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WVU Working to Become Bigger, Stronger, Faster

Prep continues for debut against Virginia?Tech

The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2016, West Virginia is expecting big things again this season from running back Justin Crawford.

MORGANTOWN — Just three little words, but they mean so much. Especially to fans of the West Virginia University football team.

No. Those would not be ‘I love you’, but rather ‘bigger, stronger, faster’.

Ask senior running back Justin Crawford what he has been working on most since spring drills and he will tell you, “I’m progressing fairly well. I feel myself getting stronger, faster, quicker. I am bettering myself for the upcoming season, that’s all I can do.”

Crawford, the Big 12’s Newcomer of the Year and All-Big 12 second team running back, is coming off a season that saw the Columbus, Ga., native ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and sixth nationally in rushing yards per carry, averaging 7.3 yards per touch.

A two-time NJCAA All American and the 2015 Spalding NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year, Crawford rushed for 1,184 yards and scored four touchdowns on 163 carries. His 96.3 yards per game of all-purpose yardage ranked No. 12 in conference play and his career-best of 331 yards against Oklahoma was the third-most in school history.

“All of that came about thanks to a lot of hard work during the offseason and an offensive line that opened the holes I needed to gain those yards,” the Northwest Mississippi Community College product said. “All of those aspects I just said. Getting bigger, stronger, faster.”

And, putting on a few pounds.

“Yeah, I have put on about 4 pounds,” the running back said. From ”203 to 205 (My comfortable playing weight). I’m close to it.”

A preseason pick to again be one of the Big 12’s most productive ball-carriers, Crawford has also spent the majority of the summer getting accustomed to the new players he will have up front with the graduation of All-Big 12 first teamer Tyler Orlosky as well as Adam Pankey and Tony Matteo, and two-year starting quarterback Skyler Howard.

“Just the ability to click on all cylinders,” Crawford said. “How everyone is on the same page.”

Another senior using the summer to get himself prepared for the grind to come is Huntington native Elijah Wellman.

“Embracing the grind,” the Spring Valley High School product said. “That is what we say around here. Embrace it and make it fun. It’s not going to be a good time if you are dreading the work. It makes everything better when you are coming in, getting the work done and enjoying it with your teammates.

“It’s going well. We are working hard for the upcoming season and putting the work in and grinding. It’s been fun getting to know the news guys on the team, that’s also fun. There are a lot of different people coming in that are new from different places. Team bonding and summer workouts are what it’s all about getting ready for the season.”

The bonding part cannot be overlooked.

“It’s very important,” Wellman said. “That’s one thing we stress. We have been doing team competitions where we have about 10 teams and they put random people together in certain categories. That’s how you get to know some guys that you don’t normally mess around with not around football. Myself, I have made a couple of new friendships just through that and team bonding. That’s something that we strive for. That brings a team together to win games when you are counting on that dude next to you and trusting that guy. It’s very important.”

WVU opens its 2017 campaign against longtime rival Virginia Tech. The two border state programs will face one another for the first time since 2005 when they clash at 7:40 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3 at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

In other news from Morgantown:

∫ Mini-packages and single-game tickets for the 2017 football season will go on sale to the public at 9 a.m. on Thursday. Tickets will be available for purchase online at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME or in-person at the Mountaineer Ticket Office inside the WVU Coliseum.

WVU is offering three mini-plan options for home games this fall. The Mountaineer Package features four games for $245: East Carolina, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Texas. The Blue Plan, a three-game option, is priced at $190: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Texas. The third option, the Gold Plan, is $185: East Carolina, Oklahoma State and Texas.

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