Week 4 Offensive Helmet Stickers

Another week, another Mountaineers win. It might not have been the prettiest victory, but Neal Brown and his West Virginia squad left Lawrence with a win over

Another week, another Mountaineers win. It might not have been the prettiest victory, but Neal Brown and his West Virginia squad left Lawrence with a win over Les Miles and the Jayhawks. While Austin Kendall struggled to light any fireworks through the air, the Mountaineers ground game consistently made its presence known and, coupled with several great defensive plays (Dante Stills is the real deal), this 2019 iteration of WVU football proved once again that it is well-coached and gritty.

Starting out the Big 12 slate with a win is a huge boon for this program and any and all momentum going into next week's bout with Texas matters ten-fold. Let's hand out some helmet stickers from Saturday's win over Kansas.

Martell Pettaway, RB - I was very, very close to giving the entire position group a helmet sticker because the running game was the difference-maker in a relatively sloppy game. Pettaway, Kennedy McKoy, and Leddie Brown all got their moment in the spotlight and each made their share of plays. Pettaway, however, who has had a somewhat quiet 2019 up to this point, reemerged in the best way. While six carries for 40 yards looks a bit pedestrian in the box score, he came up big with two touchdown runs including an absolute BEAUTY on 3rd & 2 where he spun out of a tackle just past the line and sprinted free for the score. West Virginia's running game is trending upwards at the moment and it couldn't happen at a better time after a dreadful start in 2019. Pettaway, who was at times the most explosive runner for the Mountaineers in 2018, needed a comeback game and this certainly seemed like it. If West Virginia has any hope of meaningfully competing in the Big 12, the running game will be an essential lifeline for an offense that is still establishing its identity. Martell Pettaway, along with cohorts McKoy and Brown, needs to continue heating up. It was good to see no. 32 back at work.

TJ Simmons, WR - West Virginia didn't get any pay dirt through the air in their 29-24 win which is a shame, but that doesn't mean that Austin Kendall and his receiver group didn't make things happen. Simmons, who was pegged as WR no.1 entering the year, has been quiet so far in 2019 as the passing game has tried to establish itself. On Saturday, the Alabama native grabbed four passes for 46 yards, including an 18-yard catch and run that looked, in a word, tough. Obviously, West Virginia is a much different animal than it was last year when Will Grier and co. were demolishing opposing secondaries. However, it was nice to see some burst from Simmons who has not factored into the passing game nearly as much through four weeks as many had predicted. If he's able to build off his performance from Saturday, he, along with Sam James, George Campbell and Sean Ryan could begin to pick up steam as a cohesive unit heading into the meat of Big 12 play.

Colton McKivitz, OL- After a tumultuous start for Matt Moore's unit up front, the offensive line is finally creating the right amount of push up front and it all starts with the senior on the blindside. McKivitz has been a staple on the offensive line for the past four years and, despite enduring multiple coaching changes, he's done nothing but improve. More importantly, the switch over from right to left tackle has seemingly done nothing to diminish his impact and his status as arguably the best at his position in-conference. On Saturday, he simply set the tone with nasty block after nasty block. at 6'7", he's a sight moving up field to the second level and beyond. West Virginia racked up 192 yards on the ground against an improved Kansas defense and a huge share of the credit can be laid at the Ohio native's feet for setting tone and getting the rest of his O-line brethren to match his intensity. With a bye week to continue turning the screws and fine-tuning things, it will be very interesting to see what type of Mountaineers team will emerge on October 5th against a "back" Texas. With Colton McKivitz leading from the front, it should be a fun one to watch.

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