MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — On the surface, it appears West Virginia caught a break ahead of Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. contest against Texas Tech by avoiding Red Raiders’ starting quarterback Tyler Shough.
Shough suffered a broken collarbone during last week’s loss at Texas and is likely to be sidelined at least the next six weeks.
However, taking over for Shough behind center is senior Henry Colombi, a name West Virginia fans are plenty familiar with.
It was Colombi who helped lead the Red Raiders to a 34-27 victory over the Mountaineers after filling in for then-injured starter Alan Bowman in his first career start last season.
Colombi, who followed Red Raiders’ head coach Matt Wells from Utah State to Texas Tech, completed 22-of-28 passes for 169 yards and rushed for 40 yards and a score in that contest. Perhaps more importantly, he did not turn the ball over in a game the Red Raiders produced the winning touchdown on a fumble return.
“I think it helps that we played him last year,” said WVU head coach Neal Brown. “I don’t know if it’ll help when he starts scrambling around. That’s where we needed help last year. He’s done a good job and they obviously feel really comfortable with him.”
Colombi finished the 2020 campaign completing 109-of-166 passes for 1,065 yards with eight TDs and four interceptions.
This season, he had thrown only one pass prior to Shough’s injury in the second quarter against the Longhorns.
While the Red Raiders were handled 70-35 by Texas, Colombi made the most of his time and hit on 17-of-23 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns.
“He threw three go balls in the second half against Texas and they were right on the money,” Brown said. “He hit three explosive plays. He’s athletic and he can extend plays and that’s what really hurt us last year. They converted two third downs late in the game to hold on to the ball where he was really effective stretching it out on us.”
Colombi’s touchdown tosses covered 40, 69 and 75 yards — something not uncommon for a team that leads FBS with nine plays of 50-plus yards.
“They try to live by explosive plays,” WVU defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said. “They always have as long as I’ve been coaching in this league and even watching it before. That’s just kind of been their M.O., and it’s how they want to get started and how they thrive.”
Colombi will be the fourth mobile quarterback the Mountaineers have already faced, joining a list that includes Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa, Virginia Tech’s Braxton Burmeister and Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler. Perhaps the previous challenges helped prepare West Virginia’s defense for some of what Colombi will present come Saturday, though Lesley expects the Red Raiders to operate at a faster pace than much of what his unit has seen through four games.
“Their tempo is as fast as anybody,” Lesley said. “They execute it as well as anybody. They have speed on the edges, along with him being able to extend plays. Even last week, they still had [520 yards] of offense, and that’s what they’ve been for a long time. They’re a good offensive football team.”