West Virginia is down to its final tune-up before the games start to count, with the Mountaineers set to face Wheeling on Wednesday night in their preseason finale.
The Mountaineers enter at 1-1 in preseason play, while Wheeling comes in at 0-0. The matchup gives WVU one last chance to clean up a few areas before the regular season begins, and two names stand out heading into the exhibition: Mouhamed Sylla and Finley Bizjack.
Sylla, the Georgia Tech transfer, looked improved against Glenville, but he still didn’t grab a rebound. Through WVU’s first two exhibitions, he has just three rebounds total.
That isn’t enough to raise the alarm yet, but it is something to watch closely, especially against a Division II opponent. He averaged 7.2 rebounds per game last season, though injuries limited him for most of the year, and he is still settling into a new system and a new group of teammates.
A big part of the adjustment is simply learning who is going to take which shots and how those misses tend to carom off the rim.
Bizjack has been the early bright spot. The veteran guard has already scored 36 points in WVU’s first two games and has done exactly what the hype suggested he might. The next thing worth watching is how he shoots the deep ball inside the Coliseum, where he’ll spend most of his time this season.
For those tuning in by radio, the game will be carried on the Mountaineers Sports Network. In Charleston, the affiliates are 100.9, 1300 AM, 1340 AM, and 1410 AM.
In Other News...
WVUs Offense Has Two Stars But One Big Stretch-Run Concern
West Virginias offense has leaned heavily on a pair of stars through the bye week, and the numbers help explain why the unit has looked so dangerous at times. Quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. has played at an elite level, while running back Cam Cook has been one of the most productive backs in the country, ranking third nationally in rushing yards. The rest of the offense has been a mixed bag by comparison, with the articles grades and snap counts showing a group that has delivered enough support to keep the Mountaineers moving, but not always with the same week-to-week consistency.
The stretch run will be about whether West Virginia can get more from the pieces around those two difference-makers. The bye week gives the staff a chance to reset, evaluate where the offense has been strong and where the weak spots have shown up, and then decide what changes might help as the season resumes. For a team with obvious firepower at quarterback and running back, the bigger question is whether the supporting cast can rise enough to keep the offense from becoming too dependent on Hawkins and Cook. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs November Gauntlet Will Decide Whether This Season Becomes More
West Virginias path to a bigger finish this season is about to get a lot clearer, and a lot harder. At 5-3, the Mountaineers have put themselves in position to make the final month matter, but the schedule ahead brings three ranked opponents into the mix and leaves little room for a slip if they want to turn a solid season into something more meaningful.
ESPNs FPI matchup predictor does not exactly make the road look inviting in the final four games, and the numbers reflect what the eye test already suggests about the challenges ahead. The good news for West Virginia is that the season is still sitting on a knifes edge, which means November can still push this group toward a strong finish. The bad news is that the margin for error shrinks quickly when the opposition gets this steep. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia May Have A Star QB It Can't Take For Granted
Mike Hawkins Jr. has been one of the biggest reasons West Virginias offense has looked dangerous this fall. The Mountaineers quarterback is drawing national attention for production that goes well beyond the box score, sitting ninth among quarterbacks in PFF grades while piling up efficiency marks that separate the truly productive passers from the merely busy ones.
Hawkins has also given West Virginia a rare blend of explosiveness and restraint, leading the nation in rushing touchdowns while ranking near the top in yards per completion and adjusted yards per pass attempt. The deeper concern for the Mountaineers is how much of that growth has come from a quarterback who is making difficult throws, creating chunk plays and limiting mistakes despite a completion rate shaped by aggressive downfield attempts and a few too many drops around him. [Read more 🡒]