MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (October 10, 2017) - West Virginia University assistant coaches and select members of the West Virginia University football team met with the media on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On the plan for freshman defensive lineman Darius Stills moving forward
He is going to play, he is going to be in the rotation. We busted his redshirt so he has to play now.
On if the decision to play freshman defensive lineman Darius Stills was because of what he did or what others haven’t done
A little combination of both. I thought he was ready at the beginning of the year and we got into some games and didn’t use him so we were going to hold off and see if we could make it, but right now we need to use him because he is active. If anything, he can give us some good depth to be able to rest some of these other guys.
On how freshman defensive lineman Lamonte McDougle played in his first start against TCU
I thought he played very well. He is very active, stays on his feet, makes some things happen in there and puts pressure on the center. That center he went against, yeah, I know they moved the kid, but a year ago was second team All-Big 12. I thought he handled himself well.
On if Texas Tech has changed at all because they are running the ball more
Yeah, they are running it. They have been in some tight games where the run game has been effective for them. They opened up a big lead on Kansas by running the ball. Kansas busted a third and one call and the kid went 50-yards for a touchdown. They are putting up some numbers. They have some big backs; they have two junior college transfers in, bigger guys so they are going to try to pound it a little bit.
Assistant Coach (Cornerbacks) Doug Belk
On how senior cornerback Elijah Battle and redshirt sophomore Hakeem Bailey have responded since being moved from the starting role
I am proud of how they responded. I always tell those guys to be ready whenever your number is called. I always tell them we have four starters, capable guys, so whenever you have a chance go in and make the best of your opportunity. Both of the guys did that. Especially Elijah, he played really well.
On what makes Texas Tech junior wide receiver Keke Coutee so effective
He can play inside, he can play outside. He is fast and explosive. They give him the ball in a lot of different ways so we will definitely have to know where he is at, at all times. He is a good player for them.
On if it is easier to prepare for Texas Tech junior wide receiver Keke Coutee when you have a couple of wide receivers like that on your own team
Yeah, we get good reps from our receivers in practice, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday. That helps us a lot. In the game situation, it is always a little different so you have to find him at all times.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Bruce Tall
On what goes into playing a true freshman
It was a process. We tried to bring him along. I don’t believe that he (freshman defensive lineman Lamonte McDougle) was ready early, because of the mental part of the game, understanding it. We were grooming him. Clearly some of the things he did warranted him to be the starter and he progressed fast enough that I felt comfortable, especially coming off of a bye week, that I could put him in there and let him role.
On positives and negatives of having a shorter nose guard
Most people, they think because of the length, or lack of length, however you want to put it, that you will have better leverage. A short guy can play tall and a tall guy can play short. It is all a matter of how you bend and put yourself in position to do those things. He (freshman defensive lineman Lamonte McDougle) really, if you watch him come out of his stance, is very good at exploding off of his hips. He utilizes his leverage really well.
On freshman defensive lineman Lamonte McDougle’s quickness
He has a knack. If you watch some of the drills that I utilize in practice, the flip-to-hip drills and stuff, he is as natural as there is. It’s like ‘you see what he is doing? Do that.’ Well, some guys they can’t. That’s why they stand on the wall when it is time to dance at night.
Assistant Coach (Special Teams/ Defense) Mark Scott
On how the special teams coaching duties are set up
I’ve got punt and kickoff, (Assistant Coach (Safeties) Matt Caponi’s got punt return, (Assistant Coach (Offensive Line) (Joe) Wickline is obviously heavily involved in the PAT/field goal with the protection. (Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) (Bruce) Tall is with our field goal block and then (Head Coach) (Dana) Holgorsen really heads up the kickoff return. We’re all involved in basically every phase. We’ve got different assistants that are helping out, but (Dana Holgorsen) oversees everything – all of our schemes, all of our plans. Whether it be Sunday or Monday, we take them to him to show it and he’ll tweak or point certain things out. Everything though is set by Monday evening or Tuesday morning.
On redshirt freshman kicker Evan Staley and execution on kickoffs
Evan gets more and more confident every single week, and you can just tell that in how he’s handling himself and how he’s kicking the ball. He had four kickoffs and he kicked all four in the end zone. So, I couldn’t be happier right now with Evan’s progress. He’s young and he needs to continue to build up his strength, build up his consistency. I’m really happy with where he’s at right now. That first kickoff is something we need to do a better job with our coverage unit, of being able to identify blocks. We didn’t have a single guy double teamed. They had 10 single blocks and we had one guy come free. That’s not good enough. (KaVontae) Turpin is really good but we’re going to see really good returners week-in and week-out. It’s no different this week.
On how senior kicker Mike Molina can improve his game
You’ve got to build him back up. We’ve talked about it all week. We were going to have more opportunities. He looked confident and made the first. After that, you’ve got to make sure that he’s in the right frame of mind going forward. We were still in the first quarter, I believe. There’s a lot of games left and we’re going to need him to make more kicks. You’ve got to make sure that he’s in the right frame of mind and get him refocused to do his job for the rest of the game.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Jake Spavital
On the offense’s performance against TCU
I think what sums it all up is that we couldn’t finish. It reminded me of the Virginia Tech game. We got put in some backed up situations. Our starting field position in the first half was the minus-8-yard line. We had five drives. We overcame it. I love how we at least punched it out and we kind of moved it a bit, but you’ve got to finish those drives when you get into the red zone. We had 12 drives overall and we only got into the red zone three times. We had 84 plays. That kind of shows that we were moving the ball, that we were fighting, we were getting first downs but we just kept stalling out. What really summarizes the whole game is that we just couldn’t finish.
On sophomore running back Kennedy McKoy’s role as a receiver
Especially when you get into a game like TCU, they do a really good job at matching up off the receiver. We felt that we needed to get our best receivers in the game when we went 10-personnel and when we got into passing downs. I know that Kennedy is an exceptional guy but he’s not in that receiver room all the time where, in a game like that, your technique might be very minimal when it comes to playing receiver, in terms of getting open. So, that was our thought process. It was to let Kennedy spill over to (senior running back) (Justin) Crawford, because we know that he would get tired if we were going to give him a lot of touches and just let him be that guy who will come in and run the ball.
On who is emerging as a reliable backup receiver
We’re still working through that one. (Freshman wide receiver) Reggie Roberson Jr. is playing hard. He really is. That is something with the continuity with (redshirt junior quarterback) Will (Grier). That’s something that we’ve got to keep improving on, but I feel comfortable putting Reggie in the game as an outside receiver and going back-and-forth with him. That’s one guy, to me, that stands out the most but, overall, we can find more depth because (senior wide receiver) Ka’Raun (White), (junior wide receiver) (David) Sills (V) and (junior wide receiver) Gary (Jennings Jr.) are playing 90 plays a game, including special teams. They are awesome kids and I know they can handle it, but throughout the course of a long season that completely wears down the athletes.
Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On coaching receivers to get open during games
They know where their landmarks are at. They know that they’ve got to find ways to get open, just don’t run a certain route and it’s always in the same spot. They just work to get open. That’s just what we coach.
On finding depth at the wide receiver position
When we get deep into these games, then guys get tired. We need the younger guys to start stepping up and show us who they are.
On having quantity or quality at the wide receiver position
I’ve got some pretty good receivers out there. The main thing is that it’s kind of hard to take them off at times. They’re such competitors. It’s my job to keep them under control and keep their reps down a little bit, but those guys don’t want to miss a play. It’s hard because those guys deserve to be out there.
Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Grant Lingafelter
On how hard it is to miss games in your senior season
It’s part of the game. It’s a physical game. Just glad to be back with the team. It felt good to be out there on Saturday. Have to bounce back now and try to win out.
On finishing more drives as an offense
Yeah, that is one of our goals as a team, to finish in every aspect of the game, offense, defense, special teams. We have to do a better job, especially as an offense. We have to score more points. We have a top offense in the country, we have to score more points; have to finish up drives. That is going to be a key point for us moving forward.
On how the offense can work on finishing more drives
Stay physical, stay aggressive. Follow coach’s game plan. The coaches put us in great spots to win games so we have to execute all the way across the board and do a better job so we can get that ball across the goal line.
Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Ka’Raun White
On his confidence level after a big performance in the TCU game
Yeah, for sure. It starts with me making plays and catching the ball so that (redshirt junior quarterback) Will (Grier) can feed me a little bit more. So, I’m working on that consistency. As long as I’m doing that, I think I’ll have some good games coming up ahead of us.
On what the second-corps of receivers can do to build depth
I think they’re just making some mental mistakes sometimes in practice and that’s leading to (redshirt junior quarterback) Will (Grier) not trusting them when it’s time for game time. So, as long as they’re doing what they have to do in practice and limiting their mental mistakes, then I think they’ll be alright come game time. They’ve just got to keep working during practice, on making plays and making the coaches and quarterback trust them a little more.
On freshman wide receiver Reggie Roberson Jr.
Reggie is doing pretty good. He’s aggressive, he’s fast and he understands the game. He just has to get some reps under his belt and he’ll be fine.
Redshirt Senior Halfback Elijah Wellman
On how different is it playing on the road opposed to playing at home
It’s a lot different. The opponent crowd hasn’t been too bad so far at all. Usually you will get into some places that are pretty loud and not in favor of you. Coming home and playing in front of the Mountaineer fans, they are always loud for us.
On if the routine is the same on the road as it is at home
No, it’s not the same, but we keep the same process of travel and stuff. We know the regimen when it comes to what we are going to be doing and time and stuff like that. We are pretty used to it.
On what the home-field advantage
Just the crowd. Crowd on the other team is on offense and they are trying to run plays and switch plays and check what man they are going to. Stuff like that and you can’t really hear, that’s home-field advantage to me. That is what teams try to do to us when we are on offense. I’d say that is a big home-field advantage, is loud stadiums, really.
Redshirt Sophomore Linebacker David Long Jr.
On playing more than 60 plays against TCU
That’s what I expected. It took me the first series to get back into it, after that it was just a go.
On how he feels
Good, I was a little sore after the game, but that’s what comes after not playing for so long.
On if he thought he was going to be able to play as much as he did in his first game back
Yeah, I was expecting to do that so I was prepared for it.
On how he put himself in a position to make the tackle on the reverse pass from Jalen Reagor to Kenny Hill for a touchdown against TCU
During the jet, I saw the runner wasn’t running or trying to make a move to get up field so that is what brought me back. When I turned around I saw like five linemen and I am like ‘I’m about to do this’. I just went and did something, got through and I just couldn’t make the play.
Senior Safety Kyzir White
On having players returning from injuries during the TCU game.
It was good to have everyone out there. Obviously, we were missing some players early on, but some other guys stepped up. It was great to have everyone back.
On Texas Tech’s offense
They have a real explosive offense. They are pretty good all around the board. It is going to be a pretty good game.
On Texas Tech putting more of an emphasis on the run and if that puts more pressure on him
I just have to do my part and handle my responsibilities. Just play football.
On how the team has responded after the TCU game
It was just more fuel to the fire. We know we could have won that game, but we didn’t. We just have to put it on the backburner and use it as motivation. Just keep getting better.
Redshirt Senior Linebacker Xavier Preston
On how different it was to have the normal starters back in the lineup against TCU
With that being said, those guys come in and they helped me as well. It was definitely a great feeling having those guys out there. Having everybody out there healthy to some extent. It is definitely a great experience having those guys out there, but we still have to work for it and make sure we get this win looking forward this week.
On if it was different having redshirt sophomore linebacker David Long Jr. back
David, he is just a different player. He adds things that I can’t do. It is different having him out there. He has been a guy that was prominent last year. He is trying to come back and do the same thing this year. Hat’s off to him.
On what redshirt sophomore linebacker David Long Jr. does differently
You have to watch him. I don’t know how to explain it, but he is a good player, I will say that. The guys behind him are also great players, but he is David.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On the plan for freshman defensive lineman Darius Stills moving forward
He is going to play, he is going to be in the rotation. We busted his redshirt so he has to play now.
On if the decision to play freshman defensive lineman Darius Stills was because of what he did or what others haven’t done
A little combination of both. I thought he was ready at the beginning of the year and we got into some games and didn’t use him so we were going to hold off and see if we could make it, but right now we need to use him because he is active. If anything, he can give us some good depth to be able to rest some of these other guys.
On how freshman defensive lineman Lamonte McDougle played in his first start against TCU
I thought he played very well. He is very active, stays on his feet, makes some things happen in there and puts pressure on the center. That center he went against, yeah, I know they moved the kid, but a year ago was second team All-Big 12. I thought he handled himself well.
On if Texas Tech has changed at all because they are running the ball more
Yeah, they are running it. They have been in some tight games where the run game has been effective for them. They opened up a big lead on Kansas by running the ball. Kansas busted a third and one call and the kid went 50-yards for a touchdown. They are putting up some numbers. They have some big backs; they have two junior college transfers in, bigger guys so they are going to try to pound it a little bit.
Assistant Coach (Cornerbacks) Doug Belk
On how senior cornerback Elijah Battle and redshirt sophomore Hakeem Bailey have responded since being moved from the starting role
I am proud of how they responded. I always tell those guys to be ready whenever your number is called. I always tell them we have four starters, capable guys, so whenever you have a chance go in and make the best of your opportunity. Both of the guys did that. Especially Elijah, he played really well.
On what makes Texas Tech junior wide receiver Keke Coutee so effective
He can play inside, he can play outside. He is fast and explosive. They give him the ball in a lot of different ways so we will definitely have to know where he is at, at all times. He is a good player for them.
On if it is easier to prepare for Texas Tech junior wide receiver Keke Coutee when you have a couple of wide receivers like that on your own team
Yeah, we get good reps from our receivers in practice, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday. That helps us a lot. In the game situation, it is always a little different so you have to find him at all times.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Bruce Tall
On what goes into playing a true freshman
It was a process. We tried to bring him along. I don’t believe that he (freshman defensive lineman Lamonte McDougle) was ready early, because of the mental part of the game, understanding it. We were grooming him. Clearly some of the things he did warranted him to be the starter and he progressed fast enough that I felt comfortable, especially coming off of a bye week, that I could put him in there and let him role.
On positives and negatives of having a shorter nose guard
Most people, they think because of the length, or lack of length, however you want to put it, that you will have better leverage. A short guy can play tall and a tall guy can play short. It is all a matter of how you bend and put yourself in position to do those things. He (freshman defensive lineman Lamonte McDougle) really, if you watch him come out of his stance, is very good at exploding off of his hips. He utilizes his leverage really well.
On freshman defensive lineman Lamonte McDougle’s quickness
He has a knack. If you watch some of the drills that I utilize in practice, the flip-to-hip drills and stuff, he is as natural as there is. It’s like ‘you see what he is doing? Do that.’ Well, some guys they can’t. That’s why they stand on the wall when it is time to dance at night.
Assistant Coach (Special Teams/ Defense) Mark Scott
On how the special teams coaching duties are set up
I’ve got punt and kickoff, (Assistant Coach (Safeties) Matt Caponi’s got punt return, (Assistant Coach (Offensive Line) (Joe) Wickline is obviously heavily involved in the PAT/field goal with the protection. (Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) (Bruce) Tall is with our field goal block and then (Head Coach) (Dana) Holgorsen really heads up the kickoff return. We’re all involved in basically every phase. We’ve got different assistants that are helping out, but (Dana Holgorsen) oversees everything – all of our schemes, all of our plans. Whether it be Sunday or Monday, we take them to him to show it and he’ll tweak or point certain things out. Everything though is set by Monday evening or Tuesday morning.
On redshirt freshman kicker Evan Staley and execution on kickoffs
Evan gets more and more confident every single week, and you can just tell that in how he’s handling himself and how he’s kicking the ball. He had four kickoffs and he kicked all four in the end zone. So, I couldn’t be happier right now with Evan’s progress. He’s young and he needs to continue to build up his strength, build up his consistency. I’m really happy with where he’s at right now. That first kickoff is something we need to do a better job with our coverage unit, of being able to identify blocks. We didn’t have a single guy double teamed. They had 10 single blocks and we had one guy come free. That’s not good enough. (KaVontae) Turpin is really good but we’re going to see really good returners week-in and week-out. It’s no different this week.
On how senior kicker Mike Molina can improve his game
You’ve got to build him back up. We’ve talked about it all week. We were going to have more opportunities. He looked confident and made the first. After that, you’ve got to make sure that he’s in the right frame of mind going forward. We were still in the first quarter, I believe. There’s a lot of games left and we’re going to need him to make more kicks. You’ve got to make sure that he’s in the right frame of mind and get him refocused to do his job for the rest of the game.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Jake Spavital
On the offense’s performance against TCU
I think what sums it all up is that we couldn’t finish. It reminded me of the Virginia Tech game. We got put in some backed up situations. Our starting field position in the first half was the minus-8-yard line. We had five drives. We overcame it. I love how we at least punched it out and we kind of moved it a bit, but you’ve got to finish those drives when you get into the red zone. We had 12 drives overall and we only got into the red zone three times. We had 84 plays. That kind of shows that we were moving the ball, that we were fighting, we were getting first downs but we just kept stalling out. What really summarizes the whole game is that we just couldn’t finish.
On sophomore running back Kennedy McKoy’s role as a receiver
Especially when you get into a game like TCU, they do a really good job at matching up off the receiver. We felt that we needed to get our best receivers in the game when we went 10-personnel and when we got into passing downs. I know that Kennedy is an exceptional guy but he’s not in that receiver room all the time where, in a game like that, your technique might be very minimal when it comes to playing receiver, in terms of getting open. So, that was our thought process. It was to let Kennedy spill over to (senior running back) (Justin) Crawford, because we know that he would get tired if we were going to give him a lot of touches and just let him be that guy who will come in and run the ball.
On who is emerging as a reliable backup receiver
We’re still working through that one. (Freshman wide receiver) Reggie Roberson Jr. is playing hard. He really is. That is something with the continuity with (redshirt junior quarterback) Will (Grier). That’s something that we’ve got to keep improving on, but I feel comfortable putting Reggie in the game as an outside receiver and going back-and-forth with him. That’s one guy, to me, that stands out the most but, overall, we can find more depth because (senior wide receiver) Ka’Raun (White), (junior wide receiver) (David) Sills (V) and (junior wide receiver) Gary (Jennings Jr.) are playing 90 plays a game, including special teams. They are awesome kids and I know they can handle it, but throughout the course of a long season that completely wears down the athletes.
Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On coaching receivers to get open during games
They know where their landmarks are at. They know that they’ve got to find ways to get open, just don’t run a certain route and it’s always in the same spot. They just work to get open. That’s just what we coach.
On finding depth at the wide receiver position
When we get deep into these games, then guys get tired. We need the younger guys to start stepping up and show us who they are.
On having quantity or quality at the wide receiver position
I’ve got some pretty good receivers out there. The main thing is that it’s kind of hard to take them off at times. They’re such competitors. It’s my job to keep them under control and keep their reps down a little bit, but those guys don’t want to miss a play. It’s hard because those guys deserve to be out there.
Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Grant Lingafelter
On how hard it is to miss games in your senior season
It’s part of the game. It’s a physical game. Just glad to be back with the team. It felt good to be out there on Saturday. Have to bounce back now and try to win out.
On finishing more drives as an offense
Yeah, that is one of our goals as a team, to finish in every aspect of the game, offense, defense, special teams. We have to do a better job, especially as an offense. We have to score more points. We have a top offense in the country, we have to score more points; have to finish up drives. That is going to be a key point for us moving forward.
On how the offense can work on finishing more drives
Stay physical, stay aggressive. Follow coach’s game plan. The coaches put us in great spots to win games so we have to execute all the way across the board and do a better job so we can get that ball across the goal line.
Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Ka’Raun White
On his confidence level after a big performance in the TCU game
Yeah, for sure. It starts with me making plays and catching the ball so that (redshirt junior quarterback) Will (Grier) can feed me a little bit more. So, I’m working on that consistency. As long as I’m doing that, I think I’ll have some good games coming up ahead of us.
On what the second-corps of receivers can do to build depth
I think they’re just making some mental mistakes sometimes in practice and that’s leading to (redshirt junior quarterback) Will (Grier) not trusting them when it’s time for game time. So, as long as they’re doing what they have to do in practice and limiting their mental mistakes, then I think they’ll be alright come game time. They’ve just got to keep working during practice, on making plays and making the coaches and quarterback trust them a little more.
On freshman wide receiver Reggie Roberson Jr.
Reggie is doing pretty good. He’s aggressive, he’s fast and he understands the game. He just has to get some reps under his belt and he’ll be fine.
Redshirt Senior Halfback Elijah Wellman
On how different is it playing on the road opposed to playing at home
It’s a lot different. The opponent crowd hasn’t been too bad so far at all. Usually you will get into some places that are pretty loud and not in favor of you. Coming home and playing in front of the Mountaineer fans, they are always loud for us.
On if the routine is the same on the road as it is at home
No, it’s not the same, but we keep the same process of travel and stuff. We know the regimen when it comes to what we are going to be doing and time and stuff like that. We are pretty used to it.
On what the home-field advantage
Just the crowd. Crowd on the other team is on offense and they are trying to run plays and switch plays and check what man they are going to. Stuff like that and you can’t really hear, that’s home-field advantage to me. That is what teams try to do to us when we are on offense. I’d say that is a big home-field advantage, is loud stadiums, really.
Redshirt Sophomore Linebacker David Long Jr.
On playing more than 60 plays against TCU
That’s what I expected. It took me the first series to get back into it, after that it was just a go.
On how he feels
Good, I was a little sore after the game, but that’s what comes after not playing for so long.
On if he thought he was going to be able to play as much as he did in his first game back
Yeah, I was expecting to do that so I was prepared for it.
On how he put himself in a position to make the tackle on the reverse pass from Jalen Reagor to Kenny Hill for a touchdown against TCU
During the jet, I saw the runner wasn’t running or trying to make a move to get up field so that is what brought me back. When I turned around I saw like five linemen and I am like ‘I’m about to do this’. I just went and did something, got through and I just couldn’t make the play.
Senior Safety Kyzir White
On having players returning from injuries during the TCU game.
It was good to have everyone out there. Obviously, we were missing some players early on, but some other guys stepped up. It was great to have everyone back.
On Texas Tech’s offense
They have a real explosive offense. They are pretty good all around the board. It is going to be a pretty good game.
On Texas Tech putting more of an emphasis on the run and if that puts more pressure on him
I just have to do my part and handle my responsibilities. Just play football.
On how the team has responded after the TCU game
It was just more fuel to the fire. We know we could have won that game, but we didn’t. We just have to put it on the backburner and use it as motivation. Just keep getting better.
Redshirt Senior Linebacker Xavier Preston
On how different it was to have the normal starters back in the lineup against TCU
With that being said, those guys come in and they helped me as well. It was definitely a great feeling having those guys out there. Having everybody out there healthy to some extent. It is definitely a great experience having those guys out there, but we still have to work for it and make sure we get this win looking forward this week.
On if it was different having redshirt sophomore linebacker David Long Jr. back
David, he is just a different player. He adds things that I can’t do. It is different having him out there. He has been a guy that was prominent last year. He is trying to come back and do the same thing this year. Hat’s off to him.
On what redshirt sophomore linebacker David Long Jr. does differently
You have to watch him. I don’t know how to explain it, but he is a good player, I will say that. The guys behind him are also great players, but he is David.