one thing offensive coordinator Graham Harrell can't afford to do in this game is revert to his Air Raid background and abandon the run game. Trying to run the ball on this Baylor defense may feel like constantly pounding your head into a wall but eventually, that wall will wear down. For West Virginia to find and maintain success on the offensive side of the ball, they must have a balanced approach and not allow Baylor to tee off on JT Daniels. 

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