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Jack Trotter, ESPN Senior Writer
When Dana Holgorsen bowled Oklahoma State for West Virginia, he laid the foundation for what was to come. D Best offense in the nation in 2011.
Seven years later, armed with one of the best quarterbacks in college football Will Greer And a host of dynamic playmakers, Holgorsen once again has the foundation of a unit that can lay claim to being the nation’s top offensive attack.
“We’re holding ourselves to a higher standard because we know how good we can be,” Greer told ESPN.com on Monday. “And I think we can be pretty good.”
Those values start with Greer, who after overcoming a messy transfer from Florida, re-emerged last season with a breakout campaign for the Mountaineers, who wrap up spring practice with their spring game on Saturday.
Before suffering a broken finger last November, Greer was second nationally with 34 touchdown throws and third with 3,490 passing yards.
With Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson and Mason Rudolph all gone to the NFL, Greer has risen into the pantheon of premier college quarterbacks.
“He looks like a fifth-year quarterback to me,” Holgorsen told reporters last week. “It’s his second year in this system, and he’s a lot more comfortable. His timing with guys is as good as I’ve seen. So from a quarterback standpoint, it’s as good as anybody in the country.”
The same can be said about West Virginia’s receiving corps.
leading David Sills vwho led the way last season with 18 touchdown receptions en route to being a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s leading receiver.
The once famous 13-year-old quarterback Offered a scholarship to USC by Lane Kiffin after watching just one highlight clip, Sills has since given up on throwing passes a year ago and put his entire focus on catching them instead.
Yet, even as prolific as Seals, he didn’t even lead his team in receptions or yards last season. Complementing Sills’ downfield skills are fellow rising seniors Gary Jennings Provided Greer with a go-to possession outlet and quietly tops the Big 12 with 97 receptions for 1,096 yards.
“You got a lot of yards back there,” offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said. “They have a shot, when it’s all said and done, to be talked about as one of the best teams out there.”
A couple of curious permutations might strengthen that case.
Sitting out last year, the former Alabama receiver TJ Simmons Set to join the rotation, where he can add another dimension to the passing game. Since arriving in Morgantown, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound sophomore has turned heads, especially with his physicality on the jump ball.
“I like his mentality,” Greer said. “It’s been fun watching him. I’m excited to see what he can do.”
The Mountaineers are also excited to see what material the former Miami tight end has Giovanni Haskins Can bring, as well.
Since Holgorsen took over, the Mountaineers have largely gone without using a tight end on offense. That included last season, which created opportunities for opposing defenses in Greer while reducing West Virginia’s chances in the running game.
This season, Spavital can counter Haskins and use a combination of both. Trayvon Wesco. Wesco A block-first tight end, Haskins, at 6-4, 240 pounds, has the speed to flex in the mold of Oklahoma’s 2017 Mackey Award winner Mark Andrews — all of whose stats the Mountaineers completely lacked in the arsenal they looked like last year.
“There’s not a lot of guys his size and height (who) can run like him,” Spavital said of Haskins. “That’s where I think you can start to create mismatches.”
Of course, to maximize its mismatch potential, West Virginia needs to improve on a ground game that ranked just fifth in the Big 12 in per carry last season and produced just four rushes of 30 yards or more (Oklahoma, by comparison, produced 17 ).
Although the interior of the line is a work in progress this spring, the Mountaineers have a pair of proven cogs returning at bookend. Yodny Cajuste And Colton McKevitz. Spavital is also bullish on a three-prong running back rotation that will feature a zone runner. Kennedy McCoypower back Myrtle Pettaway And novices of small and large games Alec SinquefieldWho, according to Spavital, are “tearing it up” this spring.
“We have a lot of guys (who) can make plays,” Greer said.
With so many playmakers around Greer, the Mountaineers have the pieces to put up numbers with anyone.
The important question for them, though, is whether they’ll perform well enough to deliver the wins to contend in the Big 12.
Until Greer’s finger injury, West Virginia’s offense was seventh nationally in yards per play.
But the Mountaineers rank 101st in third-down conversions, 94th in turnovers and 37th in offensive penalties.
“We were very explosive, but we were also terrible on key downs, turnovers and penalties,” Spavital said.
For that reason, there has been an emphasis on improving skills in Morgantown this spring.
All of which comes back to Greer.
“He has that playmaking gene where he wants to stretch plays like Johnny Manziel where he can easily make the regular play,” Spavital said. “You don’t want to handcuff him too much because he can make spectacular plays. But we’re challenging him when to do the routine.”
And if Greer can make the right combination of chain-moving checkdowns and touchdown-making heaves? The Mountaineers could finally move to the top of the Big 12 — thanks to a loaded offense and one of the game’s proven gunslingers.
“We still have a long way to go,” Greer said. “But that’s not to say we’re going to be the best in the country — because that’s what we’re trying to be.”
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