When most people have talked about the West Virginia State offense the past few seasons, the focus has centered around the damage that the Yellow Jackets can do to people through the air.
WVSU has grown into one of the top aerial attacks in the Mountain East Conference thanks to talented weapons like quarterback Matt Kinnick and wide receiver Quinton Gray. But as the Yellow Jackets head into the 2017 season, the "X" factor that could decide how tough they are to stop this year resides in the backfield with their running game.
"We can really have a phenomenal group this year I think," WVSU running back Juawan Etheredge said. "We've got a bunch of players who can do a lot of different things and hurt teams in different ways, and I feel like that can help us have a really good season."
This year, West Virginia State brings back a talented stable of running backs into the mix - led by Etheredge and Dionta Brown - that are looking to show that they are ready to provide consistency to the extra wrinkle the WVSU offense needs to provide that balance. Brown and Etheredge combined for 1,066 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago, with Etheredge finishing eighth in the MEC in rushing with 600 yards.
They're looking to do even more this season, adding talented young players like redshirt freshman Calil Wilkins, and have embraced the changes that have come with working with new running backs coach Quincy Wilson. The former West Virginia University standout who went on to play for the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL came over to join coach John Pennington's staff after spending a season at Glenville State.
Wilson's enjoying the opportunity to work with the group of players he has at State and thinks they have already made some big strides from when he arrived at the school earlier this year. And he likes the depth that the group has been able to build because it will help everyone stay fresh and able to have an impact on the game.
"I'm fortunate enough to have the chance to do the strength and conditioning here, so I was able to get to know them before we started. I have a great group of guys here," Wilson said. "We've got a healthy mix of young guys and veterans and I've been enjoying working with them every day.
"You need that stable of backs. Football has changed, you have running back committees now and you rotate guys in and out. We're preaching to them about being able to do everything well so we can have that rotation and not skip a beat."
For the players, the chance to get to play for a position coach that has achieved the type of success that Wilson did during his playing career is a special one. They have been soaking up all the information they can.
"It's been really interesting working with him, we're learning a lot from him," Browns said. "He's been around the game a lot, he played in the NFL and it gives us a great chance to just take the proper coaching from him and go with it because we know it's going to make us better at the end of the day."
If the Yellow Jackets can build a consistent threat on the ground, the numbers from the last few seasons show that it could lead to more positive results for the team. Since Pennington arrived in Institute as the school's offensive coordinator in 2015, West Virginia State has run for 150 or more yards in just six of 22 games.
But in those six games, the Yellow Jackets have gone 5-1.
"If you can run the ball, you control the game," Wilson said. "We're going to do whatever it takes to win, and if that means running it 50 times we will and if it means throwing it 50 times we will. But it's on us as a position group to be able to consistently establish that run. They weren't happy with what they did last year and I challenge them constantly to be the best player out there and I'm excited to see the results of that this season."
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.