West Virginia has named Ford Childress its starting quarterback in an attempt to boost its struggling passing offense.
Childress was elevated all the way from No. 3 on the depth chart to the top job by Mountaineers head coach Dana Holgorsen, who announced the promotion Thursday night during his weekly radio show. West Virginia plays Georgia State on Saturday.
"It's his time," Holgorsen said. "It's his job and we're going to see what he can do."
A 6-foot-5, 234-pound redshirt freshman from Houston, Childress was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. His father, Ray, was a three-time All-Pro defensive lineman for the Houston Oilers and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
In two games, WVU has only 455 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. That's the kind of production it could have produced in four quarters last season with quarterback Geno Smith and wide receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.
Paul Millard started the first two games and went 44-of-66 passing, while Florida State transfer Clint Trickett played briefly in the WVU opener against William & Mary. Childress has never played in a college game.
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