West Virginia wide receiver DJ Epps has landed on the Biletnikoff Watch List after a breakout showing against Cincinnati, where he put together eight catches for 163 yards and a touchdown.
The award recognizes the nation’s top receiver, and Epps earned his spot on the list after a Week 7 performance that had his coach raving about what he did after the catch. West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez said, "I know they (Cincinnati) weren't happy with their tackling, which I wouldn't be either if I was trying to tackle DJ," WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said about Epps' massive Week 7 performance.
"I had this question, like, I don't know, is DJ an open field guy? Make-you-miss?
He had done some of it, but in that game he showed a whole lot of stuff right there. There was one play there was five or six guys he made miss.
He did that quite a bit and for our slot receivers, and where he's at a lot of times, that's part of the key. Like, there's going to be somebody there, but DJ was phenomenal in the open field.
Better than I had seen him all year."
Epps’ season line now sits at 22 receptions, 556 yards and five touchdowns. He goes into this week’s matchup with TCU leading the country in yards per reception at 25.3, and 232 of those yards have come after the catch.
The watch list also includes Missouri’s Donovan Olugbode, alongside a long group of receivers from across the country. Among them are Deuce Alexander of Ole Miss, Cooper Barkate of Miami, Charlie Becker of Indiana, Que’Sean Brown of Virginia Tech, Tre’ Brown III of LSU, JJ Buchanan of Michigan, Terrance Carter Jr. of Texas Tech, Cam Coleman of Texas, Ryan Coleman-Williams of Alabama, Mario Craver of Texas A&M, Chris Dawn Jr. of Texas State, Collin Dixon of Illinois, KJ Duff of Rutgers, Chris Durr Jr. of Maryland, Jordan Dwyer of TCU, Anthony Evans III of Mississippi State, Gavin Freeman of Baylor, Jackson Harris of LSU, Reed Harris of Arizona State, Trell Harris of Oklahoma, Umari Hatcher of Syracuse, Chase Hendricks of California, Carlos Hernandez of Wake Forest, Iverson Hooks of Oregon, Makai Jackson of Liberty, Jamari Johnson of Oregon, Cayden Lee of Missouri, Jesse Legree of Oregon State, Nick Marsh of Indiana, Chris Marshall of Arkansas, Mike Matthews of Tennessee, Nik McMillan of Kansas, Easton Messer of FAU, Omarion Miller of Arizona State, T.J. Moore of Clemson, Javen Nicholas of Duke, Braden Pegan of Utah, Kam Perry of Colorado, Jayshon Platt of Illinois, Luke Reynolds of Virginia Tech, Tre Richardson of Louisville, Duce Robinson of Florida State, Isaiah Sategna III of Oklahoma, Danny Scudero of Colorado, Junior Sherrill of Vanderbilt, Keshaun Singleton of Auburn, Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State, Victor Snow of North Carolina State, Beau Sparks of Texas State, Braylon Staley of Tennessee, Ian Strong of California, Amare Thomas of Houston, Malachi Toney of Miami, Kelby Valsin of FAU, Trent Walker of Houston, Asaad Waseem of Purdue, Griffin Wilde of Northwestern, Joseph Williams of Colorado, Sean Wilson of Delaware, Ryan Wingo of Texas, Eli Wood of Utah State and Wyatt Young of Oklahoma State.
In Other News...
Sonny Dykes Had A Frustrated Reaction To West Virginia's Win
West Virginias 24-2 win over TCU had the kind of closing sequence that can tilt a game from competitive to lopsided in a hurry. After both teams spent much of the afternoon fighting through stalled possessions, David Afoghos late strip sack and Ben Cutters recovery gave the Mountaineers the kind of defensive break that can put a game out of reach and leave the opponent looking back at all the missed chances.
For Sonny Dykes, the frustration showed up quickly afterward. The TCU coach pointed to the Horned Frogs inability to finish drives, along with turnovers, missed field goals and other failed critical plays, as the difference in a game where his team managed to outgain West Virginia in several statistical categories. From West Virginias perspective, it was another reminder that style points do not matter much when the defense keeps producing the one play that ends the night. [Read more 🡒]
Ross Hodge Made Clear What WVU Still Must Fix Fast
West Virginias 103-66 exhibition win over Glenville State offered a cleaner look at where the Mountaineers are settling in under Ross Hodge, and where the work still needs to continue before the games count. The result moved WVU to 1-1 in preseason play, and Hodge used the postgame to frame the night as more than just a tune-up, touching on the significance of the outing and the way his team handled itself on both ends.
There was also a little bit of the usual October injury watch to sort through, along with some encouraging signs from practice that Hodge has seen from one players rebounding and competitiveness. Even in a lopsided exhibition, those are the kinds of details that matter for a roster trying to sort out its rotation and sharpen its identity before the season gets moving for real. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Defense Reaches A Breaking Point Before Crucial Bye Week
West Virginia has been grinding through eight straight weeks without a break, and the timing of the upcoming bye could hardly be better. Before it gets there, though, the Mountaineers still have one more game to navigate against TCU, with the defense carrying plenty of attention after a stretch that has left Rich Rodriguez wanting a reset far earlier than this point.
Zac Alley has described the units play as inconsistent, and that has made the open date feel less like a luxury than a necessity. The hope now is that the extra time will give West Virginia a chance to regroup, clean up the issues on that side of the ball and head into the final weeks of the regular season with a better answer for the tougher matchups ahead. [Read more 🡒]