WVU tight ends making impact blocks in the running game

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Nov. 6—MORGANTOWN — West Virginia quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. handed the ball off to running back Cyncir Bowers, who took off to the edge. Out on the perimeter, tight end Ryan Ward laid a big block on a Houston linebacker and then moved up to the defensive back. On the other side of him, tight end Jacob Barrick was pushing back a defensive back almost to the bench on the sideline.

Bowers took off for a 21-yard touchdown, and the Mountaineers were up 14-0, shocking No. 22 Houston and the Big 12.

"I thought the tight ends, particularly the perimeter blocking was a whole lot better, " Rich Rodriguez said. "We challenged them."

The blocking on the perimeter from the tight ends went under the radar in WVU's upset victory. There are no stats for blocking, especially from the tight ends out on the edge.

Before the season started, Rodriguez was asked what the hardest position was to play in his offense that wasn't the quarterback, and Rodriguez said tight end. The tight ends have to play all three downs, no matter the play call, because when you sub, it gives the defense a chance to sub, slowing down the tempo. Then, they are asked to block a lot in a run-heavy offense, and sometimes catch a touchdown pass, like Grayson Barnes has a couple times.

The practices leading up to Houston, Barrick said, being more physical and getting off the ball better was a focus, because the team hadn't shown it in the previous outings.

"I think it started off with practice, " Barrick said. "We had a lot more emphasis in doing our job, being more physical in the blocking room and throughout the week. Since emphasizing that, it came out Saturday and did what we're supposed to do."

Houston's defense was a strength and especially its defensive line. The defensive line was better at stopping the run, and WVU rushed for 246 yards on the ground. The tight ends helped with that.

Rodriguez was creative with his tight ends. He used one to two per play and was mixing it up, throwing different looks at Houston's D-line.

Barrick said the different formations helped confuse the defense.

"The offense, we know what we're going to do. They don't, " Barrick said. "We have two tight ends, that gives us an advantage, having a tight end over a slot. It makes sense. But, I trust those guys, they are going to give it their all."

Having tight ends to block is a no-brainer, rather than having a wide receiver, but it takes a lot to work in unison, like Ward and Barrick did on Bowers' touchdown. If Barrick or Ward blocks the wrong guy, then Bowers doesn't score and might not make it past the line of scrimmage.

It's even harder because most of the players have only played together for a couple of months, since most are transfers. Over the season, WVU's getting better at working together.

"Throughout practice, we know what we are doing, " Barrick said. "We're usually on the same page. We know we got this guy or that guy, what we are doing on this play, if it's something different. We know what we are going to do."

It's even harder when the tight ends are blocking linemen and linebackers. Barrick and Ward aren't the biggest tight ends at 235 pounds and 240 pounds. Some of the players they are asked to block are bigger. Barrick said it doesn't matter. He's gonna get off the line and hit them as hard as he can.

Some bigger defensive fronts are coming up, especially Texas Tech in the coming weeks. It'll be more of a challenge, but Rodriguez has liked the improvement he's seen so far.

"They're not real big, " Rodriguez said. "We don't have 250-60-pound guys. They're 220, 230. They're going to be blocking some guys who are bigger than them. But they've got to be aggressive. I think overall, the tight ends' perimeter blocking was the best we've had all year."

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