West Virginia State emerged last season as one of the top passing offenses in the Mountain East Conference.
Matt Kinnick threw for more than 280 yards per game in 2015 to top the MEC in passing, at it looks like this year may have a chance at being much of the same as Kinnick and backup Austin Hensley have combined to average 310 yards through the air through the first three games of the season.
But, as the Yellow Jackets (1-2) prepare for a 7 p.m. Thursday showdown against the University of Charleston, they believe they have something that can help that passing game get even more - and it has nothing to do with who is at quarterback.
For that, you can look at WVSU's running game, led by junior running back Juawan Etheredge.
"Getting that to develop consistently is critical for us. If we need to drop back and throw it 50 times a game, we're just not going to be successful," West Virginia State coach Jon Anderson said. "We want to be a physical team and that starts with us being able to assert ourselves and run the ball."
Etheredge, a transfer from San Jose (California) City College who arrived on campus this season, is a physical back who likes to use his 5-foot-9, 204-pound frame to his advantage and pick up the tough yards on the ground.
After carrying the ball 29 times for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns in West Virginia State's win over Urbana, Etheredge had another solid game in last week's loss to West Virginia Wesleyan when he ran for 68 yards on 16 carries.
He knows that his job can continue to grow the more he builds that consistency that Anderson is looking for. A back like Etheredge, someone who is able to pick up yards down the middle while also showing some shiftiness at times, can be a major key to the Yellow Jackets getting on track and putting up bigger numbers offensively.
But he knows it isn't something that is going to come magically. He's ready to work to get there.
"We just have to go into every week with the mindset that consistency will always win the day," Etheredge said. "We're getting better and we're getting to where we want to be. If we run the ball like we can, it's going to take a lot of pressure off of Matt and Austin when they're at quarterback."
And it helps that WVSU has a group of offensive linemen who take a lot of pride in the improvements they're making at run blocking.
Over the last three years, the Yellow Jackets have improved their rushing yards per game as a team. As the rushing numbers have improved, so have their passing numbers - as well as their scoring.
Up front, they know how important they are in this team having that success they're looking for on the ground.
"Our running game can be huge for us. It's a physical battle and, a lot of times, the most physical team has a good chance to win," senior offensive lineman Dalton Shannon said. "We take a lot of pride in what we do. We know we aren't going to get the credit, but we want to do whatever we can to get out there and give us a chance to win."
As they head into Thursday's game against a UC team that is currently 10th in run defense in the MEC, allowing 150 yards per game, Etheredge is excited to see what the Yellow Jackets can do and how they can use the run to get back on track and make it back to .500.
"We have so much that we're capable of," Etheredge said. "Right now, my focus is to keep running it as well as I can so we can soften up the defense and hit them for some big plays with guys like Akil [Washington] and our receivers.
"We just need to strive to keep improving every day."