MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 21, 2018) – West Virginia University assistant coaches and select members of the West Virginia University football team met with the media on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On deciding on backups as the season approaches
We still have battles going on. We have two positions, in particular, where we don’t know who the starter is going to be, at this point. This week will tell a lot. We’re still going to be able to do some good-on-good, and then, start working some Tennessee stuff. We still haven’t determined those two spots yet. Other than that, we’re pretty close to having our top-22.
On preparing for Tennessee with starting jobs still being decided
That doesn’t affect our preparation. We’ve done a few breakdowns of Tennessee and have all that in place. That doesn’t slow us down in our prep for what we’re going to do against Tennessee.
On how veteran leadership helps when adjustments have to be made on the fly
Guys knowing our system – that’s a big thing. Always in game one, I try to be pretty simple with our game plan, because of the unknown of having a guy like (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Jabril Robinson or (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Kenny Bigelow (Jr.) or (redshirt sophomore linebacker) Charlie Benton. Those guys, for the first time, are going to be playing on that stage, especially with Charlie. Now, Jabril and Kenny have been there and done that, but it’s still going to be new for them playing in this scheme. So, we’re going to keep it simple. The number one thing is, I want kids to play fast and avoid slowing down.
Assistant Coach (Linebackers/Special Teams) Mark Scott
On the plans for the kicking group
We’re going to put the guy out there who’s doing the best job right now. That’s (redshirt sophomore) Evan (Staley). We still have two weeks, and depending on how he feels and how he continues to go through practice, we’ll let that play out. Throughout the course of the game, we’re confident enough right now where we feel good. We have two guys on kickoff with him and (redshirt sophomore) Luke Hogan, who is kicking it well. Then, we have Evan, (redshirt junior) Skyler (Simcox) and Luke with PAT/field goal. All three of them are really good.
On how the new kickoff return rules affect the special teams’ strategy
We have to throw our guys in as many situations as we can. A lot of it depends on where they kick it and based on what our call is. We coach our guys up on what to do in those certain situations. In terms of pooch kicks, you may see them a little bit deeper to put them in situations where they have to make decisions. We’ve done that, literally, every day that we’ve done kickoff return. We’re spraying the ball all over the place to get the entire back-end as many reps as we can, by putting them in situations where they have to make a decision. I’m not sure if anyone fully knows how this thing is going to work, but you have a little bit of an out based on where the ball’s kicked versus what the return call is or who the ball is kicked to. You have a little bit of an out with the fair catch rule moving the ball up to the 25. In terms of where we put our guys, we have to look at what the return call is and if they kick it they kick it here, then you fair catch it. Fullbacks and tight ends, depending on where they kick it, are going to need to get out of the way and let somebody else catch it, or they’ll need to fair catch it. It’s going to be a little bit of trial by fire here, but we’re just trying to put our guys in as many situations where they have to make decisions.
On the situation at kick/punt returner
Same guys as last year. We’ve put (freshman wide receiver) Sam James back at kickoff returner, obviously, with his speed. (Junior wide receiver) Marcus (Simms), (senior wide receiver) Gary (Jennings Jr.), (redshirt freshman running back Alec) Sinkfield and (senior wide receiver) David (Sills V) a little bit, but not really. Punt return is really the same guys – (sophomore wide receiver) Tevin (Bush), Gary, Marcus and a little bit of David Sills. At times, when we went with two returners, we put him back there. But, again, we’re deeper at those spots than we’ve ever been, in terms of us feeling confident making decisions, catching the ball and being to do something with it after the catch.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Bruce Tall
On why having a large amount of depth on the defensive line is key
You have numbers. That’s been the key factor, some type of numbers. Now, you can keep rolling guys in, you can keep guys fresh. You keep watching guys, keep studying guys and all of that. Obviously, everybody wants to be that guy who runs out there first. So, it keeps the challenges going, and it makes it good competition.
On making decisions on starters and the rotation
I think that I’ve been up front with my guys, and I’ve told them what the plan is. I think that helps those guys. It’s not that you want a guy to concede and say, ‘He’s going there and I’m here.’ You want them to have that competitive juice that they want to be out there first. That’s what I want. I want all of them to have that mindset and to understand that ‘Yes, I am going to play and that’s okay.’ I don’t want them to say that’s okay.
On the importance of minutes played instead of starting
No question. I’ve had one-on-one conversations with guys and explained to them that even though they might not be the guy who goes out first, they might end up with more snaps in that game. It’s all about who is hot and how the flow is going in the game. So, I’m not caught up in who’s out there first and who is going to play the most snaps. It’s going to be who is the hottest man.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Jake Spavital
On how close backups on offense are to being decided
I would say we’re probably around 90 to 95 percent done with that. This is the week that is the mock game week. So, we have to emphasize the trading of scout teams so we have to start witling that down a little bit. If there is a competition battle at a certain group, we allow that to go off these next Tuesday and Wednesday practices.
On where battles are occurring on offense
They’re still going on at the running back position. I would say that about the right guard and the center position, as well. There are a lot of backup roles, in terms of who is going to be that guy, as well. For the most part, 90 to 95 percent is already solidified. It’s an important week. On mock game week, in terms of preparation for Tennessee, this is a crazy week in terms of making sure our scout team lines up with way we want to practice. It’s mainly about making sure that we’re on the same page in terms of how we practice, so we can get the game plan in next week the way we want it.
On the back-up quarterback situation
Still up in the air. I think (redshirt sophomore) Jack Allison has pretty much taken over that right now. I feel confident with these kids. I think the beauty of the redshirt rule, right now, is we can just keep (freshman) Trey Lowe (III), give him some quality reps and get to the point where we can throw him in the game and see what he’s capable of in live situations versus other opponents, but as of right now, Jack will be the first one going in.
Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On senior wide receiver David Sills V and his seriousness with becoming a better wide receiver
The thing is the development process from year-to-year, and he understands receiver more now. With that, it makes it easier. He can see through the film of last year. That’s one of the things that I challenged him on – just to go back and watch everything, critique yourself. He’s been doing a great job with it. Now, I don’t think that there’s a rep where he goes out there and wastes it. He tries to either block better or make everything look the same, whether it’s route running or blocking. Half of the time, the DBs (defensive backs) can’t tell whether he’s running a route or blocking. That’s a good thing. He challenges himself every day.
On senior wide receiver David Sills V and how he mentors younger receivers
I need help. There’s a bunch of us right now. Like I said, I put those older guys with those younger guys earlier in camp to try and teach them a little bit. The younger guys probably get tired of me yelling about this being the way, and the older guy can pull them aside and say, “Look, if you do this the way that coach is telling you, it works.” That helps, and David is the guy who talks to everybody – starters included – about certain things. Sometimes, he asks questions on how they did something and, sometimes, he can help them also.
On the competition at wide receiver
I don’t know. The thing is, I don’t see it as competition. I feel like everyone wants to be great and they’re pushing each other. They don’t let each other take reps off. They challenge each other every single day in the film room, the weight room and, especially, on the field.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Line) Joe Wickline
On the process of evaluating things down to the wire
It’s simple. First and foremost, we have to be assignment sound. It gets down to making routine blocks and routine plays. When you’re a defensive player or receiver, you make routine blocks, you make routine I.D. calls. Who can give us the best chance to get on the right guy? After that, it goes back to mechanics, technique and fundamentals. In terms of this guy is a little ahead of this guy or what his pad level is, you can bounce off this guy and get to him a little bit faster. His pulling is a little bit different, or he might be ahead a little bit in the techniques and mechanics. The third thing is effort. When it gets down to it, when you try to get ahead, it all goes down to trust. Can you trust this player more than this player? Or is this player a better option? With all those things combined, in the end, if it gets really tough, it just goes to who is giving the most effort, who is trying hard. They’re all trying hard on different levels. Effort, violence, finish and things like that.
On having a number of players who can play and compete on the offensive line
I learned a long time ago that you can’t get enough good players on the bus. You fill that thing up with as many good players as you can get. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a bad experience with a bunch of competition. The more the competition, the more you bring out the small details, because they have to have them out. Now, we can work on small things, and you don’t have to coach the big things quite as much. It allows you to finally detail things where you can get them – all of them – taken care of where you said that they won’t be evolved in the first team of the rotation.
On being more involved at the center position
I made it sound simple, because I was asked that once everything is even, what do you finally draw from? I’m thinking that they’ve already accomplished the things that you’re talking about, in terms of snapping the ball to the quarterback correctly – making the right I.D., being in the right position. Then, when the battle gets closer, there are always a couple of defining things that we talk about. They’re all doing a nice job. The centers are doing a nice job. (Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman) Jacob Buccigrossi and (redshirt junior offensive lineman) Matt Jones – those guys have bought into it. They’ve stepped up to the plate. They’re giving their best and they’ve been getting better every day.
Redshirt junior linebacker David Long Jr.
On how he is embracing his leadership role this season
I’ve been getting help from the older guys, like (redshirt senior safety Dravon) Dray (Askew-Henry), to bring everybody together and explain what we need, what we don’t need and to sort out the bad and the good. I’ve just tried to bring everybody together and get everyone on the right path.
On what he has tried to improve most coming into this year
Chemistry. As a defense, that’s what we’ve been talking about, homing in on that. To play together out there with everybody being selfless, we just want to play off each other and play for each other.
On how practicing with a high-caliber offense helps the defense
It’s a nice time for me and the defense, as a whole. It toughens us up to get out there and know that you’re going against good players. It’s always good work out there.
Senior defensive lineman Ezekiel Rose
On how beneficial mock week is to get a feel for what a game week will be like
I feel like it will get everybody in the right mindset for a game. It will get them ready to go and ready to see what they’re going to see on gameday, in game week. It’s a very important process.
On how team chemistry is different this year
There’s a lot more trust. We trust the new guys and the younger guys a lot more than we did last year. I feel like that plays a much bigger role in how we talk with one another and communicate, because we’re able to give different aspects of things to each other, instead of everybody trying to look at things one, solid way.
On how the new guys have integrated themselves
I feel like they had a good chance to see what is going and see how the older guys do it. That just really helped them to become accustomed to what’s going on. They’ll see an older guy doing something, and they’ll ask, ‘Can I do that? Or should I just try to do it a different way since the coaches don’t know me that well, yet?’ We’ll just tell them what’s going on and how to do it.
Redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier
On his thoughts as the season approaches
We’re excited and ready to roll. We’ve put a lot of work, and we’ve tried to improve on what we did last year, improve on the spring. We got through camp now, and it’s just time to put that product on the field. We’re really looking forward to it.
On the importance of mock week
It’s really important, especially for guys that are new – transfers, guys that hadn’t played last year or guys that haven’t played college football before. It just teaches you how to practice, how to prepare and how a week will look. That way, when you get to game week, you’re rolling and you understand what’s going on, and you can just focus on being the best you can be out there.
On junior wide receiver Marcus Simms and his growth over the offseason
I’ve seen a lot. I think he continues to get better. I’ve always told him that if he takes this opportunity and keeps working, then he’ll be an incredible player. He has unbelievable talent. He’s an electric player. I try and find ways to get him the ball, because he makes people miss. He’s obviously a great return man, and he showed that last year. He’s explosive. He’s a guy who we’re going to try and put the ball in his hands as much as we can.
Senior wide receiver David Sills V
On helping to keep his teammates patient as the start of the season approaches
I think that we understand what we have in front of us. We’re in our mock week right now – our replication of game week. I think it’s becoming more and more realistic when you get to this point, and I think guys are hungry to get to this point and anxious to start preparing for Tennessee. I don’t really think there’s any of that going on right now, because we did just transition from more of a camp setting to game week. I think guys are excited to watch film on Tennessee and start game planning for them.
On if mock week is important for new players
Yeah, I think for sure. It’s definitely very important, because it gives you what a game week is going to be like before the actual first game. It helps you to know what to expect the week before game one. I think that’s good, because I don’t think going into the first game not knowing what to expect on a Thursday practice, a Friday practice or a Sunday practice is good when you don’t know what to expect. I think doing this and knowing what to expect is for the new guys will be good.
On if preseason rankings get a reaction from the team
Not really. People don’t really react. We have our goals for the season and what we want to do week-in and week-out. That’s something we’ve had since January 1st, and wherever someone rates us or doesn’t rate us, it doesn’t change based off what somebody said. We have our goals set for the season, as a team. Whatever someone says or doesn’t say about us, they’re not going to change.
Redshirt junior offensive lineman Colton McKivitz
On the team’s improved chemistry
I think the team’s chemistry is so close because we’ve played together a lot. The key players on this team have been close, because we’ve played together. I’ve been classmates with (senior wide receiver) Gary (Jennings Jr.) and (senior wide receiver) David (Sills V). I’ve been around (redshirt senior safety) Dravon (Askew-Henry) and (redshirt senior offensive lineman) Yodny (Cajuste) for my whole tenure. I think that we do know each other very well. We do know what to expect out of each other. So, I think that does help to mold team chemistry. Just by hanging out, spending time with each other outside of football also helps.
On how getting to know teammates outside of football helps build chemistry
It’s nice. (Redshirt sophomore) Josh Sills and I are, I think, one of the best buddies. He lived 30 minutes down the road. So, we always spend a lot of time together. I live with (redshirt sophomore) Jacob Buccigrossi, and we’re pretty close. It’s nice to each other outside, and you can talk about football. But, sometimes, you just want to get away from it. It’s nice to have any of those guys to talk about other things other than football.
On how the new chop block rule affects how the game is played
I know they came and talked to us before our scrimmage on Saturday. I was a little upset about the new rule. I’m sure a whole lot of linemen are about the whole downfield cutting thing. It’s definitely a challenge when you’re trying to chase down a cornerback who can run a 4.4 or a 4.5, unlike big linemen like us. It’s a change in our gameplay downfield. I think that’s where the rule will make its most impact. That’s where that’ll be felt. If you’re doing you’re thing and getting your guy and blocking them, then there shouldn’t be any reason to get a chop block. I had one against Kansas last year, because I beat the guy to the spot, but I thought I would just cut him. It’s a new rule, but I think it’s just something to worry about. But it’ll keep up with player safety, and that’s a big emphasis for what that rule is made for – keep guys healthy instead of blocking low on guys.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On deciding on backups as the season approaches
We still have battles going on. We have two positions, in particular, where we don’t know who the starter is going to be, at this point. This week will tell a lot. We’re still going to be able to do some good-on-good, and then, start working some Tennessee stuff. We still haven’t determined those two spots yet. Other than that, we’re pretty close to having our top-22.
On preparing for Tennessee with starting jobs still being decided
That doesn’t affect our preparation. We’ve done a few breakdowns of Tennessee and have all that in place. That doesn’t slow us down in our prep for what we’re going to do against Tennessee.
On how veteran leadership helps when adjustments have to be made on the fly
Guys knowing our system – that’s a big thing. Always in game one, I try to be pretty simple with our game plan, because of the unknown of having a guy like (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Jabril Robinson or (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Kenny Bigelow (Jr.) or (redshirt sophomore linebacker) Charlie Benton. Those guys, for the first time, are going to be playing on that stage, especially with Charlie. Now, Jabril and Kenny have been there and done that, but it’s still going to be new for them playing in this scheme. So, we’re going to keep it simple. The number one thing is, I want kids to play fast and avoid slowing down.
Assistant Coach (Linebackers/Special Teams) Mark Scott
On the plans for the kicking group
We’re going to put the guy out there who’s doing the best job right now. That’s (redshirt sophomore) Evan (Staley). We still have two weeks, and depending on how he feels and how he continues to go through practice, we’ll let that play out. Throughout the course of the game, we’re confident enough right now where we feel good. We have two guys on kickoff with him and (redshirt sophomore) Luke Hogan, who is kicking it well. Then, we have Evan, (redshirt junior) Skyler (Simcox) and Luke with PAT/field goal. All three of them are really good.
On how the new kickoff return rules affect the special teams’ strategy
We have to throw our guys in as many situations as we can. A lot of it depends on where they kick it and based on what our call is. We coach our guys up on what to do in those certain situations. In terms of pooch kicks, you may see them a little bit deeper to put them in situations where they have to make decisions. We’ve done that, literally, every day that we’ve done kickoff return. We’re spraying the ball all over the place to get the entire back-end as many reps as we can, by putting them in situations where they have to make a decision. I’m not sure if anyone fully knows how this thing is going to work, but you have a little bit of an out based on where the ball’s kicked versus what the return call is or who the ball is kicked to. You have a little bit of an out with the fair catch rule moving the ball up to the 25. In terms of where we put our guys, we have to look at what the return call is and if they kick it they kick it here, then you fair catch it. Fullbacks and tight ends, depending on where they kick it, are going to need to get out of the way and let somebody else catch it, or they’ll need to fair catch it. It’s going to be a little bit of trial by fire here, but we’re just trying to put our guys in as many situations where they have to make decisions.
On the situation at kick/punt returner
Same guys as last year. We’ve put (freshman wide receiver) Sam James back at kickoff returner, obviously, with his speed. (Junior wide receiver) Marcus (Simms), (senior wide receiver) Gary (Jennings Jr.), (redshirt freshman running back Alec) Sinkfield and (senior wide receiver) David (Sills V) a little bit, but not really. Punt return is really the same guys – (sophomore wide receiver) Tevin (Bush), Gary, Marcus and a little bit of David Sills. At times, when we went with two returners, we put him back there. But, again, we’re deeper at those spots than we’ve ever been, in terms of us feeling confident making decisions, catching the ball and being to do something with it after the catch.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Bruce Tall
On why having a large amount of depth on the defensive line is key
You have numbers. That’s been the key factor, some type of numbers. Now, you can keep rolling guys in, you can keep guys fresh. You keep watching guys, keep studying guys and all of that. Obviously, everybody wants to be that guy who runs out there first. So, it keeps the challenges going, and it makes it good competition.
On making decisions on starters and the rotation
I think that I’ve been up front with my guys, and I’ve told them what the plan is. I think that helps those guys. It’s not that you want a guy to concede and say, ‘He’s going there and I’m here.’ You want them to have that competitive juice that they want to be out there first. That’s what I want. I want all of them to have that mindset and to understand that ‘Yes, I am going to play and that’s okay.’ I don’t want them to say that’s okay.
On the importance of minutes played instead of starting
No question. I’ve had one-on-one conversations with guys and explained to them that even though they might not be the guy who goes out first, they might end up with more snaps in that game. It’s all about who is hot and how the flow is going in the game. So, I’m not caught up in who’s out there first and who is going to play the most snaps. It’s going to be who is the hottest man.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Jake Spavital
On how close backups on offense are to being decided
I would say we’re probably around 90 to 95 percent done with that. This is the week that is the mock game week. So, we have to emphasize the trading of scout teams so we have to start witling that down a little bit. If there is a competition battle at a certain group, we allow that to go off these next Tuesday and Wednesday practices.
On where battles are occurring on offense
They’re still going on at the running back position. I would say that about the right guard and the center position, as well. There are a lot of backup roles, in terms of who is going to be that guy, as well. For the most part, 90 to 95 percent is already solidified. It’s an important week. On mock game week, in terms of preparation for Tennessee, this is a crazy week in terms of making sure our scout team lines up with way we want to practice. It’s mainly about making sure that we’re on the same page in terms of how we practice, so we can get the game plan in next week the way we want it.
On the back-up quarterback situation
Still up in the air. I think (redshirt sophomore) Jack Allison has pretty much taken over that right now. I feel confident with these kids. I think the beauty of the redshirt rule, right now, is we can just keep (freshman) Trey Lowe (III), give him some quality reps and get to the point where we can throw him in the game and see what he’s capable of in live situations versus other opponents, but as of right now, Jack will be the first one going in.
Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On senior wide receiver David Sills V and his seriousness with becoming a better wide receiver
The thing is the development process from year-to-year, and he understands receiver more now. With that, it makes it easier. He can see through the film of last year. That’s one of the things that I challenged him on – just to go back and watch everything, critique yourself. He’s been doing a great job with it. Now, I don’t think that there’s a rep where he goes out there and wastes it. He tries to either block better or make everything look the same, whether it’s route running or blocking. Half of the time, the DBs (defensive backs) can’t tell whether he’s running a route or blocking. That’s a good thing. He challenges himself every day.
On senior wide receiver David Sills V and how he mentors younger receivers
I need help. There’s a bunch of us right now. Like I said, I put those older guys with those younger guys earlier in camp to try and teach them a little bit. The younger guys probably get tired of me yelling about this being the way, and the older guy can pull them aside and say, “Look, if you do this the way that coach is telling you, it works.” That helps, and David is the guy who talks to everybody – starters included – about certain things. Sometimes, he asks questions on how they did something and, sometimes, he can help them also.
On the competition at wide receiver
I don’t know. The thing is, I don’t see it as competition. I feel like everyone wants to be great and they’re pushing each other. They don’t let each other take reps off. They challenge each other every single day in the film room, the weight room and, especially, on the field.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Line) Joe Wickline
On the process of evaluating things down to the wire
It’s simple. First and foremost, we have to be assignment sound. It gets down to making routine blocks and routine plays. When you’re a defensive player or receiver, you make routine blocks, you make routine I.D. calls. Who can give us the best chance to get on the right guy? After that, it goes back to mechanics, technique and fundamentals. In terms of this guy is a little ahead of this guy or what his pad level is, you can bounce off this guy and get to him a little bit faster. His pulling is a little bit different, or he might be ahead a little bit in the techniques and mechanics. The third thing is effort. When it gets down to it, when you try to get ahead, it all goes down to trust. Can you trust this player more than this player? Or is this player a better option? With all those things combined, in the end, if it gets really tough, it just goes to who is giving the most effort, who is trying hard. They’re all trying hard on different levels. Effort, violence, finish and things like that.
On having a number of players who can play and compete on the offensive line
I learned a long time ago that you can’t get enough good players on the bus. You fill that thing up with as many good players as you can get. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a bad experience with a bunch of competition. The more the competition, the more you bring out the small details, because they have to have them out. Now, we can work on small things, and you don’t have to coach the big things quite as much. It allows you to finally detail things where you can get them – all of them – taken care of where you said that they won’t be evolved in the first team of the rotation.
On being more involved at the center position
I made it sound simple, because I was asked that once everything is even, what do you finally draw from? I’m thinking that they’ve already accomplished the things that you’re talking about, in terms of snapping the ball to the quarterback correctly – making the right I.D., being in the right position. Then, when the battle gets closer, there are always a couple of defining things that we talk about. They’re all doing a nice job. The centers are doing a nice job. (Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman) Jacob Buccigrossi and (redshirt junior offensive lineman) Matt Jones – those guys have bought into it. They’ve stepped up to the plate. They’re giving their best and they’ve been getting better every day.
Redshirt junior linebacker David Long Jr.
On how he is embracing his leadership role this season
I’ve been getting help from the older guys, like (redshirt senior safety Dravon) Dray (Askew-Henry), to bring everybody together and explain what we need, what we don’t need and to sort out the bad and the good. I’ve just tried to bring everybody together and get everyone on the right path.
On what he has tried to improve most coming into this year
Chemistry. As a defense, that’s what we’ve been talking about, homing in on that. To play together out there with everybody being selfless, we just want to play off each other and play for each other.
On how practicing with a high-caliber offense helps the defense
It’s a nice time for me and the defense, as a whole. It toughens us up to get out there and know that you’re going against good players. It’s always good work out there.
Senior defensive lineman Ezekiel Rose
On how beneficial mock week is to get a feel for what a game week will be like
I feel like it will get everybody in the right mindset for a game. It will get them ready to go and ready to see what they’re going to see on gameday, in game week. It’s a very important process.
On how team chemistry is different this year
There’s a lot more trust. We trust the new guys and the younger guys a lot more than we did last year. I feel like that plays a much bigger role in how we talk with one another and communicate, because we’re able to give different aspects of things to each other, instead of everybody trying to look at things one, solid way.
On how the new guys have integrated themselves
I feel like they had a good chance to see what is going and see how the older guys do it. That just really helped them to become accustomed to what’s going on. They’ll see an older guy doing something, and they’ll ask, ‘Can I do that? Or should I just try to do it a different way since the coaches don’t know me that well, yet?’ We’ll just tell them what’s going on and how to do it.
Redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier
On his thoughts as the season approaches
We’re excited and ready to roll. We’ve put a lot of work, and we’ve tried to improve on what we did last year, improve on the spring. We got through camp now, and it’s just time to put that product on the field. We’re really looking forward to it.
On the importance of mock week
It’s really important, especially for guys that are new – transfers, guys that hadn’t played last year or guys that haven’t played college football before. It just teaches you how to practice, how to prepare and how a week will look. That way, when you get to game week, you’re rolling and you understand what’s going on, and you can just focus on being the best you can be out there.
On junior wide receiver Marcus Simms and his growth over the offseason
I’ve seen a lot. I think he continues to get better. I’ve always told him that if he takes this opportunity and keeps working, then he’ll be an incredible player. He has unbelievable talent. He’s an electric player. I try and find ways to get him the ball, because he makes people miss. He’s obviously a great return man, and he showed that last year. He’s explosive. He’s a guy who we’re going to try and put the ball in his hands as much as we can.
Senior wide receiver David Sills V
On helping to keep his teammates patient as the start of the season approaches
I think that we understand what we have in front of us. We’re in our mock week right now – our replication of game week. I think it’s becoming more and more realistic when you get to this point, and I think guys are hungry to get to this point and anxious to start preparing for Tennessee. I don’t really think there’s any of that going on right now, because we did just transition from more of a camp setting to game week. I think guys are excited to watch film on Tennessee and start game planning for them.
On if mock week is important for new players
Yeah, I think for sure. It’s definitely very important, because it gives you what a game week is going to be like before the actual first game. It helps you to know what to expect the week before game one. I think that’s good, because I don’t think going into the first game not knowing what to expect on a Thursday practice, a Friday practice or a Sunday practice is good when you don’t know what to expect. I think doing this and knowing what to expect is for the new guys will be good.
On if preseason rankings get a reaction from the team
Not really. People don’t really react. We have our goals for the season and what we want to do week-in and week-out. That’s something we’ve had since January 1st, and wherever someone rates us or doesn’t rate us, it doesn’t change based off what somebody said. We have our goals set for the season, as a team. Whatever someone says or doesn’t say about us, they’re not going to change.
Redshirt junior offensive lineman Colton McKivitz
On the team’s improved chemistry
I think the team’s chemistry is so close because we’ve played together a lot. The key players on this team have been close, because we’ve played together. I’ve been classmates with (senior wide receiver) Gary (Jennings Jr.) and (senior wide receiver) David (Sills V). I’ve been around (redshirt senior safety) Dravon (Askew-Henry) and (redshirt senior offensive lineman) Yodny (Cajuste) for my whole tenure. I think that we do know each other very well. We do know what to expect out of each other. So, I think that does help to mold team chemistry. Just by hanging out, spending time with each other outside of football also helps.
On how getting to know teammates outside of football helps build chemistry
It’s nice. (Redshirt sophomore) Josh Sills and I are, I think, one of the best buddies. He lived 30 minutes down the road. So, we always spend a lot of time together. I live with (redshirt sophomore) Jacob Buccigrossi, and we’re pretty close. It’s nice to each other outside, and you can talk about football. But, sometimes, you just want to get away from it. It’s nice to have any of those guys to talk about other things other than football.
On how the new chop block rule affects how the game is played
I know they came and talked to us before our scrimmage on Saturday. I was a little upset about the new rule. I’m sure a whole lot of linemen are about the whole downfield cutting thing. It’s definitely a challenge when you’re trying to chase down a cornerback who can run a 4.4 or a 4.5, unlike big linemen like us. It’s a change in our gameplay downfield. I think that’s where the rule will make its most impact. That’s where that’ll be felt. If you’re doing you’re thing and getting your guy and blocking them, then there shouldn’t be any reason to get a chop block. I had one against Kansas last year, because I beat the guy to the spot, but I thought I would just cut him. It’s a new rule, but I think it’s just something to worry about. But it’ll keep up with player safety, and that’s a big emphasis for what that rule is made for – keep guys healthy instead of blocking low on guys.
