--Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said he felt redshirt senior Al-Rasheed Benton played maybe his best game since he has been at West Virginia against Virginia Tech.
--Gibson said he was disappointed after watching the tape and felt that they let one slip away. The defense did play extremely hard and physical but did play smart. Three plays really hurt the defense with blown coverage and misalignment which led to three Virginia Tech touchdowns which was the difference in the ball game. Gibson felt that for 69 snaps they did a pretty good job but those three were the difference in the end.
--Two of the blown coverages that Tech capitalized on were huge in this game but Gibson also credited the Hokies for making some plays as well. On the drive before the half, senior cornerback Mike Daniels is in great coverage but the Virginia Tech wide receiver made a play and then again on third down senior Kyzir White is an inch from tipping the ball away when redshirt senior Al-Rasheed Benton came on a blitz and he squeezed the ball in there sidearm on the sideline.
--On the big run by Jackson, West Virginia zero pressured on the quarterback power and eight players were flowing to the fake instead of the quarterback. That resulted in the hole and the big run with nobody there to fill the gap. That was without Benton on the field.
--Gibson said that West Virginia played five linebackers, four safeties, three cornerbacks and about six defensive linemen. He said that the goal this week is to hopefully build some depth so players like senior SAM Xavier Preston isn't playing 90 snaps, senior Al-Rashes Benton playing 80 snaps and redshirt freshmen Dylan Tonkery playing close to 70 snaps. Redshirt freshman Brendan Ferns is going to have to get more reps and Gibson admits that he is going to have to get others ready there. Things will be helped as well when redshirt sophomore David Long returns. At safety it will go up more with redshirt senior Marvin Gross in the mix as well but is going to have to get some snaps for some of those younger guys to get them game ready.
--Gibson said that McDougle needs to get better, but was impressed and thought he played really well against Virginia Tech for that kind of game atmosphere. When I asked about his progression, Gibson said that freshmen don’t play a whole lot, especially on the defensive line because they’re usually not physically ready, but he said McDougle is an athletic kid who’s strong, holds the point of attack, stays on his feet, and makes things happen. Gibson said that he’s not at all surprised with McDougle’s progression and they knew when recruiting him that he would be a guy that they could on early and that he’s living up to the staff’s expectations so far. Gibson said that the key for the defensive line this week is to get a pass rush since he’s expecting East Carolina to throw the ball.
--Gibson said after watching the tape Tonkery played "extremely well," for his first game and he was pleased with him. I asked him what he did well and he said everything he tackled, was in the correct position and had two big time tackles in the game. One on a screen and another on a stretch to the boundary where he came under a block to make it.
--Missed tackles in the second half were largely due to fatigue but also some of those players assuming a guy was going to go down and not using effort to finish plays.
--Overall, Gibson said pinpointing who played well and who played poorly isn't fair to the kids overall but he did like that he unit played physical and hard, but didn't like that they just weren't smart at times.
--At halftime last week, East Carolina put in the graduate transfer Sirk from Duke and he gave them a spark. The offense looked somewhat different as they were throwing the ball around more. He throws it well and understands the scheme already. They moved the football in the second half but had some tough breaks in the red zone. They won't use Sirk running the football like Josh Jackson of Virginia Tech but he can use his feet.
--Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said that he had a couple things where he got caught with personnel in certain situations. He got caught in some plays with personnel at times due to depth. Some of those didn't matter but if he had to do it again he wishes he would have had some different personnel in for those.
--Spavital said he wanted to get the run game involved a little bit more but the stats are somewhat misleading because of late in the game he said on the last drive they threw it around 12 times. He was pleased with how it all ran for the first run.
--Sophomore Marcus Simms is a blazer that can stretch the field vertically and it's going to allow them to really have that blazer on the outside. It also is going to help for depth purposes.
--What West Virginia did with redshirt senior Elijah Wellman moving him outside and all over the formation is exactly what Spavital wants to see out of that position in the future. That is how the tight ends will be used moving them around and putting them in a variety of looks. That is exactly where they want to get to but Wellman is good there as well and can handle that.
--The formation with trips to one side bunched and a single receiver to the opposite is one that Spavital started doing a year ago and brought over. They are going to continue to tweak that moving forward.
--Junior wide receiver David Sills moved around everywhere and even at some h-back for a snap or two and Spavital said he is completely comfortable playing him anywhere because he can handle it.
--Defensive line coach Bruce Tall said that freshman NG Lamonte McDougle played more than he anticipated against Virginia Tech. He said that McDougle plays with very good leverage, uses his hands well for a young guy, has a knack for playing for playing in the middle, and plays bigger than he is. Tall said that McDougal earning playing time as as a freshman is a bonus since the coaches get to see where he is and have the benefit of working with him early so that he can progress. Tall and the coaching staff felt he had grasped the information and has grasped the speed well enough to the point where the coaches felt comfortable playing him.
--Tall said that the focus this week for the defensive line against East Carolina is to stop the run, get to the quarterback early, be more active, and eliminate the big plays. When I asked about the defensive line’s play against Virginia Tech, he said that D-line had a solid performance for the first game, but not anything close to what they’re hoping and look for in the unit.
--Assistant Mark Scott told me he two kicks that redshirt freshman Evan Staley hit with the wind to his back were both solid, he didn't think he would be able to put it in the end zone but he placed it right outside the five yard line outside the numbers which is where they want that ball with hangtime. But players have to react to blocks, get off blocks and get the ball carrier down. On the one that popped for the big return, Scott said that they had a few second team players in there and overall it involved not getting off blocks and doing assignments.
--Up front on punt returns West Virginia was better holding up the Hokies than in the past but the punter would boom some and then leave some short. However, regardless of where the ball falls the return has to get under it and catch the football which simply didn't happen at times. No matter what the worst case scenario has to be a fair catch there to save field position. They addressed those things and held a full team special teams meeting in order to look at that.
--The biggest focus of the meeting was not getting big eyes in that kind of stage and just do your job. There isn't a lot of change in responsibilities they have to know how to react.
--Redshirt junior punter Billy Kinney was cramping against Virginia Tech and it did affect him on his last four kicks.
--Wide receivers coach Tyron Carrier said that he keeps shooting himself in the foot about how he didnt get his top three options at wide receiver more snaps off the field because they were dead tired. The snap count was through the roof and he could have done a better job of substituting but the game was really tight and he didn't want to put players in that Grier wasn't comfortable with.
--Freshman Reggie Roberson played a total of 33 snaps, redshirt freshman Druw Bowen played seven snaps and redshirt junior Ricky Rogers played one snap.
--That one snap was at the expense of redshirt senior Ka'Raun White who Carrier referred to as immortal. He played all but that one and didn't want to come out for it. "He got mad at me."
--Carrier agreed that Simms will provide a vertical threat with speed that is going to provide valuable depth. He is going to allow some of the wide receivers to be fresh.
--The light flipped for junior Gary Jennings around the Iowa State game last year and what he did against Virginia Tech didn't surprise Carrier in the slightest because he can do anything in this offense.
--Cornerbacks coach Doug Belk said that there were some mental errors in the third quarter but some of the issues were that some of those balls were underthrown and it is hard to get in position to make plays in those instances at times. There has to be more attention to detail and improvement overall though because the mental miscues were costly.
--On the busts, the defensive backs were in the wrong position and just had their eyes in the wrong place and on the wrong guy which led to two players wide open down the field for big chunks of yards.
--It wasn't the best day at the office for senior Elijah Battle but Belk said he talked with him and he understands that he has to play with better discipline and be in a better position to avoid plays down the field going forward.
--The plan is to get redshirt senior Corey Winfield in the game against East Carolina. They didn't want to put him in a bad situation where he hasn't practiced much with the injury but they are confident in what he can bring to the table with his overall experience.
--Belk said he isn't sure who else could possibly get in the game but all of those younger guys could have a chance to get snaps because they repped with the second team in camp.
--Redshirt freshman linebacker Dylan Tonkery said that he didn't think too much about his first start although there was some nerves at first. He played 69 total snaps and it took some adjustment but he didn't see anything that was overly surprising. He didn't have any major busts but did miss a gap or two.
--Redshirt senior guard Kyle Bosch said that redshirt freshman guard Josh Sills isn't afraid to get in somebody's face up front and is physical with long arms so he can also handle the pass protection role. Bosch thinks that he is going to be a potential all-conference player down the road.
--Redshirt sophomore Matt Jones came over to apologize to Bosch after the game for his penalties on the final play and he didn't want to hear it. It's something Bosch remembers doing when he was young but it's a team game. He did a good job making calls and handling the situation.
--Virginia Tech used a ton of pressures but the West Virginia offensive line only allowed two sacks and one of those was on zero pressure near the end. The offensive line held up without using mass protect a lot which was something that Bosch was proud of. It was a schematically challenging game but the offensive line stopped the blitzing of the defense.
--Senior linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton said that coaches message to the team this week is that it’s still about them and that their goals are are still in front of them. He said the biggest thing is to not let anyone get down or think it’s all over and that this a time for the leaders need to step up and make sure that they stay on path. Benton that after the Virginia Tech game, guys are now understanding that it’s going to take more preparation, effort, and film study to reach their goals and he’s glad something like this has happened now so that they know what they got to do and work on moving forward. Benton said that the biggest thing he took away from the game defensively is that they got a lot of guys they can go in and make plays especially in that type of atmosphere. He said those players can help the team by earning more trust from the coaches, getting in the rotation, and help some of the older and experienced players stay fresh. Benton said that McDougle plays with great pad level and that he has a a lot of confidence in him since held his own against a tough Virginia Tech offensive line as a freshman. He said that he has a lot of respect for McDougle and that he’s been working and helping the D-line’s rotation since day one and that he’ll be a key player on defense this season.
--Gibson said he was disappointed after watching the tape and felt that they let one slip away. The defense did play extremely hard and physical but did play smart. Three plays really hurt the defense with blown coverage and misalignment which led to three Virginia Tech touchdowns which was the difference in the ball game. Gibson felt that for 69 snaps they did a pretty good job but those three were the difference in the end.
--Two of the blown coverages that Tech capitalized on were huge in this game but Gibson also credited the Hokies for making some plays as well. On the drive before the half, senior cornerback Mike Daniels is in great coverage but the Virginia Tech wide receiver made a play and then again on third down senior Kyzir White is an inch from tipping the ball away when redshirt senior Al-Rasheed Benton came on a blitz and he squeezed the ball in there sidearm on the sideline.
--On the big run by Jackson, West Virginia zero pressured on the quarterback power and eight players were flowing to the fake instead of the quarterback. That resulted in the hole and the big run with nobody there to fill the gap. That was without Benton on the field.
--Gibson said that West Virginia played five linebackers, four safeties, three cornerbacks and about six defensive linemen. He said that the goal this week is to hopefully build some depth so players like senior SAM Xavier Preston isn't playing 90 snaps, senior Al-Rashes Benton playing 80 snaps and redshirt freshmen Dylan Tonkery playing close to 70 snaps. Redshirt freshman Brendan Ferns is going to have to get more reps and Gibson admits that he is going to have to get others ready there. Things will be helped as well when redshirt sophomore David Long returns. At safety it will go up more with redshirt senior Marvin Gross in the mix as well but is going to have to get some snaps for some of those younger guys to get them game ready.
--Gibson said that McDougle needs to get better, but was impressed and thought he played really well against Virginia Tech for that kind of game atmosphere. When I asked about his progression, Gibson said that freshmen don’t play a whole lot, especially on the defensive line because they’re usually not physically ready, but he said McDougle is an athletic kid who’s strong, holds the point of attack, stays on his feet, and makes things happen. Gibson said that he’s not at all surprised with McDougle’s progression and they knew when recruiting him that he would be a guy that they could on early and that he’s living up to the staff’s expectations so far. Gibson said that the key for the defensive line this week is to get a pass rush since he’s expecting East Carolina to throw the ball.
--Gibson said after watching the tape Tonkery played "extremely well," for his first game and he was pleased with him. I asked him what he did well and he said everything he tackled, was in the correct position and had two big time tackles in the game. One on a screen and another on a stretch to the boundary where he came under a block to make it.
--Missed tackles in the second half were largely due to fatigue but also some of those players assuming a guy was going to go down and not using effort to finish plays.
--Overall, Gibson said pinpointing who played well and who played poorly isn't fair to the kids overall but he did like that he unit played physical and hard, but didn't like that they just weren't smart at times.
--At halftime last week, East Carolina put in the graduate transfer Sirk from Duke and he gave them a spark. The offense looked somewhat different as they were throwing the ball around more. He throws it well and understands the scheme already. They moved the football in the second half but had some tough breaks in the red zone. They won't use Sirk running the football like Josh Jackson of Virginia Tech but he can use his feet.
--Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said that he had a couple things where he got caught with personnel in certain situations. He got caught in some plays with personnel at times due to depth. Some of those didn't matter but if he had to do it again he wishes he would have had some different personnel in for those.
--Spavital said he wanted to get the run game involved a little bit more but the stats are somewhat misleading because of late in the game he said on the last drive they threw it around 12 times. He was pleased with how it all ran for the first run.
--Sophomore Marcus Simms is a blazer that can stretch the field vertically and it's going to allow them to really have that blazer on the outside. It also is going to help for depth purposes.
--What West Virginia did with redshirt senior Elijah Wellman moving him outside and all over the formation is exactly what Spavital wants to see out of that position in the future. That is how the tight ends will be used moving them around and putting them in a variety of looks. That is exactly where they want to get to but Wellman is good there as well and can handle that.
--The formation with trips to one side bunched and a single receiver to the opposite is one that Spavital started doing a year ago and brought over. They are going to continue to tweak that moving forward.
--Junior wide receiver David Sills moved around everywhere and even at some h-back for a snap or two and Spavital said he is completely comfortable playing him anywhere because he can handle it.
--Defensive line coach Bruce Tall said that freshman NG Lamonte McDougle played more than he anticipated against Virginia Tech. He said that McDougle plays with very good leverage, uses his hands well for a young guy, has a knack for playing for playing in the middle, and plays bigger than he is. Tall said that McDougal earning playing time as as a freshman is a bonus since the coaches get to see where he is and have the benefit of working with him early so that he can progress. Tall and the coaching staff felt he had grasped the information and has grasped the speed well enough to the point where the coaches felt comfortable playing him.
--Tall said that the focus this week for the defensive line against East Carolina is to stop the run, get to the quarterback early, be more active, and eliminate the big plays. When I asked about the defensive line’s play against Virginia Tech, he said that D-line had a solid performance for the first game, but not anything close to what they’re hoping and look for in the unit.
--Assistant Mark Scott told me he two kicks that redshirt freshman Evan Staley hit with the wind to his back were both solid, he didn't think he would be able to put it in the end zone but he placed it right outside the five yard line outside the numbers which is where they want that ball with hangtime. But players have to react to blocks, get off blocks and get the ball carrier down. On the one that popped for the big return, Scott said that they had a few second team players in there and overall it involved not getting off blocks and doing assignments.
--Up front on punt returns West Virginia was better holding up the Hokies than in the past but the punter would boom some and then leave some short. However, regardless of where the ball falls the return has to get under it and catch the football which simply didn't happen at times. No matter what the worst case scenario has to be a fair catch there to save field position. They addressed those things and held a full team special teams meeting in order to look at that.
--The biggest focus of the meeting was not getting big eyes in that kind of stage and just do your job. There isn't a lot of change in responsibilities they have to know how to react.
--Redshirt junior punter Billy Kinney was cramping against Virginia Tech and it did affect him on his last four kicks.
--Wide receivers coach Tyron Carrier said that he keeps shooting himself in the foot about how he didnt get his top three options at wide receiver more snaps off the field because they were dead tired. The snap count was through the roof and he could have done a better job of substituting but the game was really tight and he didn't want to put players in that Grier wasn't comfortable with.
--Freshman Reggie Roberson played a total of 33 snaps, redshirt freshman Druw Bowen played seven snaps and redshirt junior Ricky Rogers played one snap.
--That one snap was at the expense of redshirt senior Ka'Raun White who Carrier referred to as immortal. He played all but that one and didn't want to come out for it. "He got mad at me."
--Carrier agreed that Simms will provide a vertical threat with speed that is going to provide valuable depth. He is going to allow some of the wide receivers to be fresh.
--The light flipped for junior Gary Jennings around the Iowa State game last year and what he did against Virginia Tech didn't surprise Carrier in the slightest because he can do anything in this offense.
--Cornerbacks coach Doug Belk said that there were some mental errors in the third quarter but some of the issues were that some of those balls were underthrown and it is hard to get in position to make plays in those instances at times. There has to be more attention to detail and improvement overall though because the mental miscues were costly.
--On the busts, the defensive backs were in the wrong position and just had their eyes in the wrong place and on the wrong guy which led to two players wide open down the field for big chunks of yards.
--It wasn't the best day at the office for senior Elijah Battle but Belk said he talked with him and he understands that he has to play with better discipline and be in a better position to avoid plays down the field going forward.
--The plan is to get redshirt senior Corey Winfield in the game against East Carolina. They didn't want to put him in a bad situation where he hasn't practiced much with the injury but they are confident in what he can bring to the table with his overall experience.
--Belk said he isn't sure who else could possibly get in the game but all of those younger guys could have a chance to get snaps because they repped with the second team in camp.
--Redshirt freshman linebacker Dylan Tonkery said that he didn't think too much about his first start although there was some nerves at first. He played 69 total snaps and it took some adjustment but he didn't see anything that was overly surprising. He didn't have any major busts but did miss a gap or two.
--Redshirt senior guard Kyle Bosch said that redshirt freshman guard Josh Sills isn't afraid to get in somebody's face up front and is physical with long arms so he can also handle the pass protection role. Bosch thinks that he is going to be a potential all-conference player down the road.
--Redshirt sophomore Matt Jones came over to apologize to Bosch after the game for his penalties on the final play and he didn't want to hear it. It's something Bosch remembers doing when he was young but it's a team game. He did a good job making calls and handling the situation.
--Virginia Tech used a ton of pressures but the West Virginia offensive line only allowed two sacks and one of those was on zero pressure near the end. The offensive line held up without using mass protect a lot which was something that Bosch was proud of. It was a schematically challenging game but the offensive line stopped the blitzing of the defense.
--Senior linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton said that coaches message to the team this week is that it’s still about them and that their goals are are still in front of them. He said the biggest thing is to not let anyone get down or think it’s all over and that this a time for the leaders need to step up and make sure that they stay on path. Benton that after the Virginia Tech game, guys are now understanding that it’s going to take more preparation, effort, and film study to reach their goals and he’s glad something like this has happened now so that they know what they got to do and work on moving forward. Benton said that the biggest thing he took away from the game defensively is that they got a lot of guys they can go in and make plays especially in that type of atmosphere. He said those players can help the team by earning more trust from the coaches, getting in the rotation, and help some of the older and experienced players stay fresh. Benton said that McDougle plays with great pad level and that he has a a lot of confidence in him since held his own against a tough Virginia Tech offensive line as a freshman. He said that he has a lot of respect for McDougle and that he’s been working and helping the D-line’s rotation since day one and that he’ll be a key player on defense this season.
