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WVSPORTS.COM West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries press conference summary

--West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries has really liked the progress they've made from June until now on offensive concepts. Ball movement has improved and defensively all the new guys and concepts and terminology they are starting to figure out the positioning. They're trying to clean up some things on the most on defense.

--They're added the two bigs late in the process and much needed. It's added to their depth on the front line. Hoping they're playing catch up and can grow and into bigger roles.

--On the trip to Italy DeVries found out some guys love the water, some guys don't and jokes about the pasta, too. You figure out who your team is on the Italy trip but on the basketball floor, he likes how they came together and played. They did what they needed to do int terms of playing well and got to play a lot of guys and get a lot of minutes.

--Yesufu is out there and working his way back to this point. There is familiarity and he understands the terminology and concepts. He understands the expectations and is doing some good things.

--The Big 12 is a good league and you understands the preseason rankings don't mean a lot in the portal era but it says a lot about those teams and what they have returning. They're excited about the challenges and opportunities but they know that they're going to be competing at a high level. The goal is to come out and compete every night and try to win every game. The wins and losses will play out as they get into the season. They have 29 practices before the first game.

--DeVries made sure they challenged themselves right away. It's a good non-conference schedule and they know what the league is going to be like. In order to be successful they need to be good in certain areas and that's what they were going to focus on.

--The team just started yesterday with practice and they are trying to practice as much as they will perform in a game.

--DeVries said they have a clear identity on what it should look like and some of the roles are starting to become more defined but there is competition and that's what they want.

--DeVries tries to play positionless offense and open up the floor as much as possible. There are times they are really positionless but on the offense end they have multiple guys that can handle it. Taking care of the basketball is something they talk about every day and getting as many good opportunities as they can. Amani Hansberry is an undersized five man but he will present some opportunities on the offensive end with his abilities to space the floor.

--Bigs have to touch the ball in space a lot but they have to have the ball at the top of the key and make decisions. Throw a back court pass, roll and pop and they are asked to be involved in the offense a lot more on the perimeter than most offenses would.

--DeVries is the ref every day so he gives them plenty of bad calls in practice. they try to put them in situations where it's stacked against them. The hardest thing for every team is you have to learn how to win together. A lot of times that doesn't happen early but it's a season long process from a mental toughness standpoint how to win those games.

--You learn something new all the time and make sure you take the steps to be successful.

--Jonathan Powell has done some really good things for them. He has a good approach and wants to get better. When you have somebody that is willing to take that mindset those mistakes are easy to overlook. He's doing some nice things and will have a good freshman year if they take the mindset.

--You should be able to walk in that gym and talk about how hard they're going to play. That's not only from the team but the coaching staff with the enthusiasm to compete.

--Connectivity as a defense is really important because things happen where you can't just draw up and script everything. How well do they cover for one another and the communication piece and anticipation and they've progressed a lot on that end of the floor.

--Nothing has stood out in terms of surprises, the thing you are most happy about is the approach is about getting better and sometimes that can turn.

--Earlier in the year the rotation will be bigger, but you want to settle into eight to nine type of rotation. You find out quickly and you have to have guys ready to step in. Joe Yesufu was an example of that during his time at Drake when he came in and filled in when two starters got hurt and took off.

--Every team is different.

--You just have to be smart with Tucker DeVries coming off an injury same thing with Joe Yesufu.

--Offensively if you're going to be 6-foot-7 and have the ability to shoot threes you have to take advantage of that with Amani Hansberry. You can't always have him popping and have to put pressure on the rim. Hansberry doesn't have to be the leading rebounder they need to have a group. The five they're undersized, but with Eduardo Andre they're about where they need to be. Defensive rebounding is a want to.

--Jayden Stone is a guy that averaged 20 points per game. He is figuring out how can he best utilize his talents on the offensive end. e has good athleticism and can get to the rim. He is getting more and more comfortable and he anticipates him playing a good role.

--Defensively they are still a work in progress but he believes they can be a good connected defensive team that has length in spots. They've shown flashes, but have a day where they take a step back but from June until now they've made strides they just have to continue to get better.

--DeVries didn't have a ton of time this summer, they did cancel practice and going bowling. He saw all different types of personalities that they hadn't seen on the basketball floor. He didn't anticipate that but the next day at practice he wanted that personality to come out in practice. That's what it's supposed to look like.

--DeVries said it's about getting to know everyone and if you need someone who do you call. It all comes with time and the process but the people have been unbelievably helpful and engaging and supportive as they adjust.

--Most of the focus has been on the 2025 recruits and the 2026 recruits as well. The philosophy is on the needs and how much do they take and see how it plays out in the fall but make sure you can fill needs. You have to be prepared for any scenario.

--In an ideal world you want to get the open scholarships to fill each year to 4-5-6 and it sets you up to have more consistency.

--DeVries said they are recruiting everywhere from coast to coast and even internationally as well. Three hours away is a good thing so you want to be incredibly strong in the region but you need to be able to touch all the areas.

--Chester Frazier is born and raised there with strong ties and they will recruit there.

--DeVries didn't have a ton of international players at Drake, they weren't able to recruit as much there financially as they can here. The game has become so worldwide that there are more kids willing to come over and play college basketball.

--Ofri Naveh has continued to work hard and gives them all he has. He's learning a new system or things but he's enjoyed the way he approaches it.

--It's a mix with transfers. You have to be able to do both in the spring if you have an unexpected departure you have to be strong in the portal. In the high school recruiting they are spreading a very wide net. The biggest thing is building those bonds with high school kids for the second time around as well.

--DeVries doesn't talk to his kids a lot about shot selection as he wants them to be aggressive and confident. He wants them to figure it out on their own. He wants guys that can score and have the green light to go do that. Players play better with freedom and confidence. Allowing players to be players and play through mistakes, but also understanding winning and losing. It's about playing to their strengths, but he never wants them to stop growing their games.

RECRUITING UPDATE Under the Lights Sept 19-21

Scotty Fox

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Fox accounted for 303 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 266 yards and three TDs and added 37 yards and a score on six carries. His team moved to 5-0 after Fox led them to the win and put the game away himself.

"That’s when the Cardinals turned to their veteran to close it out. Fox orchestrated a 10-play, 75-yard drive, calling his own number and finding the end zone on a 20-yard option keeper."

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WVSPORTS.COM West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries press conference summary

--West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries has really liked the progress they've made from June until now on offensive concepts. Ball movement has improved and defensively all the new guys and concepts and terminology they are starting to figure out the positioning. They're trying to clean up some things on the most on defense.

--They're added the two bigs late in the process and much needed. It's added to their depth on the front line. Hoping they're playing catch up and can grow and into bigger roles.

--On the trip to Italy DeVries found out some guys love the water, some guys don't and jokes about the pasta, too. You figure out who your team is on the Italy trip but on the basketball floor, he likes how they came together and played. They did what they needed to do int terms of playing well and got to play a lot of guys and get a lot of minutes.

--Yesufu is out there and working his way back to this point. There is familiarity and he understands the terminology and concepts. He understands the expectations and is doing some good things.

--The Big 12 is a good league and you understands the preseason rankings don't mean a lot in the portal era but it says a lot about those teams and what they have returning. They're excited about the challenges and opportunities but they know that they're going to be competing at a high level. The goal is to come out and compete every night and try to win every game. The wins and losses will play out as they get into the season. They have 29 practices before the first game.

--DeVries made sure they challenged themselves right away. It's a good non-conference schedule and they know what the league is going to be like. In order to be successful they need to be good in certain areas and that's what they were going to focus on.

--The team just started yesterday with practice and they are trying to practice as much as they will perform in a game.

--DeVries said they have a clear identity on what it should look like and some of the roles are starting to become more defined but there is competition and that's what they want.

--DeVries tries to play positionless offense and open up the floor as much as possible. There are times they are really positionless but on the offense end they have multiple guys that can handle it. Taking care of the basketball is something they talk about every day and getting as many good opportunities as they can. Amani Hansberry is an undersized five man but he will present some opportunities on the offensive end with his abilities to space the floor.

--Bigs have to touch the ball in space a lot but they have to have the ball at the top of the key and make decisions. Throw a back court pass, roll and pop and they are asked to be involved in the offense a lot more on the perimeter than most offenses would.

--DeVries is the ref every day so he gives them plenty of bad calls in practice. they try to put them in situations where it's stacked against them. The hardest thing for every team is you have to learn how to win together. A lot of times that doesn't happen early but it's a season long process from a mental toughness standpoint how to win those games.

--You learn something new all the time and make sure you take the steps to be successful.

--Jonathan Powell has done some really good things for them. He has a good approach and wants to get better. When you have somebody that is willing to take that mindset those mistakes are easy to overlook. He's doing some nice things and will have a good freshman year if they take the mindset.

--You should be able to walk in that gym and talk about how hard they're going to play. That's not only from the team but the coaching staff with the enthusiasm to compete.

--Connectivity as a defense is really important because things happen where you can't just draw up and script everything. How well do they cover for one another and the communication piece and anticipation and they've progressed a lot on that end of the floor.

--Nothing has stood out in terms of surprises, the thing you are most happy about is the approach is about getting better and sometimes that can turn.

--Earlier in the year the rotation will be bigger, but you want to settle into eight to nine type of rotation. You find out quickly and you have to have guys ready to step in. Joe Yesufu was an example of that during his time at Drake when he came in and filled in when two starters got hurt and took off.

--Every team is different.

--You just have to be smart with Tucker DeVries coming off an injury same thing with Joe Yesufu.

--Offensively if you're going to be 6-foot-7 and have the ability to shoot threes you have to take advantage of that with Amani Hansberry. You can't always have him popping and have to put pressure on the rim. Hansberry doesn't have to be the leading rebounder they need to have a group. The five they're undersized, but with Eduardo Andre they're about where they need to be. Defensive rebounding is a want to.

--Jayden Stone is a guy that averaged 20 points per game. He is figuring out how can he best utilize his talents on the offensive end. e has good athleticism and can get to the rim. He is getting more and more comfortable and he anticipates him playing a good role.

--Defensively they are still a work in progress but he believes they can be a good connected defensive team that has length in spots. They've shown flashes, but have a day where they take a step back but from June until now they've made strides they just have to continue to get better.

--DeVries didn't have a ton of time this summer, they did cancel practice and going bowling. He saw all different types of personalities that they hadn't seen on the basketball floor. He didn't anticipate that but the next day at practice he wanted that personality to come out in practice. That's what it's supposed to look like.

--DeVries said it's about getting to know everyone and if you need someone who do you call. It all comes with time and the process but the people have been unbelievably helpful and engaging and supportive as they adjust.

--Most of the focus has been on the 2025 recruits and the 2026 recruits as well. The philosophy is on the needs and how much do they take and see how it plays out in the fall but make sure you can fill needs. You have to be prepared for any scenario.

--In an ideal world you want to get the open scholarships to fill each year to 4-5-6 and it sets you up to have more consistency.

--DeVries said they are recruiting everywhere from coast to coast and even internationally as well. Three hours away is a good thing so you want to be incredibly strong in the region but you need to be able to touch all the areas.

--Chester Frazier is born and raised there with strong ties and they will recruit there.

--DeVries didn't have a ton of international players at Drake, they weren't able to recruit as much there financially as they can here. The game has become so worldwide that there are more kids willing to come over and play college basketball.

--Ofri Naveh has continued to work hard and gives them all he has. He's learning a new system or things but he's enjoyed the way he approaches it.

--It's a mix with transfers. You have to be able to do both in the spring if you have an unexpected departure you have to be strong in the portal. In the high school recruiting they are spreading a very wide net. The biggest thing is building those bonds with high school kids for the second time around as well.

--DeVries doesn't talk to his kids a lot about shot selection as he wants them to be aggressive and confident. He wants them to figure it out on their own. He wants guys that can score and have the green light to go do that. Players play better with freedom and confidence. Allowing players to be players and play through mistakes, but also understanding winning and losing. It's about playing to their strengths, but he never wants them to stop growing their games.

WVU Release Garrett Greene Named Manning Award Star of the Week

NEW ORLEANS (September 23, 2024) The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, has named eight quarterbacks as its "Stars of the Week." College football fans can follow the Manning Award on social media (@ManningAward) to vote for what they think was the best performance from this past weekend. After voting closes on Wednesday at 9 a.m. (Central), the top vote-getter will be announced as the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2004 to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting. Since the Manning Award started recognizing Stars of the Week in 2011, 538 different quarterbacks from 133 schools have been recognized. Sixty-six players were honored during the 2023 season.

This week's eight Manning Award Stars of the Week are:

Luke Altmyer, Illinois (21-of-27, 236 total yards, 4 TDs, QBR: 83.9)
Altmyer, who tallied his second four-touchdown game of the season, delivered his final TD of the night in overtime to lift the Fighting Illini to a 31-24 road victory over No. 22 Nebraska in Big Ten action as Illinois improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2011.

Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (22-of-34, 487 total yards, 7 TDs, QBR: 95.5)
Barnett, who passed for 388 yards and five touchdowns while running for 99 yards and two more scores, led the Dukes to the most points ever scored against North Carolina in a 70-50 road victory over the Tar Heels.

Garrett Greene, West Virginia (15-of-30, 382 total yards, 3 TDs, 2 INT, QBR: 78.8)
Greene delivered a pair of touchdown passes in the final 3:27, including the 15-yard game-winner with 26 seconds to go as the Mountaineers came from behind to shock Kansas, 32-28, in Big 12 action.

Blake Horvath, Navy (9-of-12, 403 total yards, 6 TDs, 0 INT, QBR: 99.8)
Horvath, who throws for 192 yards and two touchdowns and runs for 211 yards (17.6 yards per carry) and four more scores, tallies the third most yards of offense in school history as he leads Navy to a 56-44 AAC win over previously undefeated Memphis.

Graham Mertz, Florida (19-of-21, 225 total yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT, QBR: 95.1)
Mertz delivered three first-half touchdowns through the air and then added a third-quarter rushing touchdown as the Gators picked up an SEC road victory, 45-28, over Mississippi State.

John Mateer, Washington State (26-of-46, 501 total yards, 5 TDs, 2 INT, QBR: 78.3)
Mateer, who posted the most yards of total offense by an FBS player so far this season, led the Cougars to 22 fourth-quarter points, including delivering a pair of touchdown passes, to erase a 14-point deficit to force overtime where he scored what proved to be the winning two-point conversion in a wild 54-52 victory over San Jose State.

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (25-of-41, 367 total yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, QBR: 64.6)
Sanders scrambled to his left and threw a 43-yard pass to the end zone for the game-tying touchdown with 0:00 on the clock and the Buffaloes went on to defeat Baylor, 38-31, in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

Evan Simon, Temple (17-of-27, 320 total yards, 6 TDs, 0 INT, QBR: 81.1)
Simon, who connected on a career-best five touchdown passes while also running for a score, led the Owls to 28 second-half points in a 45-29 home victory over Utah State.

While the Manning Award selected 29 quarterbacks for its preseason Watch List, additional quarterbacks are expected to be added to the Watch List later in the season. Finalists will be selected in early December and the winner is scheduled to be announced following the College Football Playoff National Championship.

In its first 20 years, the Manning Award has recognized the top names in college football. It has honored quarterbacks from 14 different schools and from four different conferences. The Southeastern Conference (Jayden Daniels, Stetson Bennett, Bryce Young, Joe Burrow, Mac Jones, Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton, JaMarcus Russell and Tim Tebow) leads the way with nine Manning Award honorees, while the Big 12 Conference (Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Vince Young, Colt McCoy and Robert Griffin III) has had five winners. The Atlantic Coast Conference (Deshaun Watson twice, Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston) has had four Manning Award winners. LSU (Daniels, Burrow, and Russell) now leads the way with three honorees, while Alabama (Bryce Young and Jones), Oklahoma (Murray and Mayfield), and Texas (McCoy and Vince Young) have each produced a pair of Manning Award winners.

All the Manning Award winners follow in the footsteps of the Mannings themselves. In college, Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning combined for over 25,000 passing yards and 201 touchdowns while playing in 10 bowl games and earning four bowl MVP awards. Archie was the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, while both Peyton and Eli were selected No. 1 overall.

WVSPORTS.COM Observations: West Virginia football vs. Kansas

--Football is a funny game sometimes and a week after West Virginia blew a 34-24 lead with 4:55 remaining, the Mountaineers rallied from down 11 with just 5:39 left. It was almost a mirror image of a week ago, with West Virginia opening things up and allowing the offense to throw the football and get quarterback Garrett Greene making plays with his legs while Kansas decided to go conservative with a chance to ice the clock and weren't able to do it. The Mountaineers get the football back and drive down the field score with 26 seconds left on a beautiful play design to Rodney Gallagher and then forced a turnover on a strip sack to preserve the win. Without the sake of being dramatic this win could very likely save the season for the Mountaineers from a mental perspective because dropping to 1-3 this early would have been a very difficult hole to climb out of with a trip to Oklahoma State next. Still, credit to this team for rallying and winning a game that not many thought they would at that point including myself. We'll see what this game means in the grand scheme of things for this year, but it's certainly worth celebrating tonight.

--Listen, it is what it is but this team is now 1-0 in the Big 12. That doesn't erase what has happened, but it matters especially with how wide open this league is going to be. I expect a lot of close games like this and you have to find ways to win them like this team did today.

--Now that doesn't erase the issues, as the Mountaineers were way too conservative at times in this game and it almost got them beat. The offense seemed stuck in neutral at times, but when Greene was allowed to open things up and just play football it functioned a lot better. The shifts/motions and everything else has a place, but this unit operates better to me when they're playing fast football and allowing Greene to do what he does best. West Virginia had 7 plays for 14 yards prior to the final two drives going 75-yards and 67-yards.

--Garrett Greene wasn't at his best at times in this one at 15-30 for 295 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, but he carried this team on his back in the final two drives and made play after play including some really good throws and some nice plays with his legs. He managed the clock well in those situations but used his legs to pick up some big plays to keep the offense moving. The Mountaineers just look like a different team in the two minute and Greene just looks so much more comfortable. He's a senior quarterback and this is one where despite it not being his best overall, that leadership and experience showed up when it mattered. That's the most he has thrown for in a game since 391 against Houston last year.

--West Virginia forced a pair of turnovers in this game after only having one through the first three and although neither resulted in points, the final one sealed the game. It's almost hard to believe that Tyrin Bradley has the last two interceptions that the defense has dating back to last season.

--West Virginia won this game with CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White combining for 12 carries for 53 yards. I definitely wouldn't have called that.

--Felt West Virginia did a better job against the pass at times in this one, although some of that was on Jalon Daniels just missing some opportunities. But the Jayhawks ran the ball with a lot of success in a lot of creative ways with 247 rushing yards but overall the defense tackled pretty well and made plays when it mattered. Those 247 rushing yards are the most that West Virginia has given up since Oklahoma State last season and the Jayhawks were at 5.3 per carry. But this effort is even more impressive with how many guys were injured at various times including Aubrey Burks. The Mountaineers had to use guys in different spots and made it work.

--The Mountaineers only had three penalties for 20 yards in this game. West Virginia was also 4-5 in the red zone but scored 29 points in those opportunities.

--Hudson Clement was excellent in this game. He was able to win in man coverage several times and finished with 7 catches for 150 yards, more than half of Greene's yards, but almost had another score. He just does the right things and has shown the ability to win in those contested situations at a higher clip than anybody else. Also tip of the cap to Rodney Gallagher who scored his first career touchdown on a really nice designed play for a 15-yard score. He continues to grow as a wide receiver.

--Overall, the offense was 7-13 on third down and a big reason was they were able to stay in manageable situations. Still Greene was 6-9 for 61-yards on third down and the Mountaineers also averaged over 10 yards on first downs.

--West Virginia was at 7 yards per play, while Kansas was at 6. I wouldn't have expected that.

--The West Virginia linebackers didn't have their best game in this one and Kansas will do that to you but Josiah Trotter is always around the ball. He had 11 tackles in this one. TJ Jackson also had another 1.5 sacks in this game and has been a force off the edge.

--Credit to Preston Fox. He played two snaps in this game and both were catching punts to ensure that the Mountaineers wouldn't have any miscues. But Gallagher also deserves some credit with a 16-yard return in this one showing his abilities back there.

--Props to the kickoff team. I've been really critical at times, but West Virginia booted the ball into the end zone at a high clip and when they didn't had great coverage with that team.

--West Virginia now gets a bye week and avoided disaster in this one while showing a lot of heart down the stretch run of this game. A lot of people might have given up late in this one, but this team didn't and that matters moving forward. It won't get any easier with a road trip next, but at least we can discuss the possibility now.

We all seem to want to point to Greene and the play calling but

the fact that we can't run the ball with any consistency is out biggest offensive problem! Greene functions much, much better when the run game is going well. Play action is his forte not drop back passing. To me the big question why we can't block better for the running game is a mystery to me. Millum and Rimac are returning starters the other guys have been around a while. Come on O-line, wake up!!!

I realize that everyone copies everyone else....I would love to see our staff look

at what Brian Flores is doing at Minn.

He is covering up a relatively soft DB field with crazy simulated pressure and smoke and mirrors on the Dline so that they are putting tons of pressure on the QB and Oline with tricks and scheme rather than people.

He is sending 3-5 guys but freaking QB's out. The job he did on CJ yesterday was crazy good.

If he was willing to coach in college as a HC rather than a coordinator in NFL he would be my #1. He only makes 3 mil a year in Minn. He was in Pittsburgh with steelers before Miami. I would love to have him as HC.

I bet he would be a stud recruiter too!!


I love what he has done with the Vikings Defense.
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