MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — At George Campbell’s amazing scoring rate, he would need only 40 catches to surpass Stedman Bailey’s WVU record of 25 TD receptions in one season.
“A lot of people talk about ‘Touchdown Machine,’ ” said Campbell, a senior transfer from Florida State. “But I try and stay humble and keep working.”
As it is, Campbell is ninth on the team with six receptions, but is tied for the team’s lead with four scores — all of it well short of Bailey’s accomplishments.
That doesn’t mean the former 5-star recruit hasn’t made an impact or isn’t in line to finish out his senior season strong.
“He did some good things,” WVU head coach Neal Brown said. “He’ll be more involved as we move forward.”
Those good things were an 83-yard touchdown reception that stood as the Mountaineers’ lone offensive score in a 17-14 loss last week against 12th-ranked Baylor.
An injury to receiver T.J. Simmons will likely move Campbell up in the depth chart heading into today’s game against Texas Tech.
“George is playing really well,” WVU co-offensive coordinator Matt Moore said. “He’s going to deserve more playing time. We’re putting him in there.”
Big plays were expected of Campbell when the Seminoles first signed him in 2015 as the third-ranked high school receiver in the country.
Multiple injuries limited him to just two seasons at Florida State, where he caught nine passes for 164 yards.
He transferred to West Virginia this summer looking for a fresh start.
That start meant joining a receiving corps that was a mixture of other transfers and freshmen playing next to a quarterback who himself was a Division-I transfer who had never started a game before this season.
Consistency among that group has been a concern, as the Mountaineers’ offense ranks last in the Big 12 in scoring and total yards per game.
As for the WVU receivers, drops have been an issue for most of the season.
“It’s really repetitions,” Brown said. “When you go about it, I think some of it is a confidence issue, so you start thinking about it. I think you solve it through repetitions. We’ve moved tennis ball machines into our position room. Within the 20-hour rule, we’ve added a JUGS machine into their workout. We’ve done some things to increase their repetitions of catching balls.”
Some more playing time could mean more big plays from Campbell, who is focused on finishing his final season on a strong note.
“For me, there’s a lot more I have to give, both offensively and special teams,” Campbell said. “There’s still four games left and I could potentially do big things for the team. I want to continue to do that.”
