Glimmer of Hope? Khalil Wilkins Just Might Be the Answer for West Virginia

Jaylen Henderson notched his first start as a Mountaineer on Saturday, but it didn't go as planned. The offense was stuck in the mud with him under center, and it prompted head coach Rich Rodriguez to make a change, bringing in redshirt freshman Khalil Wilkins.

He finished the day just 3-for-7 for 63 yards and a touchdown, while adding another 39 yards on the ground on nine carries. As there always are, there's stuff he would like to have back, but the offense seemed to have an extra pep in his step with him running the show.

He can clearly make things happen with his legs and has the wiggle that even Jaylen Henderson doesn't possess in the open field. He short-armed a couple of throws that he would certainly love to have back, including the wide-open ball to tight end Ryan Ward that would have gone for a touchdown.

The other was to Jeff Weimer earlier in the drive, where the timing and ball placement were pristine. He just didn't have enough mustard on it. The fact that he saw that and ripped it when he did shows that he can make those anticipatory throws and even push the ball downfield.

He also had another wide-open touchdown to Weimer that he just put out of his reach, but made up for it with a nice completion on the move, and a beautiful ball to Rodney Gallagher III that ended up getting called back.

"I think he competed well for a young guy," Rodriguez said when asked about Wilkins in his postgame press conference. "He's getting his first action. I thought he ran hard. A couple of throws he would probably like to have back. We missed a couple of easy ones there, but I was proud of the way he competed."

It may have been a small sample size, but he showed enough to earn that opportunity and hold that role for a couple of weeks before they determine whether or not he's capable of being the guy. Getting your first start on the road against a good BYU team is no easy task, so if he doesn't play well, that shouldn't spell the end of his opportunity. Give him the bye week to get better and the UCF game to bounce back.

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