West Virginia University
Assistant Coaches Media Session
August 8, 2015
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 8, 2015) - The West Virginia University football coaching staff met with the media on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Offensive graduate assistant Zac Hueter
On rotating eight guys on the offensive line
You would love to have that rotation and have the eight guys. You want to have those extra three or four. We are struggling to have five more guys, a second team, to go in. I’ve seen things platoon-wise where they bring in five guys right off the bench. It brings new competition, because nobody’s spots are ever secured. That’s how it’s playing out right now with the same five guys you see, but people don’t see the competition that is going on behind closed doors. You don’t see guys pushing each other and making each other better.
On being able to have those seven or eight guys on offensive line
Yes, it’s possible. I don’t think we will have a problem getting to eight this year. I know (assistant coach/offensive line) coach (Ron) Crook wants to do that, and I think we should have no problem finding those eight guys. By the end of camp, we should be able to say here’s our eight, and that we have the ability to rotate them in for snaps this season.
Assistant head coach (receivers) Lonnie Galloway
On other players working into the rotation
There’s really no say in rotations. The same guys are getting reps. there’s no rotation. There’s obviously a first group and a second group, but no one is set in stone, as far as who’s going to start.
On tackling each other to the ground
We did. Most of the time the guys get heated, but they take care of each other. There were not any cheap shots. They didn’t try to kill each other, but they like it when we’re competing. Coach (Dana) Holgorsen had it set up where we did some second-down stuff and third-down stuff. It’s one of those things where there’s obviously a winner and a loser, so it got a little heated. That is what you want.
On throwing on short and long
We threw it. We set up different situations that occur during football games like second and eight. That’s what we were doing yesterday. It was good. The defense won some, and we won some. That’s what we’re looking for. Right now, we’re just looking for the best 11 guys who we can put on the field together and have competition.
On some of the younger guys sticking out when blocking
That’s all a work in progress, because they want to catch a ball, but 90 percent of the time you don’t have the football in your hands. We did a blocking drill with coach (assistant coach/ cornerbacks) (Brian) Mitchell, doing one on ones. That’s something that we worked on. We have good backs. They want to catch the ball down the field, so we have to block for (junior running back) Wendell (Smallwood), (redshirt junior running back) Rushel (Shell), (redshirt freshman running back) Donte (Thomas-Williams) and (redshirt sophomore wide receiver) Jacky (Marcellus).
Assistant coach (offensive line) Ron Crook
On who is emerging at the tackle position
Right now, the guys that we have out there are (redshirt senior offensive lineman) Marquis Lucas and (redshirt senior offensive lineman) Yodny Cajuste. They’re doing really well. They’re continuing to improve. They’re improving from a standpoint of recognizing things from the defense, which is critical, especially at that position. We bounced (redshirt junior offensive lineman) Adam Pankey out there for a little bit to practice and get reps. (Redshirt junior offensive lineman) Sylvester Townes is coming along. (Redshirt freshman offensive lineman) Marcell Lazard has had a couple of nice days in a row. They’re all progressing as they should. Again, it’s a long time until game time. It’s hard to say who’s going to be out there, and who the three of four guys are going to be. We feel confident in the direction that they’re going, and we’ll have at least three that are going to be ready.
On (junior offensive lineman) Kyle Bosch’s development
He is becoming more and more comfortable with our offense, with our schemes and with our communication process. He’s getting a lot of reps, so it’s helping him a lot. He’s been progressing well. He brings the physical nature to our offense, which is important and every football coach likes to see that. I like the direction that he’s going. He’s not where we want him come game time, but there’s still a lot of time for him to get ready.
Assistant coach (defensive coordinator/linebackers) Tony Gibson
On if the young guys are catching some attention
(Freshman safety) Kevin Williams right now is a kid that is running with the two’s, so he’s a guy that is getting a lot of reps in camp. I’m impressed with him. (Freshman linebacker) David Long has been playing a lot at linebacker right now. I don’t know if we will need him at this point, but we are getting him ready just in case.
On junior defensive lineman Darrien Howard’s growth
Every week he gets better. Again, that was a kid we were redshirting, but then we went to Texas Tech and had to use him. We broke it, and he’s played for two years now. He’s got a lot of snaps under his belt. He is a strong, fast and athletic kid. He’s a good change up for what (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Kyle (Rose) does.
On the rotation of the defensive line
We need to, but we are not going to rotate just to rotate. We have to make sure that we have quality backups who we trust to put in the game. That’s probably the one area right now where we are a little bit short. We have to have somebody step up. One of the young guys have to step up: (redshirt freshman defensive lineman) Tyree Owens, (redshirt freshman defensive lineman) Jaleel Fields or maybe even (freshman defensive lineman) Adam Shuler II. One of those guys is going to have to step up and play that other spot for us.
On when he decides that a guy is game ready
We have to know that right now. We have to get guys ready. We can’t wait until game week. We coach every kid like he’s going to play in a game, and if that happens, then we are going to play him. We can’t wait until game week and say ‘hey, is this guy ready or not.’ We have to know that going in.
Assistant coach (safeties/special teams) Joe DeForest
On how the safeties are progressing
They are doing really well. At this point, we are still looking for that sixth guy. I feel good about five of them. We have incoming freshmen (freshman safety) Kevin Williams and (redshirt freshman) DaeJuan Funderburk. Those two guys along with (redshirt sophomore) Shane Commodore need to fill that role, that sixth spot. That way we are two deep at every spot. Those other guys are maturing and are understanding the scheme. They are flying around, and they are doing the right thing. We have to develop depth at one other position in order to go into a comfortable level that we don’t usually have.
On the spur position
(Junior safety) Jeremy Tyler is splitting time between the spur and free, so it all depends on who develops faster. An extra free or an extra spur.
On if he minds if players play two positions
I’d rather not, but in this case, our spur and free safety are mirrored in some sense. If you play free, then you understand what the spur does a lot of the times, because you are tied into them a lot. There is a marriage there that works okay.
On redshirt junior safety Jarrod Harper’s shoulder
It hasn’t set him back at all at this point. He has progressed well through camp. He’s picked it up. He’s been a little rusty, but he’s such a smart kid that he understands it. It’s just a matter of him getting in football shape and getting stronger with that shoulder.
Assistant coach (defensive line) Damon Cogdell
On how the younger players are progressing
The good thing about it is that (assistant coach/defensive line) Bruce (Tall) and I work so well together. We communicate prior to going to practice. We are always on the same page. Sometimes I might see something, and then other times he might see something. The kids see that we are united as one, and that we want to help the kids get better. Now, when (assistant coach/defensive line) Bruce (Tall) might be talking to this kid, and I am talking to this kid we have the same voice. We have a great group of kids, and we have a great three-deep rotation right now. I’m excited.
On redshirt freshman defensive lineman Tyree Owens physical appearance
When (redshirt freshman defensive lineman) Tyree (Owens) first got here, he couldn’t even run a hill. Right now, his body is changing, and he is learning the defense. He’s running around and having fun. We just have to make him better. It’s first year without his redshirt on, so let’s take off the cape and get him ready to play.
On freshman defensive lineman Adam Shuler II
(Freshman defensive lineman) Adam Shuler is a wide kid. He is 270 pounds right now, and he is athletic too. Right now, he is learning the team, and he is going to be a real good player in the future.
On if he feels better about where the team is at depth wise this season
Absolutely. The scary part about it is that we have so much depth on defense, and we have so much confidence. Everyone knows what’s going on. The younger kids see positive things from the older guys, and that makes our jobs that much easier. They know what to expect. They are doing it the Mountaineer way. It makes it a lot easier.
Assistant Coach (defense/special teams) Mark Scott
On looking at younger players and testing them at kickoff returns
It really depends on our schedule, special teams wise. We’ve done a little bit of kickoff returns, but we’re out there every day catching punts, because that’s more of an emphasis for us. We’ve struggle with that more during the past couple of years. It takes, obviously a skilled player, but we need someone who is fearless to be put back there on puts. You can’t carry over from one to the other, but they’re totally two different animals.
On the changes with the blocking schemes from last season
Nothing significant has changed. Myself, coach (assistant coach/safeties-special teams) DeForest and coach (Dana) Holgorsen watched everyone from the Big 12, and we watched nationally ranked teams. We watched the top four or five teams to see if they were doing anything differently. There’s some small details that we’re going to implement at times, but again, a lot of that will come in week by week. Again, our schemes is going to be pretty similar to what it was last year. Everyone we watched is doing pretty much the same thing. We just need to get better at it and find the people and the body types to get in there to do it successfully.
On getting rid of the 3-4 player wedge blocking
In terms of kickoff coverage? I think it makes it easier, because you’re able to identify blocking schemes quicker. You don’t have to take two and three guys to try and blow up that wedge. It’s more one on one to be able to recognize blocks quicker and react to them. From a coverage unit, it definitely helps us.
Assistant Coaches Media Session
August 8, 2015
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 8, 2015) - The West Virginia University football coaching staff met with the media on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Offensive graduate assistant Zac Hueter
On rotating eight guys on the offensive line
You would love to have that rotation and have the eight guys. You want to have those extra three or four. We are struggling to have five more guys, a second team, to go in. I’ve seen things platoon-wise where they bring in five guys right off the bench. It brings new competition, because nobody’s spots are ever secured. That’s how it’s playing out right now with the same five guys you see, but people don’t see the competition that is going on behind closed doors. You don’t see guys pushing each other and making each other better.
On being able to have those seven or eight guys on offensive line
Yes, it’s possible. I don’t think we will have a problem getting to eight this year. I know (assistant coach/offensive line) coach (Ron) Crook wants to do that, and I think we should have no problem finding those eight guys. By the end of camp, we should be able to say here’s our eight, and that we have the ability to rotate them in for snaps this season.
Assistant head coach (receivers) Lonnie Galloway
On other players working into the rotation
There’s really no say in rotations. The same guys are getting reps. there’s no rotation. There’s obviously a first group and a second group, but no one is set in stone, as far as who’s going to start.
On tackling each other to the ground
We did. Most of the time the guys get heated, but they take care of each other. There were not any cheap shots. They didn’t try to kill each other, but they like it when we’re competing. Coach (Dana) Holgorsen had it set up where we did some second-down stuff and third-down stuff. It’s one of those things where there’s obviously a winner and a loser, so it got a little heated. That is what you want.
On throwing on short and long
We threw it. We set up different situations that occur during football games like second and eight. That’s what we were doing yesterday. It was good. The defense won some, and we won some. That’s what we’re looking for. Right now, we’re just looking for the best 11 guys who we can put on the field together and have competition.
On some of the younger guys sticking out when blocking
That’s all a work in progress, because they want to catch a ball, but 90 percent of the time you don’t have the football in your hands. We did a blocking drill with coach (assistant coach/ cornerbacks) (Brian) Mitchell, doing one on ones. That’s something that we worked on. We have good backs. They want to catch the ball down the field, so we have to block for (junior running back) Wendell (Smallwood), (redshirt junior running back) Rushel (Shell), (redshirt freshman running back) Donte (Thomas-Williams) and (redshirt sophomore wide receiver) Jacky (Marcellus).
Assistant coach (offensive line) Ron Crook
On who is emerging at the tackle position
Right now, the guys that we have out there are (redshirt senior offensive lineman) Marquis Lucas and (redshirt senior offensive lineman) Yodny Cajuste. They’re doing really well. They’re continuing to improve. They’re improving from a standpoint of recognizing things from the defense, which is critical, especially at that position. We bounced (redshirt junior offensive lineman) Adam Pankey out there for a little bit to practice and get reps. (Redshirt junior offensive lineman) Sylvester Townes is coming along. (Redshirt freshman offensive lineman) Marcell Lazard has had a couple of nice days in a row. They’re all progressing as they should. Again, it’s a long time until game time. It’s hard to say who’s going to be out there, and who the three of four guys are going to be. We feel confident in the direction that they’re going, and we’ll have at least three that are going to be ready.
On (junior offensive lineman) Kyle Bosch’s development
He is becoming more and more comfortable with our offense, with our schemes and with our communication process. He’s getting a lot of reps, so it’s helping him a lot. He’s been progressing well. He brings the physical nature to our offense, which is important and every football coach likes to see that. I like the direction that he’s going. He’s not where we want him come game time, but there’s still a lot of time for him to get ready.
Assistant coach (defensive coordinator/linebackers) Tony Gibson
On if the young guys are catching some attention
(Freshman safety) Kevin Williams right now is a kid that is running with the two’s, so he’s a guy that is getting a lot of reps in camp. I’m impressed with him. (Freshman linebacker) David Long has been playing a lot at linebacker right now. I don’t know if we will need him at this point, but we are getting him ready just in case.
On junior defensive lineman Darrien Howard’s growth
Every week he gets better. Again, that was a kid we were redshirting, but then we went to Texas Tech and had to use him. We broke it, and he’s played for two years now. He’s got a lot of snaps under his belt. He is a strong, fast and athletic kid. He’s a good change up for what (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Kyle (Rose) does.
On the rotation of the defensive line
We need to, but we are not going to rotate just to rotate. We have to make sure that we have quality backups who we trust to put in the game. That’s probably the one area right now where we are a little bit short. We have to have somebody step up. One of the young guys have to step up: (redshirt freshman defensive lineman) Tyree Owens, (redshirt freshman defensive lineman) Jaleel Fields or maybe even (freshman defensive lineman) Adam Shuler II. One of those guys is going to have to step up and play that other spot for us.
On when he decides that a guy is game ready
We have to know that right now. We have to get guys ready. We can’t wait until game week. We coach every kid like he’s going to play in a game, and if that happens, then we are going to play him. We can’t wait until game week and say ‘hey, is this guy ready or not.’ We have to know that going in.
Assistant coach (safeties/special teams) Joe DeForest
On how the safeties are progressing
They are doing really well. At this point, we are still looking for that sixth guy. I feel good about five of them. We have incoming freshmen (freshman safety) Kevin Williams and (redshirt freshman) DaeJuan Funderburk. Those two guys along with (redshirt sophomore) Shane Commodore need to fill that role, that sixth spot. That way we are two deep at every spot. Those other guys are maturing and are understanding the scheme. They are flying around, and they are doing the right thing. We have to develop depth at one other position in order to go into a comfortable level that we don’t usually have.
On the spur position
(Junior safety) Jeremy Tyler is splitting time between the spur and free, so it all depends on who develops faster. An extra free or an extra spur.
On if he minds if players play two positions
I’d rather not, but in this case, our spur and free safety are mirrored in some sense. If you play free, then you understand what the spur does a lot of the times, because you are tied into them a lot. There is a marriage there that works okay.
On redshirt junior safety Jarrod Harper’s shoulder
It hasn’t set him back at all at this point. He has progressed well through camp. He’s picked it up. He’s been a little rusty, but he’s such a smart kid that he understands it. It’s just a matter of him getting in football shape and getting stronger with that shoulder.
Assistant coach (defensive line) Damon Cogdell
On how the younger players are progressing
The good thing about it is that (assistant coach/defensive line) Bruce (Tall) and I work so well together. We communicate prior to going to practice. We are always on the same page. Sometimes I might see something, and then other times he might see something. The kids see that we are united as one, and that we want to help the kids get better. Now, when (assistant coach/defensive line) Bruce (Tall) might be talking to this kid, and I am talking to this kid we have the same voice. We have a great group of kids, and we have a great three-deep rotation right now. I’m excited.
On redshirt freshman defensive lineman Tyree Owens physical appearance
When (redshirt freshman defensive lineman) Tyree (Owens) first got here, he couldn’t even run a hill. Right now, his body is changing, and he is learning the defense. He’s running around and having fun. We just have to make him better. It’s first year without his redshirt on, so let’s take off the cape and get him ready to play.
On freshman defensive lineman Adam Shuler II
(Freshman defensive lineman) Adam Shuler is a wide kid. He is 270 pounds right now, and he is athletic too. Right now, he is learning the team, and he is going to be a real good player in the future.
On if he feels better about where the team is at depth wise this season
Absolutely. The scary part about it is that we have so much depth on defense, and we have so much confidence. Everyone knows what’s going on. The younger kids see positive things from the older guys, and that makes our jobs that much easier. They know what to expect. They are doing it the Mountaineer way. It makes it a lot easier.
Assistant Coach (defense/special teams) Mark Scott
On looking at younger players and testing them at kickoff returns
It really depends on our schedule, special teams wise. We’ve done a little bit of kickoff returns, but we’re out there every day catching punts, because that’s more of an emphasis for us. We’ve struggle with that more during the past couple of years. It takes, obviously a skilled player, but we need someone who is fearless to be put back there on puts. You can’t carry over from one to the other, but they’re totally two different animals.
On the changes with the blocking schemes from last season
Nothing significant has changed. Myself, coach (assistant coach/safeties-special teams) DeForest and coach (Dana) Holgorsen watched everyone from the Big 12, and we watched nationally ranked teams. We watched the top four or five teams to see if they were doing anything differently. There’s some small details that we’re going to implement at times, but again, a lot of that will come in week by week. Again, our schemes is going to be pretty similar to what it was last year. Everyone we watched is doing pretty much the same thing. We just need to get better at it and find the people and the body types to get in there to do it successfully.
On getting rid of the 3-4 player wedge blocking
In terms of kickoff coverage? I think it makes it easier, because you’re able to identify blocking schemes quicker. You don’t have to take two and three guys to try and blow up that wedge. It’s more one on one to be able to recognize blocks quicker and react to them. From a coverage unit, it definitely helps us.