Video: Chris Henry's West Virginia Highlights
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Chris Henry had one of the most interesting college careers I've ever seen. Despite playing in just 23 games at West Virginia, he still has the fifth most receiving touchdowns in school history:
Not only did he play fewer games than other great WVU wide receivers, but Henry put up numbers in an offense that was built to run the ball, no matter the situation. West Virginia averaged 47.7 runs to 20.5 passes per game during Henry's two seasons, and he still had almost 100 career catches and 2,000 receiving yards. He made the most of limited opportunities, exemplified by his 1,000-yard season on just 41 catches in 2003:
I've been struggling to think of who his game reminds me of today for younger fans, but Tee Higgins is the first name that comes to mind. Henry was tall, lanky (6'5, 195) and had the wingspan of a pre-historic bird. He could outjump almost any defensive back he was matched up with, and his size made him a great efficiency target on third downs. He also had explosive 4.5 speed to burn defenders deep, and was the perfect big-play receiving complement to Rich Rodriguez's option game. He was a unique player in a unique offense, and I wish there were all 23 of his games at WVU available online to truly showcase how special his abilities were: