West Virginia lost 17-10 at Ohio as a three-point road favorite in Week 2. Even worse, it saw two offensive starters go down with season-ending injuries.
Junior running back Jahiem White sustained a knee injury to end his year, while senior wide receiver Jaden Bray was lost to a foot injury.
White led the Mountaineers with 845 rushing yards, seven touchdowns and a 5.7 yards-per-carry average in 2024. In the first two games playing in Rich Rodriguez’s offense this season, he had 133 rushing yards and three TDs on 24 attempts for a 5.5 YPC average. White also had three catches for 15 yards.
In 27 career games for WVU from 2023-25, White has 1,819 rushing yards, 14 TDs and a 6.5 YPC average.
After transferring to WVU from Oklahoma St. ahead of the 2024 campaign, Bray was limited to five games due to injuries. He had only two catches, but they went for 82 receiving yards.
Bray was off to a nice start this season, though, with seven receptions for 95 yards. He had four catches for 69 yards before getting hurt against the Bobcats.
After White’s 32-yard TD run at Ohio, the Mountaineers scored just one more time on Kade Hensley’s 38-yard field goal early in the third quarter. They produced only 13 first downs and 250 total yards in the loss.
Rich Rodriguez’s team is hoping that Ferris State transfer RB Kannon Katzer will make his WVU debut in Saturday’s home game vs. Pittsburgh. Katzer is ‘questionable’ with an undisclosed injury that’s kept him out of the first two games. He had 1,128 yards last year with an 8.8 YPC average.
RB Clay Ash has been listed as RB2 on WVU’s depth chart in the first two games, but he has only 25 rushing yards on nine totes (2.8 YPC). RB Cyncir Bowers will probably get more touches against the Panthers. Bowers had 54 rushing yards and one TD on six carries in WVU’s 45-3 win over Robert Morris in Week 1, but his only rushing attempt at Ohio went for a loss of one yard.
Another option for Rodriguez is Northern Iowa transfer RB Tye Edwards, who has yet to get a touch through two games.
As of late Monday afternoon, most books had Pitt installed as a 6.5-point road favorite at WVU. The total was 57.5 points, and the Mountaineers were +195 on the money line.