West Virginia WR David Sills presents red-zone challenge for Kansas State

Where is David Sills?

That’s the question Kansas State defenders will shout every time West Virginia’s high-powered offense enters the red zone on Saturday at Snyder Family Stadium.

The Wildcats will need to keep extra eyes on Sills, because he is the most dangerous touchdown threat in all of college football. The junior receiver leads the nation with 16 touchdown catches. Memphis receiver Anthony Miller ranks second with 11. Sills has been nearly unstoppable in scoring situations, hauling in multiple touchdowns in six games.

“He thinks he’s the baddest dude on the field. He really does,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said earlier this season. “His mentality is, they can’t cover me, they can’t guard me.”

That has shown in all areas. Sills isn’t just good at catching touchdowns. His 793 receiving yards rank fifth in the Big 12, and he offers a new challenge for K-State’s struggling secondary, which has surrendered more than 400 passing yards in three straight games.

Then again, he is simply one of Will Grier’s favorite targets, along with Gary Jennings, Ka’Raun White and Marcus Simms.

Grier, a Florida transfer, has thrown for 3,068 yards and 30 touchdowns this season.

“He has shown how talented he is,” K-State defensive back Brogan Barry said. “It’s just like last week playing an air raid offense, our defensive backs are going to be on the hook, and we will see how it goes … I think everyone in the secondary is ready, but it’s a big challenge for us.”

West Virginia’s spread offense is similar to what K-State has seen in recent weeks against Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Tech, but Sills offers a new dynamic.

He’s more than just a talented receiver. He also has a high football IQ. Sills was once considered a quarterback prodigy and received a scholarship offer from then USC football coach Lane Kiffin at the age of 13. He knows just as much about West Virginia’s offense as Grier.

Sills ended up at West Virginia hoping to play quarterback, but spent most of his freshman season at receiver. He got off to a promising start, catching seven passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. But his heart remained at quarterback, so he transferred to junior college to give passing another go. When that didn’t work out, he transferred back to West Virginia and committed himself to receiver full time.

He took an intersting path to this point. Now, he’s a feared scoring threat.

This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 3:01 PM with the headline "West Virginia WR David Sills presents red-zone challenge for Kansas State."