Childress to make debut for WVU
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Redshirt freshman Ford Childress will be the latest quarterback to get his turn at West Virginia.
Coach Dana Holgorsen says Childress will start for the Mountaineers (1-1) today against Georgia State (0-2).
Childress was the third-string quarterback in the preseason and has yet to play in a game in college. He only recently took a significant portion of first-team snaps during practice.
“We feel like he’s ready,” Holgorsen said. “It’s his job ,and we’re going to see what he can do.”
Holgorsen has vented his frustration over the lack of efficiency on offense, which was one of the nation’s most prolific a year ago but has stumbled to just 31 points this season.
Paul Millard started the first two games. He generated little offense in a 16-7 loss at Oklahoma last week.
“Seven points is embarrassing,” Holgorsen said. “And we need to fix it.”
West Virginia is listed as a nearly seven-touchdown favorite despite having scored four touchdowns all season.
Childress leapfrogged both Millard and Florida State transfer Clint Trickett, who played two series against William & Mary in the season opener, both resulting in punts.
Holgorsen said when Millard and Trickett got most of the snaps in practice, Childress didn’t quit working.
“I loved his attitude on the sidelines last week,” Holgorsen said.
Childress will face a Georgia State team also going through a season of firsts.
The Panthers are debuting in the Football Bowl Subdivision and the Sun Belt Conference. The Panthers play their home games in the Georgia Dome and will be making their first road trip of the season under new head coach Trent Miles, who spent five seasons at Indiana State.
“I want to see how they react, how we approach it as a business trip,” Miles said. “We’re not going there for fun. We’re not going there to take pictures or be wowed by a crowd.”
Holgorsen hass no plans to rotate quarterbacks, even if Georgia State puts up a fight. But if Childress struggles, Holgorsen will have some decisions to make heading into the game with nonconference rival Maryland in Baltimore next week.
“What I don’t want to have happen is to go into a game and have a guy scared to make a mistake for a couple of series and be afraid to get pulled out and have somebody else go in there,” Holgorsen said.
•WR changes: Holgorsen plans to have three new starters at wide receiver. Junior college transfers Ronald Carswell, Kevin White and Mario Alford were listed first on the depth chart this week, ahead of previous starters Ivan McCartney, Daikiel Shorts and K.J. Myers. White led the team with seven receptions for 80 yards last week. Carswell had a 69-yard TD reception in the season opener.
* Improving D: West Virginia’s defense has three interceptions and is allowing just 163 yards passing per game. Georgia State’s offense relies on the pass, and the Mountaineers will need to focus on wide receivers Albert Wilson and Robert Davis. Wilson has 15 receptions for 299 yards and three touchdowns. His career average of 19.4 yards per catch ranks first among active Bowl Subdivision players. The freshman Davis has 11 catches for 166 yards this season. Four Georgia State receivers are averaging more than 10 yards per catch.
• No-run Panthers: Georgia State has been held to 102 yards on the ground, and 23 of those came on one run. After being held to 30 yards rushing against Chattanooga last week, two starting offensive linemen quit, and Miles replaced running backs coach Tony Tiller with graduate assistant Brock Lough. Tiller was reassigned to a position within the athletic department.
* Boomstache: West Virginia’s Nick O’Toole is a welcome change from the Mountaineers’ struggles in the punting game in recent years. The sophomore is averaging 47.5 yards on 10 punts so far, ranking him fifth nationally. O’Toole has a fondness for facial hair and has earned the nickname “Boomstache.”