WVU Players and Assistant Coaches Media Session
October 6, 2015
Oklahoma State Week
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (October 6, 2015) – West Virginia University assistant coaches and select members of the West Virginia University football team met with the media on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Assistant coach (defensive coordinator/linebackers) Tony Gibson
On sophomore defensive back Dravon Askew-Henry’s big performance against Oklahoma State last season
He had two really big plays in that game. I think we were up 20-10 with seven minutes to go and he had a pick six that iced the game for us. Then earlier in the game, he jumped a scissors route at the right time to come down with the ball. I think he came out of that game with a lot more confidence than he had going into it.
On learning how to handle emotions and excitement in games
Its football. We like our guys attacking and playing aggressive. In the game the other day, we were down by three points with all the momentum on our side. The first play, they ran play action and our linebackers bite down for about a 10 or 11-yard gain. Then they went up tempo, and (sophomore running back Samaje) Perine had his biggest run of the day for about 9 or 10 yards. They ended up hitting us with a good play, and I think we’re going to continue to see that kind of thing because of how aggressive we are.
On reflecting on the defensive statistics of the Oklahoma game
It’s unbelievable. If you were to take the score off of that stat sheet after the game and ask me what the outcome was, I would say we won by two or three touchdowns. They were 2-for-11 on third downs. We had two turnovers, four sacks and six tackles for loss. They ran the ball for 174 yards, and they completed 15 passes. Yes, 320 yards is a bad thing. That’s too many big passing plays. Everyone wants to blame the defensive backs, but it’s either a lack of pass rush or the linebackers doing their job. It’s not always the defensive backs.
Assistant coach (defense/special teams) Mark Scott
On having patience with players on special teams in tense situations
You can’t panic. If you’re showing panic as a coach, then the kids are going to panic. You have to take a step back, calm down and teach. Especially on Saturday, our guys were all fired up on the field. I had to explain the situation to them, calm them down and teach them how to do things right.
On teaching when to field a punt or let it go
Yeah, it’s different. When the ball is across the 50-yard line in pooch punt situations, those guys were at the 10-yard line, and they make their decisions on the flight of the ball. They were great kicks by Oklahoma’s punter, but we also did a ton of reps on Sunday. We are going to do a ton of reps today as well to help them get a feel for where they’re at and when to give up a return.
Assistant head coach (receivers) Lonnie Galloway
On his thoughts with the offense’s performance against Oklahoma
It was a little different. We didn’t execute like we have been. If you look at the stats, we were still almost 50 percent on third down, but we didn’t help (junior quarterback) Skyler (Howard). As far as turnovers, (redshirt sophomore wide receiver) Shelton (Gibson) fell down on one interception, and the other interception deflected off of (junior wide receiver) Daikiel’s (Shorts) hands. I’ll take those plays, and I’ll call them again. We’ll be in a better situation. We have to learn from those mistakes we made, and we have to get better from it. We were right back in it at 27-24, and then we started turning the ball over. If you turn the ball over two, three or four times statistics show that you’re not going to win the game. The coaches challenged them, and we came back out in the second half and played well. We have to build on that and not let that game effect the game that we have coming up.
On the Oklahoma State secondary
They’re playing well. Their older guys (redshirt junior cornerback Ashton Lampkin) No. 6, (senior cornerback Kevin Peterson) No. 1, (redshirt senior cornerback Miketavius Jones) No. 24, (redshirt senior cornerback Michael Hunter) No. 17, (sophomore cornerback Ramon Richards) No. 18 are playing well, and they have a lot of guys playing corner. They are challenging you at the line of scrimmage, so it’ll be something we work on during practice. Our scout guys give us a good look, and obviously, (junior cornerback) Daryl (Worley) will give us a good look. Georgia Southern was in our face, too. It’s all about trusting your technique when people try and press, and that’s what they do. They sit there and press you.
Assistant coach (offensive line) Ron Crook
On execution and technique of the offensive line against Oklahoma
We lost our technique at times and that can happen for numerous reasons. It can happen because you’re tired. It can happen, because they showed you a look that you didn’t prepare for. It could happen because you lost focus for a split second, and by that time, it’s too late. We lost it a few times, and it’s something we’re going to talk about. We are going to address the issue and improve.
On the Oklahoma State pass rush
I think they have a lot of guys that are long, athletic and fast, but they still have power to them. They put their hands on you and push you back into the quarterback. They do a lot of things well.
Redshirt senior cornerback Terrell Chestnut
On breaking down the tape of the loss at Oklahoma
We have to make sure everyone is on the same page. Obviously, they made some big plays against us. That’s what happens when you play against a good team. They will capitalize. You have to learn from it and move on.
On moving on from the Oklahoma loss
It’s a humbling experience. Everybody has growing pains, and it’s just another obstacle we need to overcome in practice. We’ll be all right.
On things to build on from the Oklahoma loss
We have to limit the explosive plays. That’s where they beat us. They had five or six catches over 25 yards. You can’t be a great defense if you have that. We have to eliminate that. We have to continue to play well on third down. We will be all right.
On the task at hand against Oklahoma State’s fast paced offense
We are on an island, and we accept that challenge. We expect our blitz to get there and help us out, but we have to stop them from catching the ball. We have to work on perfecting our craft and technique. That will eliminate the passing yards they have.
Redshirt senior linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski
On how he reacts after a loss
You just have to express how important moving on from a loss is. A season goes fast in college football. We have to move on and get over it.
On stopping Oklahoma on third down, despite a losing effort
We pride ourselves on getting off the field on critical downs. At the end of the day, they came out on top. We have to move on and get ready for the next game.
On the difference between preparing for Oklahoma’s quarterback Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma State’s quarterback Mason Rudolph
They’re both good quarterbacks. They both can hurt you in different ways. You just have to know where they’re at and eliminate their ability to make big plays.
Junior defensive lineman Darrien Howard
On Oklahoma State’s offense
They’re not much different from our offense, so it won’t be unfamiliar. They have pretty good skill position players. The same linemen are coming back, so that will be good for them. It’s not much different from what we do.
On a Big 12 night game in Morgantown
It’s going to be electric. It’s going to be a great night here in Morgantown, and I think it’s going to be fun. Overall, it’s going to be great.
On preparing for Oklahoma State’s quarterback Mason Rudolph pocket passing ability
It’s going to be different. We have been going against mobile quarterbacks that have been stretching out the play, so this is going to be a different kind of preparation for us.
Junior quarterback Skyler Howard
On Oklahoma State’s defensive line
They’re physical, and they’re very athletic.
On how establishing the run game helps the WVU offense
It changes the landscape of it. It’s one more thing that an opponent has to prepare for in a short week. That’s one more thing that they have to put on their practice schedule. In games, they have to be able to make adjustments to stop it. We have a lot of weapons, so when they stop the run, we can just move on to the next one.
Redshirt junior offensive lineman Adam Pankey
On avoiding putting the offense in third and long positions
We cannot put ourselves in those situations where they know it’s a pass. We can’t allow them to pin their ears back and come after us. We have to do better on the early downs and avoid that kind of thing. We have to have answers, go through reads and give our offense enough time.
On the offensive line’s group meeting this week and their on the loss to Oklahoma
The biggest thing is to stay positive. We knew that there was a possibility that we could meet a bump in the road during the season, because the Big 12 is a tough league. The biggest thing is to keep moving forward and move on to the next game. It’s about putting this one behind us and getting ready for the new challenge this week.
On the discussions amongst the offensive line
We get together and say ‘this isn’t good, we have to do better.’ We have to step up our game and help the team.
Redshirt junior running back Rushel Shell
On what is working for him in preparing for games
I’ve been watching a lot more film. Knowing your opponent is the best thing going into a game. Seeing what their strengths and weaknesses are helps a lot. There are some things I want to emphasize, and it has really helped me play the game.
On how watching more film has helped him
I feel like I didn’t watch a lot of film last year or any time before that. Now, I watch film a couple hours a day. It has helped me a lot when I’m out there. I know what’s going on, and it slows everything down.
On what a running back looks at when watching film
If the defense is rushing and if their linebackers are soft or play downhill. Also, I look at what tacklers are like. I see which ones are going to shy away from contact and which ones might try and come in and make a hit. For instance, if I see a guy who dives a lot, I might try and hurdle him. I feel like it has really made a difference and its working.
October 6, 2015
Oklahoma State Week
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (October 6, 2015) – West Virginia University assistant coaches and select members of the West Virginia University football team met with the media on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Assistant coach (defensive coordinator/linebackers) Tony Gibson
On sophomore defensive back Dravon Askew-Henry’s big performance against Oklahoma State last season
He had two really big plays in that game. I think we were up 20-10 with seven minutes to go and he had a pick six that iced the game for us. Then earlier in the game, he jumped a scissors route at the right time to come down with the ball. I think he came out of that game with a lot more confidence than he had going into it.
On learning how to handle emotions and excitement in games
Its football. We like our guys attacking and playing aggressive. In the game the other day, we were down by three points with all the momentum on our side. The first play, they ran play action and our linebackers bite down for about a 10 or 11-yard gain. Then they went up tempo, and (sophomore running back Samaje) Perine had his biggest run of the day for about 9 or 10 yards. They ended up hitting us with a good play, and I think we’re going to continue to see that kind of thing because of how aggressive we are.
On reflecting on the defensive statistics of the Oklahoma game
It’s unbelievable. If you were to take the score off of that stat sheet after the game and ask me what the outcome was, I would say we won by two or three touchdowns. They were 2-for-11 on third downs. We had two turnovers, four sacks and six tackles for loss. They ran the ball for 174 yards, and they completed 15 passes. Yes, 320 yards is a bad thing. That’s too many big passing plays. Everyone wants to blame the defensive backs, but it’s either a lack of pass rush or the linebackers doing their job. It’s not always the defensive backs.
Assistant coach (defense/special teams) Mark Scott
On having patience with players on special teams in tense situations
You can’t panic. If you’re showing panic as a coach, then the kids are going to panic. You have to take a step back, calm down and teach. Especially on Saturday, our guys were all fired up on the field. I had to explain the situation to them, calm them down and teach them how to do things right.
On teaching when to field a punt or let it go
Yeah, it’s different. When the ball is across the 50-yard line in pooch punt situations, those guys were at the 10-yard line, and they make their decisions on the flight of the ball. They were great kicks by Oklahoma’s punter, but we also did a ton of reps on Sunday. We are going to do a ton of reps today as well to help them get a feel for where they’re at and when to give up a return.
Assistant head coach (receivers) Lonnie Galloway
On his thoughts with the offense’s performance against Oklahoma
It was a little different. We didn’t execute like we have been. If you look at the stats, we were still almost 50 percent on third down, but we didn’t help (junior quarterback) Skyler (Howard). As far as turnovers, (redshirt sophomore wide receiver) Shelton (Gibson) fell down on one interception, and the other interception deflected off of (junior wide receiver) Daikiel’s (Shorts) hands. I’ll take those plays, and I’ll call them again. We’ll be in a better situation. We have to learn from those mistakes we made, and we have to get better from it. We were right back in it at 27-24, and then we started turning the ball over. If you turn the ball over two, three or four times statistics show that you’re not going to win the game. The coaches challenged them, and we came back out in the second half and played well. We have to build on that and not let that game effect the game that we have coming up.
On the Oklahoma State secondary
They’re playing well. Their older guys (redshirt junior cornerback Ashton Lampkin) No. 6, (senior cornerback Kevin Peterson) No. 1, (redshirt senior cornerback Miketavius Jones) No. 24, (redshirt senior cornerback Michael Hunter) No. 17, (sophomore cornerback Ramon Richards) No. 18 are playing well, and they have a lot of guys playing corner. They are challenging you at the line of scrimmage, so it’ll be something we work on during practice. Our scout guys give us a good look, and obviously, (junior cornerback) Daryl (Worley) will give us a good look. Georgia Southern was in our face, too. It’s all about trusting your technique when people try and press, and that’s what they do. They sit there and press you.
Assistant coach (offensive line) Ron Crook
On execution and technique of the offensive line against Oklahoma
We lost our technique at times and that can happen for numerous reasons. It can happen because you’re tired. It can happen, because they showed you a look that you didn’t prepare for. It could happen because you lost focus for a split second, and by that time, it’s too late. We lost it a few times, and it’s something we’re going to talk about. We are going to address the issue and improve.
On the Oklahoma State pass rush
I think they have a lot of guys that are long, athletic and fast, but they still have power to them. They put their hands on you and push you back into the quarterback. They do a lot of things well.
Redshirt senior cornerback Terrell Chestnut
On breaking down the tape of the loss at Oklahoma
We have to make sure everyone is on the same page. Obviously, they made some big plays against us. That’s what happens when you play against a good team. They will capitalize. You have to learn from it and move on.
On moving on from the Oklahoma loss
It’s a humbling experience. Everybody has growing pains, and it’s just another obstacle we need to overcome in practice. We’ll be all right.
On things to build on from the Oklahoma loss
We have to limit the explosive plays. That’s where they beat us. They had five or six catches over 25 yards. You can’t be a great defense if you have that. We have to eliminate that. We have to continue to play well on third down. We will be all right.
On the task at hand against Oklahoma State’s fast paced offense
We are on an island, and we accept that challenge. We expect our blitz to get there and help us out, but we have to stop them from catching the ball. We have to work on perfecting our craft and technique. That will eliminate the passing yards they have.
Redshirt senior linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski
On how he reacts after a loss
You just have to express how important moving on from a loss is. A season goes fast in college football. We have to move on and get over it.
On stopping Oklahoma on third down, despite a losing effort
We pride ourselves on getting off the field on critical downs. At the end of the day, they came out on top. We have to move on and get ready for the next game.
On the difference between preparing for Oklahoma’s quarterback Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma State’s quarterback Mason Rudolph
They’re both good quarterbacks. They both can hurt you in different ways. You just have to know where they’re at and eliminate their ability to make big plays.
Junior defensive lineman Darrien Howard
On Oklahoma State’s offense
They’re not much different from our offense, so it won’t be unfamiliar. They have pretty good skill position players. The same linemen are coming back, so that will be good for them. It’s not much different from what we do.
On a Big 12 night game in Morgantown
It’s going to be electric. It’s going to be a great night here in Morgantown, and I think it’s going to be fun. Overall, it’s going to be great.
On preparing for Oklahoma State’s quarterback Mason Rudolph pocket passing ability
It’s going to be different. We have been going against mobile quarterbacks that have been stretching out the play, so this is going to be a different kind of preparation for us.
Junior quarterback Skyler Howard
On Oklahoma State’s defensive line
They’re physical, and they’re very athletic.
On how establishing the run game helps the WVU offense
It changes the landscape of it. It’s one more thing that an opponent has to prepare for in a short week. That’s one more thing that they have to put on their practice schedule. In games, they have to be able to make adjustments to stop it. We have a lot of weapons, so when they stop the run, we can just move on to the next one.
Redshirt junior offensive lineman Adam Pankey
On avoiding putting the offense in third and long positions
We cannot put ourselves in those situations where they know it’s a pass. We can’t allow them to pin their ears back and come after us. We have to do better on the early downs and avoid that kind of thing. We have to have answers, go through reads and give our offense enough time.
On the offensive line’s group meeting this week and their on the loss to Oklahoma
The biggest thing is to stay positive. We knew that there was a possibility that we could meet a bump in the road during the season, because the Big 12 is a tough league. The biggest thing is to keep moving forward and move on to the next game. It’s about putting this one behind us and getting ready for the new challenge this week.
On the discussions amongst the offensive line
We get together and say ‘this isn’t good, we have to do better.’ We have to step up our game and help the team.
Redshirt junior running back Rushel Shell
On what is working for him in preparing for games
I’ve been watching a lot more film. Knowing your opponent is the best thing going into a game. Seeing what their strengths and weaknesses are helps a lot. There are some things I want to emphasize, and it has really helped me play the game.
On how watching more film has helped him
I feel like I didn’t watch a lot of film last year or any time before that. Now, I watch film a couple hours a day. It has helped me a lot when I’m out there. I know what’s going on, and it slows everything down.
On what a running back looks at when watching film
If the defense is rushing and if their linebackers are soft or play downhill. Also, I look at what tacklers are like. I see which ones are going to shy away from contact and which ones might try and come in and make a hit. For instance, if I see a guy who dives a lot, I might try and hurdle him. I feel like it has really made a difference and its working.
