West Virginia was expected to be the marquee non-conference game on NC State’s football schedule, but the Mountaineers are off to a rough start.
First-year head coach Neal Brown and the Mountaineers struggled to defeat James Madison 20-13 in the season opener and were crushed 38-7 at Missouri last week.
Here is a full scouting report on West Virginia.
Five West Virginia Players To Watch
Fifth-year senior cornerback Hakeem Bailey — The 6-0, 188-pound Bailey had 42 tackles and an interception last year, and has started 11 of his 25 games at West Virginia. The Atlanta native has tallied eight tackles and three passes broken up (all against James Madison) in the first two games. He played his first two years at Iowa Western Community College, redshirting his first year in 2015.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Sam James — The 6-0, 182-pounder from Richmond Hill, Ga., has flashed big-play speed and has grabbed a team-high 11 catches for 67 yards this season. He also has returned three kickoff returns for 54 yards, with a long of 22.
Redshirt junior quarterback Austin Kendall — The former Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson standout picked Oklahoma over NC State and a host of programs coming out of high school. He transferred to WVU and won the starting job, but has struggled in the first two contests. The 6-2, 221-pounder has completed 42 of 67 throws for 397 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, but particularly struggled against Missouri. He threw for 137 yards with two picks and one score in the blowout loss against the Tigers. He has rushed nine times for minus-15 yards on the season.
Fifth-year senior left tackle Colton McKivitz — WVU’s struggling offensive line is breaking in three new starters, but McKivitz and redshirt junior center Josh Sills have a combined 61 career starts. The 6-7, 312-pound McKivitz has started 37 of the 40 contests that he has played in for the Mountaineers. The Big 12 coaches have named him honorable mention All-Big 12 twice.
Senior Spear JoVanni Stewart — The Katy, Texas, product has started 14 of his 39 career appearances, playing safety, linebacker and now “Spear.” The 5-8, 196-pounder finished with 54 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and four sacks a year ago. He has eight stops and half a tackle for loss through two contests this season.
What To Watch From West Virginia
1. Leaky offensive line. The Mountaineers are struggling in all areas of offense due in part to an offensive line that is trying to break in three new starters. WVU has allowed four sacks in two games, and have rushed 56 times for just 64 yards. It’s a stunning situation.
The offensive line has led to redshirt junior quarterback Austin Kendall appearing a bit rattled in the pocket. The passing game never got on track against a blitzing Missouri scheme that dominated the line of scrimmage. Opponents have had 21 tackles for loss in two games this season.
2. Will cadre of backs have running room? West Virginia has proven talent in the backfield, but if there isn’t room to run, it’s problematic. Senior Kennedy McKoy from Lexington (N.C.) North Davidson High has 18 carries for just 12 yards this season. He rushed 145 times for 802 yards and eight touchdowns, plus caught 17 passes for 224 yards and a score, last season.
McKoy wasn’t alone in running the ball well a year ago. Speedy senior Martell Pettaway tallied 98 carries for 623 yards and six touchdowns, and sophomore Leddie Brown had 91 carries for 446 yards and four scores. Brown has been injured the last two games this season. Both McKoy and Pettaway have rushed for more than 1,000 yards at WVU, and Brown might be the back with the most upside.
3. WVU rush defense exposed. Missouri built a commanding 31-0 lead at halftime, aided in part by a pair of Kendall interceptions. However, Missouri also played an impressive hurry-up offensive attack to perfection behind a pair of players that NC State knows well.
Former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant is a graduate transfer at Missouri, and Tigers junior running back Larry Rountree set the tone on offense against West Virginia’s undersized but speedy defense. Rountree, who attended Raleigh Millbrook High, tallied 17 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown, and the Tigers finished with 50 carries for 232 yards and a touchdown in the 38-7 win.
The one-two punch of struggling to run the football and stopping the run game has shaken the confidence of the Mountaineers.
Three Keys To The Game
1. Apply constant pressure. NC State’s three down linemen and outside linebacker Brock Miller will be put to the test against West Virginia. It has been no secret that opponents are having a field day in pressuring redshirt junior quarterback Austin Kendall.
It is not even just the sacks on Kendall, but the hits on him will end up causing him to make mistakes under duress.
2. Keep WVU looking for its mojo. Confidence is a delicate thing. West Virginia played with little confidence against Missouri. The rushing attack and offensive line play was not good enough there.
Rivals.com ranked Kendall as the No. 4 pro-style quarterback and No. 77 overall player in the class of 2016. Kendall, though, has lost his mojo, and the Wolfpack’s job is to make sure he doesn't find it again.
3. Get touch on deep ball. Certain passes come natural for NCSU redshirt sophomore quarterback Matthew McKay. The deep ball is not one of them, but McKay could be poised for a breakthrough. NC State will need some time to throw downfield, but Wolfpack should take some shots.
Three West Virginia Numbers Of Note
0 Players listed on West Virginia’s players of the week chart after the Missouri game. WVU elected to not have any player listed for these categories: O-Champ, D-Champ, ST Champ, O-Scout, D-Scout and ST-Scout.
6 Longest rushing play in yards by a WVU running back this season. The longest run from scrimmage has been nine yards by slot receiver Tevin Bush.
20 Wins in 21 non-conference home games this decade for West Virginia. The Mountaineers are 44-7 at home in non-conference games since 2000.
——
• Talk about it inside The Wolves’ Den
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
• Like us on Facebook
