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What a month of October it was for Dante Stills.
In the Mountaineers' four games last month, the veteran defensive tackle tallied 14 tackles -- including six sacks and a total of 10.5 tackles for loss. He currently ranks second in the Big 12 in tackles for loss, and third in sacks.
"I'm moving around a lot better," Stills said. "I'm making big, key plays. I'm just trying to stay active out there, really. I'm just trying to move around and just be in the backfield (and) cause havoc. I just try to do my thing, the whole d-line is trying to do their thing. Just be disruptive."
He's been arguably the most impactful contributor as the Mountaineers have rebounded from their three-game skid coming out of the bye week. Stills combined for 3.5 tackles for loss in the last two games and, along with a total of eight tackles,
But Stills' impact goes further than just the box score. A hulking 6-foot-4, 280-pound mass, Dante has found himself in situations similar to what his brother, Darius, found himself in last season: often gathering double teams from opposing offensive lines.
On paper, this may seem as a negative for the Mountaineers as it can effectively neutralize a key defensive player.
However, it does open up other playmakers, providing many of those on defense to make a play.
"I don't pay as much attention to the stat sheets as maybe some people, but he has played his best football over the last month, he really has," head coach Neal Brown said. "Sometimes that shows at d-line on the stat sheet with TFLs and sacks, sometimes it doesn't. But he's done his job -- and Akheem Mesidor, the same -- which has enabled our linebackers to play better, our other d-linemen to play better. Our fundamentals are much better."
Starting mike linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo currently has 72 tackles, good for second in the conference. Defensive backs Sean Mahone and Alonzo Addae, with 55 and 45 tackles, aren't too far behind.
Stills has been a key piece up front, but he's flanked by a group of supplementary players, like Mesidor, that also impose a challenge on opposing offenses. Defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley sees the group's successes as being due to the ability to get the little things right.
"When you look at the evaluation of a player, I don't look at highlight videos because that's a given," Lesley said.
"I'm gonna see sacks, I'm gonna see tackles for loss. What I really look for is the level of d-line play -- are they using their hands, are they playing with leverage, how are their feet at contact, how do they react to blocks.
"I think that is what you see, especially out of Dante, but Akheem in his second year, and really the job that Andrew Jackson has done with those guys, that's what sticks out the most. It's the level of play at that position. They play really good fundamental football, which has allowed a lot of the other parts of the defense to work better."
Injury update
The Mountaineers will be without two starters moving forward.
Cornerback Nicktroy Fortune will be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season, while tight end Mike O'Laughlin is out for the year. Both are lower body injuries, according to Brown.
Redshirt junior TJ Banks, who slotted in for O'Laughlin earlier this season, will take his place, while the coaching staff will continue to make adjustments in an already thin secondary.