Jahiem White injury update: Report suggests West Virginia RB out for season

West Virginia suffered an upset loss on the road this weekend at Ohio in the MAC. Now, things just got worse for the Mountaineers with the reported status this afternoon on RB Jahiem White.

Per Matt Zenitz, White is likely to miss the remainder of this season for WVU. That’s after suffering a knee injury in that loss to the Bobcats on Saturday.

“Unfortunate injury news: West Virginia star running back Jahiem White is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury he suffered vs. Ohio Saturday, sources tell @CBSSports,” Zenitz tweeted out.

West Virginia lost 17-10 on Saturday to Ohio on the road in Athens. The Mountaineers didn’t have an update yet on White following the game, with Rich Rodriguez saying postgame that “it didn’t look good from the sidelines” but that he “hadn’t even talked to the medical staff yet”, after the injury that forced him to leave the field on a cart. That’s now been reported as a season-ending injury for him to his knee.

White had just started his junior season in Morgantown, having appeared in 27 games, 16 of those being starts, for West Virginia. He has posted 1,819 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns on 281 carries for the Mountaineers to this point, while also catching three touchdowns to bring him to a total of 17. That’s made him their leading rusher in yardage, despite having less carries after sharing the backfield his first two seasons with CJ Donaldson, in each of his years with WVU.

Through his two outings this season, White had 24 carries for 133 yards and three touchdowns. That includes the six carries he had for a touchdown and 40 yards, while also catching one three-yard pass, this weekend before exiting against Ohio.

Without him, West Virginia will have to go to some of their next names on the depth chart in the backfield with players like RBs Clay Ash (nine carries for 25 yards) and Cyncir Bowers (seven carries for 53 yards, TD). Run game with the quarterback has also been a key aspect for the Mountaineers’ offense of late, with that chance being for their new starter in QB Nicco Marchiol who has run 65 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries so far this season.

This is a significant loss for West Virginia this fall with White having been their top back in yardage since he arrived. That’s certainly so with the Mountaineers, at 1-1 now in the return of Rodriguez, not having him to lean on and rely on the rest of the way, including this weekend when they play Pittsburgh at home in the Backyard Brawl.