MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (October 18, 2016) - The West Virginia University football coaching staff and members of the WVU football team met with the media on Tuesday, October 18, 2016, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/ Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On TCU’s running game
TCU will go a lot more two back, they’ll try to establish the run first to set their pass up. Where (Texas) Tech was more throw first to set the run up. It’s going to be a challenge, we’re going to have to stop the ball they have big backs.
On what you the defense has to prepare for more when the opposing team is setting up the pass
I mean its football, that’s what we play defense for. So, we’re going to have to be balanced, you can’t take as many chances against the wrong team. Maybe just getting after the quarterback just for the fact that if you don’t hit the right gap or you get pushed around a little bit. Big plays can happen in the run game so you have to be careful for that.
On if head coach Dana Holgorsen’s demeanor is any different after starting 5-0
No, Dana is on a schedule and on a routine. It is game week and we do what we do on Tuesdays, we do what we do on Wednesday’s, Thursdays and nothing is going to change anything.
On TCU’s junior running back Kyle Hicks
They use him down the field routes, a lot of swing routes, but he is their leading receiver. He has the most catches I think 29, so he’s a really good back. He’s solid, he reminds me a lot of our backs. He’s big, a thick kid, hard to bring down, but can still run a little bit. You know, he’s fast, he’s busted a couple big runs and he catches the ball well so they aren’t afraid to use him. They’ll use him in empty formations and throw it to him.
Assistant Coach (Cornerbacks) Blue Adams
On his thoughts after watching the film from Texas Tech
There were some things that I thought we could have cleaned up. We could have played better. There were some mistakes out there that we had to clean up. Although, it was probably a good statistical game, there is still some room for improvement.
On TCU’s offense running trick plays
We’ll pay some close attention to it, Texas Tech is also a team that has some gadgets thrown in there, so we’ll just kind of hone in on what they put on tape.
On the most difficult part of defending this offense
The speed. The speed of it. They get going pretty well just like Texas Tech. Just the speed and getting everyone lined up, attention detail that type of stuff.
On how far redshirt senior cornerback Rasul Douglas has come since arriving on campus
I would love to take credit for that young man’s growth but it has been all him. He hastoedthe line. He has made himself better. He wants to be better. He has urgency. I just kind of showed him some things that he can improve on, and he just takes it and runs with it. He understands what he has in front of him. I think all of those young men in my room understand how good they potentially can be, and they are faced with that challenge, they accept that challenge. It’s fun. It’s fun to watch them attain that goal, chase that dream, and if they should ever get it while I’m here, I’ll reset the bar, but the bar is set pretty high. I wouldn’t say it’s me who set the bar, it’s them collectively that set that bar. Each man competes and each man challenges the next man and collectively you get a good group of guys that you feel comfortable putting in.
Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On where he wants to see the wide receivers improve
Attacking the ball, their blocking has improved a lot, sticking at the top of your routes, paying more attention to detail, making a play when it’s your turn make a play. Not having a drop in the game is very important. I know the drops are down an awful lot from last year, but the ball shouldn’t be on the ground when it’s thrown our way. That’s one of the biggest things I hit on, and the main reason for those drops is because they get lackadaisical; I mean, it’s an easy catch and they make it hard, basically.
On whether it’s tough as a receiver to keep concentration through every play
To me, no. It’s an attitude, it’s a mindset. Once you get relaxed that means you’re losing. That’s what happens to us. You get a little lead and you get comfortable and bad plays happen. That’ll lose you a game. All it takes is one play for a team to get some momentum and catch fire on you. Me, I dropped balls, I did. But every time I did, it was being nonchalant about the situation.
On how much different the offense is now than what it was, when it comes to the balance Dana is trying to achieve
I think more of the balance comes from having a fullback and a tight end. When I was playing we did have a thousand-yard rusher. I thought it was pretty balanced at that time. I think last year this team was more of a run team, more of a power team. Now we’re able to throw the ball and make completions, which gives us a great balance. If you are going to stop everything we do in the pass game, we can run the ball down. If you want to clog or load the box and not let us run the ball, we can throw the ball. So to me it’s somewhat similar to when I played for him.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Line) Ron Crook
On how the offensive line will be able to handle the upcoming opponents
I thought we had a pretty game last weekend. We did exactly what we needed to do to win. We’re going to have to keep playing better, it’s not going to get an easier from here until the end of the season. Everyone coming here has a great defense and throws the ball all over the place, runs a lot of plays offensively, can score a ton of points, so we’re going to have to continue to improve if we want to keep winning football games.
On what he has seen from the TCU defensive line that will be a challenge
I sound like a broken record, they make you earn everything. They don’t get out of position, they don’t give up big plays. You have to put together play after play after play to get in the end zone against them. Their guys play extremely hard. You have a pretty good idea of where they’re going to be, but they’re really good at playing their techniques, and they’re really good at coaching their scheme.
On the teams attitude about their 5-0 start
You focus on how you got to that point, why you’re 5-0, because we did a great job at preparation, the players bought in, they worked hard in practice. Probably the best week of practice we’ve had, not only this season but in previous seasons, last week. There’s a reason we went and played well and that was a lot of my message to the o-line on Sunday was it’s not a coincidence, it’s not magic that it happens. It happens because you went out and trusted what you were doing, you trusted the process, and now you have to come in and do it over again
Senior Quarterback Skyler Howard
On TCU’s Linebackers’ speed
That is one thing that I feel like they pride themselves on is moving around, moving to the ball a lot, swarming to the ball that is one thing that they have always done.
On impressions of TCU’s defensive line
Great athletes, similar to what we have seen throughout these other games. They are good players. Their effort is good, they are getting there.
On progression at the wide receiver position
The potential is there. We just need to keep progressing. We are not ready to say that we are playing our best ball by any means, but we did play our best game. Each week we need to play our best game, our next game is our best one. You have to win six to win 12, so that’s where our thoughts are right now with that.
On if the mood of the team has changed after the 5-0 start
No. Just because the people change around us doesn’t mean that we need to change. The people who are ranking us No. 12 right now are the same people who left us out of that conversation. We are not paying attention to them, just as we didn’t pay attention to them when they didn’t say anything. I have seen some videos, and we are still not respected. I don’t know why I would think it would change now, why I would be respected as a quarterback and why our team would be respected as West Virginia, when it hasn’t been in years past and in weeks past. I don’t know why that would change now, so continue playing ball, doing me, and our team doing us, that’s all we can do, worry about us.
Redshirt Sophomore Tight End/Fullback Michael Ferns
On if he feels the message of keeping the same mentality has sunk in with the team
Yeah, we get it. Going into the last week it was eight straight that was the mentality. We just have to come out and make the most of today, tomorrow, clean up Thursday and work towards the weekend.
On if he likes that each game there has more on the line
Yeah, but it’s just the one at a time mentality. If you think ahead, that’s when you mess up. I think this whole team realizes that, it’s just one at a time each weekend. Just make the most of each week and get the win on Saturday.
On his performance this year
It’s gone well. First year playing, it’s fun, different. Traveling for the first time last week, that was different. It’s going well. I had the special teams award this last week and that was kind of cool. Special teams is a great way to get on the field, and I got to get in on a score this week, so that was fun too, just getting those guys in the end zone.
Redshirt Junior Kicker Mike Molina
On how big he is
I’m 5’8, 180 pounds.
On when he first realized he had a talent for kicking
I guess in high school. I started going to camps, and I realized I was just as good as all of the other guys who were supposed to be top notch, and I just kind of went with it.
On what he expected when he first got to WVU
I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew when I came in there was a job open, and I just thought this is probably a good place for me. I didn’t really know what to expect, and now I’m sitting here and it’s kind of amazing how everything has worked out. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, I just knew that if I worked hard maybe eventually I’d get my opportunity.
On what kind of response he gets when he goes home
Honestly, I think it’s the same thing. Being at home nothing has really changed for me. Everybody realizes that I’m still the same guy; they treat me the same way. That’s what I love about being home nothing has ever really changed.
Redshirt Senior Linebacker Justin Arndt
On his thoughts of how the defense played as a unit
I thought we played pretty well. We definitely want to see that happen, shutting down basically the number one offense in the country. Now we just have to build off that and continue to keep the ball rolling with another really good opponent in TCU, another top-five offense again this week. Just keep moving forward basically.
On how the defense plans to stay consistent with another top offensive opponent this week
Just preparing this week, that’s a huge thing. Preparing day in and day out, and building off of the success we’ve had so far and just keep going with it.
On how to not let being 5-0 get to his head, and focusing on taking it one game at a time
I think just striving for more, trying to increase that. You’re never satisfied with the ranking you are, you always want to be number one, so just trying to continue to strive for better.
On the difference between Texas Tech junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes II and TCU junior quarterback Kenny Hill
Hill can run the ball a little better, he’s a little faster. I think he may have a little more arm strength, but they both can sling it around. They’re top-five quarterbacks in the country for a reason, and they have the stats they have for a reason too.
Redshirt Junior Linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton
On whether TCU is similar to Texas Tech
I would say they are, knowing the fact that they both can create plays and make offense on their own. That’s the biggest thing with TCU and with Texas Tech, you know those guys run through their quarterback, and he’s able to make plays downfield and create plays within that, and immediate passing game as well. Just like last week, one of the biggest keys would be to make sure he’s not comfortable and make sure he doesn’t have all day to stand back there and pick the defense apart.
On whether it helped playing a team like Texas Tech before playing TCU
Yeah, I would say so. I mean the biggest thing that helps is the fact that we play against a guy like Skyler (Howard) in practice, who can run around and make some plays as well. That’s something we’ve been seeing all year, that’s something we’ve been getting accustomed to, because we knew that would be something that would come up when we got into Big 12 play. I think we’ll be ready for it.
On what Saturdays game said about the defense
I think it showed everyone what I knew all along. Like I’ve been saying since the beginning of the season, a lot of people didn’t give us much respect, a lot of people didn’t show us much respect. They didn’t expect us to be able to do what we came out and did. I’ve been saying all year that we’ve got a group of guys who love football and can get out there and play ball. We had an opportunity to show that last Saturday and we did, and we have another opportunity this Saturday coming up. So, I can’t wait.
Redshirt Senior Safety Jarrod Harper
On if their of similarities between TCU junior quarterback Kenny Hill and Texas Tech junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes II
There’s definitely some similarities. He has a big arm just like Mahomes did, and he’s not afraid to tuck the ball and run like Mahomes does. He can extend plays, run around in the pocket and still find an open receiver down field, so there’s definitely some similarities.
On if TCU junior quarterback Kenny Hill is another player that the team needs to pressure
I definitely feel like that is a key thing. Getting pressure is always going to get that extra worry on the quarterback. He’s not going to have that time sitting in the pocket, he’s not going to feel comfortable sitting in the pocket when he’s getting heated up from different directions on the field. That definitely plays into what we do, and I feel that’s something we have to do this week.
On if he thinks TCU’s offensive line has protected junior quarterback Kenny Hill well
Going back and watching some film on TCU yesterday, there’s some times when he’s getting heated up and he’s able to get out of the pocket and make something happen out of nothing, but there are times when he’s getting heated up and he’s getting hit.
On if it is hard to put the Texas Tech game behind them after shutting them down
I wouldn’t say that it’s tough. It’s still early in the season, we can’t let our highs get too high and can’t let our lows get too low. It’s early in the season, we still have a lot of football left to play. We can’t get complacent, we can’t be happy with where we are. We just have to keep pushing each other and keep working in practice. Just continue to have that goal that we set in the offseason, let it be in our heads, and let people know. We are still focused on our goal, and we can’t relax.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/ Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On TCU’s running game
TCU will go a lot more two back, they’ll try to establish the run first to set their pass up. Where (Texas) Tech was more throw first to set the run up. It’s going to be a challenge, we’re going to have to stop the ball they have big backs.
On what you the defense has to prepare for more when the opposing team is setting up the pass
I mean its football, that’s what we play defense for. So, we’re going to have to be balanced, you can’t take as many chances against the wrong team. Maybe just getting after the quarterback just for the fact that if you don’t hit the right gap or you get pushed around a little bit. Big plays can happen in the run game so you have to be careful for that.
On if head coach Dana Holgorsen’s demeanor is any different after starting 5-0
No, Dana is on a schedule and on a routine. It is game week and we do what we do on Tuesdays, we do what we do on Wednesday’s, Thursdays and nothing is going to change anything.
On TCU’s junior running back Kyle Hicks
They use him down the field routes, a lot of swing routes, but he is their leading receiver. He has the most catches I think 29, so he’s a really good back. He’s solid, he reminds me a lot of our backs. He’s big, a thick kid, hard to bring down, but can still run a little bit. You know, he’s fast, he’s busted a couple big runs and he catches the ball well so they aren’t afraid to use him. They’ll use him in empty formations and throw it to him.
Assistant Coach (Cornerbacks) Blue Adams
On his thoughts after watching the film from Texas Tech
There were some things that I thought we could have cleaned up. We could have played better. There were some mistakes out there that we had to clean up. Although, it was probably a good statistical game, there is still some room for improvement.
On TCU’s offense running trick plays
We’ll pay some close attention to it, Texas Tech is also a team that has some gadgets thrown in there, so we’ll just kind of hone in on what they put on tape.
On the most difficult part of defending this offense
The speed. The speed of it. They get going pretty well just like Texas Tech. Just the speed and getting everyone lined up, attention detail that type of stuff.
On how far redshirt senior cornerback Rasul Douglas has come since arriving on campus
I would love to take credit for that young man’s growth but it has been all him. He hastoedthe line. He has made himself better. He wants to be better. He has urgency. I just kind of showed him some things that he can improve on, and he just takes it and runs with it. He understands what he has in front of him. I think all of those young men in my room understand how good they potentially can be, and they are faced with that challenge, they accept that challenge. It’s fun. It’s fun to watch them attain that goal, chase that dream, and if they should ever get it while I’m here, I’ll reset the bar, but the bar is set pretty high. I wouldn’t say it’s me who set the bar, it’s them collectively that set that bar. Each man competes and each man challenges the next man and collectively you get a good group of guys that you feel comfortable putting in.
Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On where he wants to see the wide receivers improve
Attacking the ball, their blocking has improved a lot, sticking at the top of your routes, paying more attention to detail, making a play when it’s your turn make a play. Not having a drop in the game is very important. I know the drops are down an awful lot from last year, but the ball shouldn’t be on the ground when it’s thrown our way. That’s one of the biggest things I hit on, and the main reason for those drops is because they get lackadaisical; I mean, it’s an easy catch and they make it hard, basically.
On whether it’s tough as a receiver to keep concentration through every play
To me, no. It’s an attitude, it’s a mindset. Once you get relaxed that means you’re losing. That’s what happens to us. You get a little lead and you get comfortable and bad plays happen. That’ll lose you a game. All it takes is one play for a team to get some momentum and catch fire on you. Me, I dropped balls, I did. But every time I did, it was being nonchalant about the situation.
On how much different the offense is now than what it was, when it comes to the balance Dana is trying to achieve
I think more of the balance comes from having a fullback and a tight end. When I was playing we did have a thousand-yard rusher. I thought it was pretty balanced at that time. I think last year this team was more of a run team, more of a power team. Now we’re able to throw the ball and make completions, which gives us a great balance. If you are going to stop everything we do in the pass game, we can run the ball down. If you want to clog or load the box and not let us run the ball, we can throw the ball. So to me it’s somewhat similar to when I played for him.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Line) Ron Crook
On how the offensive line will be able to handle the upcoming opponents
I thought we had a pretty game last weekend. We did exactly what we needed to do to win. We’re going to have to keep playing better, it’s not going to get an easier from here until the end of the season. Everyone coming here has a great defense and throws the ball all over the place, runs a lot of plays offensively, can score a ton of points, so we’re going to have to continue to improve if we want to keep winning football games.
On what he has seen from the TCU defensive line that will be a challenge
I sound like a broken record, they make you earn everything. They don’t get out of position, they don’t give up big plays. You have to put together play after play after play to get in the end zone against them. Their guys play extremely hard. You have a pretty good idea of where they’re going to be, but they’re really good at playing their techniques, and they’re really good at coaching their scheme.
On the teams attitude about their 5-0 start
You focus on how you got to that point, why you’re 5-0, because we did a great job at preparation, the players bought in, they worked hard in practice. Probably the best week of practice we’ve had, not only this season but in previous seasons, last week. There’s a reason we went and played well and that was a lot of my message to the o-line on Sunday was it’s not a coincidence, it’s not magic that it happens. It happens because you went out and trusted what you were doing, you trusted the process, and now you have to come in and do it over again
Senior Quarterback Skyler Howard
On TCU’s Linebackers’ speed
That is one thing that I feel like they pride themselves on is moving around, moving to the ball a lot, swarming to the ball that is one thing that they have always done.
On impressions of TCU’s defensive line
Great athletes, similar to what we have seen throughout these other games. They are good players. Their effort is good, they are getting there.
On progression at the wide receiver position
The potential is there. We just need to keep progressing. We are not ready to say that we are playing our best ball by any means, but we did play our best game. Each week we need to play our best game, our next game is our best one. You have to win six to win 12, so that’s where our thoughts are right now with that.
On if the mood of the team has changed after the 5-0 start
No. Just because the people change around us doesn’t mean that we need to change. The people who are ranking us No. 12 right now are the same people who left us out of that conversation. We are not paying attention to them, just as we didn’t pay attention to them when they didn’t say anything. I have seen some videos, and we are still not respected. I don’t know why I would think it would change now, why I would be respected as a quarterback and why our team would be respected as West Virginia, when it hasn’t been in years past and in weeks past. I don’t know why that would change now, so continue playing ball, doing me, and our team doing us, that’s all we can do, worry about us.
Redshirt Sophomore Tight End/Fullback Michael Ferns
On if he feels the message of keeping the same mentality has sunk in with the team
Yeah, we get it. Going into the last week it was eight straight that was the mentality. We just have to come out and make the most of today, tomorrow, clean up Thursday and work towards the weekend.
On if he likes that each game there has more on the line
Yeah, but it’s just the one at a time mentality. If you think ahead, that’s when you mess up. I think this whole team realizes that, it’s just one at a time each weekend. Just make the most of each week and get the win on Saturday.
On his performance this year
It’s gone well. First year playing, it’s fun, different. Traveling for the first time last week, that was different. It’s going well. I had the special teams award this last week and that was kind of cool. Special teams is a great way to get on the field, and I got to get in on a score this week, so that was fun too, just getting those guys in the end zone.
Redshirt Junior Kicker Mike Molina
On how big he is
I’m 5’8, 180 pounds.
On when he first realized he had a talent for kicking
I guess in high school. I started going to camps, and I realized I was just as good as all of the other guys who were supposed to be top notch, and I just kind of went with it.
On what he expected when he first got to WVU
I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew when I came in there was a job open, and I just thought this is probably a good place for me. I didn’t really know what to expect, and now I’m sitting here and it’s kind of amazing how everything has worked out. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, I just knew that if I worked hard maybe eventually I’d get my opportunity.
On what kind of response he gets when he goes home
Honestly, I think it’s the same thing. Being at home nothing has really changed for me. Everybody realizes that I’m still the same guy; they treat me the same way. That’s what I love about being home nothing has ever really changed.
Redshirt Senior Linebacker Justin Arndt
On his thoughts of how the defense played as a unit
I thought we played pretty well. We definitely want to see that happen, shutting down basically the number one offense in the country. Now we just have to build off that and continue to keep the ball rolling with another really good opponent in TCU, another top-five offense again this week. Just keep moving forward basically.
On how the defense plans to stay consistent with another top offensive opponent this week
Just preparing this week, that’s a huge thing. Preparing day in and day out, and building off of the success we’ve had so far and just keep going with it.
On how to not let being 5-0 get to his head, and focusing on taking it one game at a time
I think just striving for more, trying to increase that. You’re never satisfied with the ranking you are, you always want to be number one, so just trying to continue to strive for better.
On the difference between Texas Tech junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes II and TCU junior quarterback Kenny Hill
Hill can run the ball a little better, he’s a little faster. I think he may have a little more arm strength, but they both can sling it around. They’re top-five quarterbacks in the country for a reason, and they have the stats they have for a reason too.
Redshirt Junior Linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton
On whether TCU is similar to Texas Tech
I would say they are, knowing the fact that they both can create plays and make offense on their own. That’s the biggest thing with TCU and with Texas Tech, you know those guys run through their quarterback, and he’s able to make plays downfield and create plays within that, and immediate passing game as well. Just like last week, one of the biggest keys would be to make sure he’s not comfortable and make sure he doesn’t have all day to stand back there and pick the defense apart.
On whether it helped playing a team like Texas Tech before playing TCU
Yeah, I would say so. I mean the biggest thing that helps is the fact that we play against a guy like Skyler (Howard) in practice, who can run around and make some plays as well. That’s something we’ve been seeing all year, that’s something we’ve been getting accustomed to, because we knew that would be something that would come up when we got into Big 12 play. I think we’ll be ready for it.
On what Saturdays game said about the defense
I think it showed everyone what I knew all along. Like I’ve been saying since the beginning of the season, a lot of people didn’t give us much respect, a lot of people didn’t show us much respect. They didn’t expect us to be able to do what we came out and did. I’ve been saying all year that we’ve got a group of guys who love football and can get out there and play ball. We had an opportunity to show that last Saturday and we did, and we have another opportunity this Saturday coming up. So, I can’t wait.
Redshirt Senior Safety Jarrod Harper
On if their of similarities between TCU junior quarterback Kenny Hill and Texas Tech junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes II
There’s definitely some similarities. He has a big arm just like Mahomes did, and he’s not afraid to tuck the ball and run like Mahomes does. He can extend plays, run around in the pocket and still find an open receiver down field, so there’s definitely some similarities.
On if TCU junior quarterback Kenny Hill is another player that the team needs to pressure
I definitely feel like that is a key thing. Getting pressure is always going to get that extra worry on the quarterback. He’s not going to have that time sitting in the pocket, he’s not going to feel comfortable sitting in the pocket when he’s getting heated up from different directions on the field. That definitely plays into what we do, and I feel that’s something we have to do this week.
On if he thinks TCU’s offensive line has protected junior quarterback Kenny Hill well
Going back and watching some film on TCU yesterday, there’s some times when he’s getting heated up and he’s able to get out of the pocket and make something happen out of nothing, but there are times when he’s getting heated up and he’s getting hit.
On if it is hard to put the Texas Tech game behind them after shutting them down
I wouldn’t say that it’s tough. It’s still early in the season, we can’t let our highs get too high and can’t let our lows get too low. It’s early in the season, we still have a lot of football left to play. We can’t get complacent, we can’t be happy with where we are. We just have to keep pushing each other and keep working in practice. Just continue to have that goal that we set in the offseason, let it be in our heads, and let people know. We are still focused on our goal, and we can’t relax.
