MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (April 2, 2019) – West Virginia University offensive assistant coaches met with the media on Tuesday, April 2, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Co-Offensive Coordinator (Offensive Line) Matt Moore
On if the running game is progressing the way that he wants it to progress
No. Our performance on Saturday wasn’t what I wanted it to be. We have been doing better than that in practice, and obviously, missing (redshirt junior offensive lineman Josh) Sills for a couple days definitely hurts you having that guy at the guard position inside. We just made some mistakes that we have to clear up. We have to continue to work on it and get our technique better and our pad level (better). (It’s) just basic fundamental stuff, and sometimes, these guys haven’t had a ton of reps. Both tackles played pretty well, but inside, we just didn’t do what we needed to do, and we need to continue to work on that. It’s not progressing the way I want it to right now.
On why the running game isn’t progressing
It’s not different technique. It’s just that these guys haven’t played a whole lot inside. (Redshirt junior offensive lineman) Chase (Behrndt) never played center before. There’s a lot of pressure on him. There is a lot of stuff that he has to recognize and make calls. Our defense isn’t the easiest to run the ball against. They move a lot, and that’s fine. It helps us in the long run. The growing pains early are tough, with all the moving they do, but we are going to continue to work on it and continue to try different things to get things moving in the direction we want it to go.
On if it is an offensive line or running back situation
No, it’s the o-line. We have to get it right. We can’t allow run throughs. We can’t allow negative plays. It’s like I told my group the other day, ‘If we can keep people from running through, our running backs are good enough where they are going to get yards. They are going to get what they need. We just have to do our job.’
On how much are the issues assignment mistakes and how much are physical mistakes
It’s not as much assignment. We are at the point now where they know who to go to. It’s just the technique of getting there. That’s the thing. With our defense, as much as they move, if all the sudden you cross your feet, or you step to far, and they are looping back inside, those are the things that they have to get used to seeing. It’s just a lot different than what they have seen in the past at practice week after week. The front they ran last year was not as much movement and not as much technique. I don’t think it is a physical thing. Some of the younger guys are not as strong enough as we need them to be right now. It’s more of a technique issue that I have to fix, and that’s something that I have to take care of.
On blocking vanilla stuff or were they scheming up a little bit when facing the defense
There’s no such thing as vanilla stuff with (defensive coordinator) coach Vic (Koenning). And the good thing is that I have been with him for four years, and I have been through these growing pains before. They are tough; the stuff that he does. But there’s a reason why you look at his defense year after year. It’s tough to run the ball on them. Like I said, it’s growing pains that you go through with young guys. It’s growing pains that you go through with new guys. We have all been in this situation before, at Troy, our first year there. It’s not fun, but it’s something that you have to continue to harp on and continue to fix because you have to pay attention to detail up front, especially versus this defense. They never sit still. They are never just going to sit there and let you block them. They are constantly moving. The linebackers are moving, and they do a really good job. The o-line is always the last thing to come around, because it is five guys that have to communicate and make sure they are on the right page. That’s my job as a coach, making sure that they get there. All I know to do when things go bad is to just go to work. You just have to get up and go to work the next day. That’s what this whole place is about. It’s blue collar, get up and go to work. Study your assignments a little bit harder and focus on what you are doing a little bit more.
On if junior defensive lineman Darius Stills and sophomore defensive lineman Dante Stills are coming along and giving your guys good looks
Yeah, no doubt. Defensively, I think our personnel fits pretty good with what we do, because they don’t ask them just to sit still and hold a double team. We don’t have any 330-pound guys that can do that. They are getting better. They are getting better at moving, and they are getting better at communicating. And at the same time, that’s what you want. In spring practice, you want defense to win one day and offense to win the next, so everyone is just getting a little bit better every day. I think they are doing a good job. Of course, that’s (assistant coach/defensive line) coach (Jordan) Lesley. He will definitely tell you yes or no, but I think just watching from our side, it creates some problems for us.
On if the offensive line blocked well when running backs couldn’t press blocks during Saturday’s scrimmage
Of course. It was good to see that, because I know it was very frustrating for our running backs. There were times when they were getting hit behind the line of scrimmage, which that is completely our fault. There were some times where we blocked it up pretty good, and I think those guys understand, but I completely understand the frustration. It’s frustrating for my guys, it’s frustrating for the running backs, but like I said, we’re going to keep working. We’re going to get better at it. We’ve been here before, and we know how to fix it.
On redshirt junior offensive lineman Michael Brown
Mike has probably progressed more than anybody on the offense. Coach (Neal) Brown actually recognized him yesterday. He’s really progressing. He studies really hard, he’s up here twice a day. He’s constantly studying film, he’s constantly trying to make himself better. He’s moving really well. He’s doing a good job of taking care of his body. If he’ll continue to progress, I can actually see him staying in that position as the starting guard, if he’ll continue to progress.
On what weight redshirt junior offensive lineman Michael Brown needs to play at
I don’t exactly know. He moves well. The biggest thing about his movement right now is sustaining that movement. That’s what concerns me more than anything is being able to get to a weight where you can play 80 plays. He can play 10 plays as hard as anybody, but it’s the next 70 that you have to make sure about. And he understands that. He does extra conditioning. We make sure we watch what he eats. He’s going to get there. It’s just one of those things where you can’t snap your fingers and make it happen, as we all know.
On if redshirt junior offensive lineman Michael Brown is a raw player
Yes, but the good thing about it is he doesn’t have a lot of bad habits. He’s never been the guy who’s been put in the position now where he has to play. You have to coach him every day, and he’s really responding well to it. It’s just the fundamentals of everything. He’s really responding well.
On the quarterback battle
Right now, we have the reps spread out. There are three guys that are even there, and until Coach (Neal) Brown makes that decision on who the guy is going to be, and he gets 90 percent of the reps, we’re probably not going to be at that position to where we want to be. Once he gets to that spot, because he handles that, he makes that decision. I have enough to worry about with my five guys up front. It’s like I said the other day, there are not many people on the staff that want to look at the guys that don’t mess with the ball. Everybody wants to watch the ball, watch the receivers, watch the running backs. My job is to take care of those five guys up front. That’s really what I spend 98 percent of my time on.
On moving redshirt junior offensive lineman Chase Behrndt to center
The first thing about moving to center is you have to block with one hand between your legs. You’re responsible for a lot of communication before the ball is snapped, so there’s a lot more. At guard, you wait for what the center tells you. Basically, it’s who you’re going to start with and what you’re going to do. So, there’s a lot more from a mental side to it, and I just think that he’s progressing. Of course, he’s not progressing as fast as what we want, but he’s progressing. I just have to be patient and continue to work with him and continue to meet with him. He’s got the physical ability to do it. We just have to get him correct with his pad level and his footwork. That’s the two biggest things he has to work on. Your feet come together, you stand up. You stand up, you lose leverage. You lose leverage, you get knocked backwards. It’s just a chain reaction. It goes back to one thing. So, I have to fix that one thing.
On redshirt senior Kelby Wickline
The thing about it is, Coach (Joe) Wickline and I, I’ve known him. He recruited a player out of my high school, at Hoover High School, in 2002 when he was at Florida, and we’ve had a relationship since then. I’ve done professional development with him several times. I know him, he knows me, and Kelby knows that. That was one of the first conversations with Kelby. I said, ‘Hey, I know your dad really well. I know he’s a good o-line coach. I know he does a good job. I’ve clinic’ed with him before.’ And Kelby has no issues with. I treat him just like any other player on the team.
On how several positions battles can impact the offenses timing
It’s like I said, when you’re rotating three different quarterbacks and he’s not throwing to the same guy every time at Z or X or Y. When you have to all 11 guys doing the right thing, that’s what happens. It’s early in spring. It’s early in our process of installing this offense. We’re halfway through spring. We’ve basically had four padded practices. So, some of this is to be expected, but as a coach, you never want to see it. You want it to be better than it is, and like I said, the only thing you do is let’s go to work. Let’s keep working, and that’s what I told my guys. No matter how bad it is, the only thing we’re going to do is continue to work, continue to get better, and we’re never going to say, ‘That’s as good as it’s going to get.’ We’re going to continue to work.
On what he wants to see out of the next team scrimmage
I want us to be able to run the ball without free hitters and penetrators up front. I want us to get a hat on a hat, have a good base, good pad level, the running backs make a good read. The quarterbacks have the correct footwork to hand the ball off and make their correct read to pull it. We have play makers. We just have to get everybody going on the same page and get everybody fundamentally correct.
On his assessment on the tight ends
I’m excited about our tight end position, I really am. The thing about the tight end position that you have to understand is it’s a difficult position because you have to know everything the (offensive) line is doing, you have to know everything the receivers are doing, and you have to be able to protect in the run game, and you have to be able to run routes. It just takes time to teach all that stuff. (Assistant coach – tight ends/inside receiver) Coach (Travis) Trickett, he’s doing a great job with them, and I’m excited about the ability those guys have. Once we hone down exactly what we want them to do – during spring practice and fall camp, you’re throwing everything at them; you’re throwing at that stuff at them – but when you get to a game plan week, you’re going to pick and choose, and they are going to be a lot more decisive on what they’re doing, and they’re going to be a lot more confident in what they’re doing when you hone it down from a game-plan standpoint. But I’m really excited about their ability to block, their ability to run routes and make plays.
On redshirt freshman offensive lineman Junior Uzebu
His pass protection is getting much better. He’s really raw. Being redshirted last year, he didn’t get coached a whole lot, but he’s really raw and long. We just have to continue to work with his flexibility to be more of a component in the run game. But his pass protection, I’m excited about the direction his pass protection is going.
On if any other young linemen have surprised him
Well, (redshirt sophomore offensive lineman) (Adam) Stilley had to come in and be the backup center. I think he had one bad snap, but he does good job of fitting up on linebackers, he understands, and he studies really hard, and he’s done a good job, especially being a guy that I don’t know how much was expected of him when he came here. He’s done a good job of us being able to operate with that second group.
On the unique skill sets of junior wide receiver Tevin Bush and redshirt sophomore Alec Sinkfield
They give us speed on the edge and the ability to hit the home run. To be able to hand them the ball, get them on the edge, get them in space, and hit that home run, make that guy miss, that’s what they bring. Bush had a really, really good week, had a great week. He made some great plays. He came out Saturday, and it probably wasn’t as good as what he wanted. I think he probably put a little too much pressure on himself as far as the way he wanted to perform. Sometimes you just try a little too hard, and you’re a little stiffer, a little bit tighter than you want to be. But I think both those guys bring that home-run hitting ability as far as scoring touchdowns when you make a guy miss. That’s what they both bring to us.
On evaluating so many different players and positions
It’s an ever-changing line. Once you get halfway through, we’re sitting down, and we’re looking at it, and we’re going, ‘OK, what do we need to scale back?’ Because we have an install that we worked on weeks ago of what we’re going to put in. Then, each day, we talk about it, we meet as a staff and say, ‘OK, what do we need to put in? Do we need to put anything else in? Do we need to work on what we installed last practice and get it right?’ But at the same time, you want to have enough in to go into the summer with them understanding a lot of the stuff that we want to do from an offensive standpoint, even if it’s just put it in, do it one time, don’t do it live, do it a couple of times, and now they have in their head what the word means and what they do went that word is said, if it’s a motion, if it’s a route, if it’s a play. That’s how we do it.
Co-Offensive Coordinator (Running Backs) Chad Scott
On getting two running backs on the field at the same time
They’ve used some two-back sets in the past. I just think we’re going to utilize them a little more so now. We have so many experienced backs, and they’ve done a good job of blocking for one another. Like I said, they’ve done it in the past, but I think we’ll utilize them more so this season.
On sophomore running back Leddie Brown
He’s grown big time in his pass protection. Obviously, he’s a physical runner. I think he’s done better up to this point right now of showing a better burst on the second level and also of being elusive in space. He’s done a good job of breaking some tackles, making some guys miss in space, which was not an area of concern. It’s an area of improvement he wanted to work on this spring. Also, in pass pro (protection) recognition, I think that’s one of the issues that he’s wasn’t asked to play much of last year. He played quite a bit, but I know pass pro recognition might have been a liability for him. But he’s done a good job in pass pro. So, the two areas of improvement I’ve seen for Leddie is burst, his ability to win in a one-on-one situation in space and his pass pro recognition.
On the running back corps
They’re competitive. They all have a phenomenal relationship, they’re competitive. It’s a great competitive environment and atmosphere in the room. It’s a great room, a great group. It’s what you want. You want those competitors that keep everybody on edge, keep everybody on their toes, have no days off. The guys bring it every day. They bring their best every day.
Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Xavier Dye
On redshirt junior wide receiver T.J. Simmons
Having him learn the positions is the main thing, because he’s doing a great job. He’s a great kid. He’s a smart kid, and it comes easy for him. It’s easy for us to flip him in and out, but he’s doing fine. Like I said, I’m excited about him, and it’s fun to coach him.
On which players are working out at outside receiver
(Redshirt freshman) Sam James, (redshirt junior) T.J. (Simmons), (redshirt freshman) Bryce Wheaton, (redshirt sophomore) Ricky Johns, (redshirt freshman) Randy Fields (Jr.) and (redshirt freshman) Dillon Spalding all are guys who are on the outside with me.
On redshirt freshman wide receiver Bryce Wheaton’s physicality
He shows glimpses that he can do it, which I know he can. You have to get it out of him every day. He’s a young kid that’s still learning, still trying to process everything, but once he gets it, he’s going to be really good. It’s hard to stop a guy like him because of his size. We’re just trying to teach him, working on pad level and things like that. It’s not easy for a guy being big, because I was a bigger receiver myself, so we’re coaching him through that stuff. But he’s doing well. Like I said, he’s bringing a lot of energy, and we just have to get it every day.
Assistant Coach (Quarterbacks) Sean Reagan
On the quarterback battle
It’s a steady competition day in and day out. These guys are trying to get better, they’re learning the offense. We just have to continue to fundamentally get better each and every day.
On the attributes of each quarterback
The good thing about, for instance, with (redshirt junior) Austin (Kendall) and (redshirt junior) Jack (Allison), they’re both catching on to the concepts really, really well. Now, being able to do it on paper and on the board is one thing. We just have to carry that on to the field and be consistent at executing it in a live, 11-on-11 situation. (Redshirt freshman) Trey (Lowe III), we’re trying to figure out what his package is going to be. He’s going to rep a few different things today keyed towards him, and (we’ll) kind of see where he takes that. He’s coming along. He’s gotten better. He’s better now than he was when we watched film on him when we first arrived in January, so that’s a good thing.
On timing when installing a new offense
It’s coming. It’s a little slow, but that’s to be expected. When you throw the football, there’s one good thing that can happen and that’s that the ball gets completed. There’s a lot of variables that go into that. Timing, depth of routes, protection, you can go on and on and on. That’s going to be the slowest thing to come about but it’s getting better day in and day out.
Assistant Coach (Tight Ends/Inside Receivers) Travis Trickett
On what he’s seen out of the tight ends
Coach (Neal) Brown got to coach them for about three days and I told them, ‘Look, you have the head coach coaching you. You all better show out.’ We have a long way to go. The good thing about it is they’re getting asked to do a lot. So, like I told them, at the tight end position, we have slot receivers inside that room as well. At the tight end position, you have to play the slot receiver position. You have to do all the on-the-ball stuff, and then, you have to do all the hip and in the backfield stuff, too. And that’s really three different positions. That’s three different fundamentals; that’s three different techniques. You’re involved in the run game, the passing game and pass protection. So, you have a lot on your plate. That’s probably more than what they’ve done before, and I can tell from the mental load that it is for them. We have to do a really good job of preparing them off the field, because we can only have so many hours with them. They have to take some stuff home, and they have to really prepare to catch up on the football where we need to be from just a base-learning standpoint and understand, so that when we do go out there and take those reps, we can execute at a high level and focus on ‘Okay, what kind of fundamentals do I need to take on here?’ rather than just what to do. It’s a lot of learning right now, so we’re having to do a lot of teaching, just base groundwork probably more so this spring than we’ll ever have to do in the future. But it’s just year one. That’s what we’re going through. But they’re working, and I’m excited. We have two healthy bodies out there, or three healthy bodies out there and (Redshirt freshman) Mike (O’Laughlin). Mike’s moving better right now. We probably won’t be able to get him into live contact this spring, but he’s moving around a lot better.
On the blocking abilities of the tight ends group
They pretty much said ‘(Trevon) Wesco, you’ve got that’ and he did a really good job at it, too. The biggest thing I tell all of our guys, whether it’s the tight ends or the slot receivers, is you have to be a complete player. You have to be able to physically dominate your opponent not only blocking, but route running, your releases and everything we’ve asked those guys to do. We focus on being football players. Some guys probably think of themselves as just route guys or this and this. We’re not doing that. You have to be a full football player. If you want to win, I really do believe you have to be a really great perimeter blocking team. That’s what we can control. When we’ve become the best perimeter blocking team in the Big 12, then we’ll have a chance to win the Big 12. Until we get to that point, it’s going to be tough. We have some skill guys that can do some things with the ball. That’s what we’re developing is that mindset right now.
On the progress of redshirt junior tight end Jovani Haskins
Jovani is a big target. He’s a long strider, so his top end (speed) isn’t super-fast, but he covers a lot of ground in his steps. Sometimes it gets him in trouble, because in those shorter, quicker game routes, he really has to be under control with his stride length and understand getting his footwork underneath his body, because sometimes those big guys (that have) a big stride length, you get outside your framework, and you have to get yourself an upper body the bigger you are. Like I’ve told all those guys, the bodies they have are physically impressive. They have some ability. Now, it’s understanding what we need to do to execute what we’re being asked to do. He does have some ability, he’s made a couple plays here. I’m challenging all of our guys. I showed them (Rob) Gronkowski. He just retired, and they did a little montage, and I went to them and said, ‘This is the definition of being big. This your advantage. Take advantage of advantages.’ Just like with the slot receivers, you have some big guys, some smaller guys. Take advantage of your advantages. We have to be complete, but we also need to make sure we’re great at what we’re designed to be great at. He made a play in this scrimmage on Saturday where he was being big, and it was a five-yard gain that he carried a couple of guys on. I said, ‘That was the best play I’ve seen you make in two years, because you created those five yards by you being big.’ As a unit, that’s what we’re focusing on not just with Jovani, but with (redshirt freshman tight end) T.J. (Banks), with Mike, who’s not able to take reps and (redshirt freshman tight end Jesse) Beal. That’s what we want to make sure we’re focusing on.
Co-Offensive Coordinator (Offensive Line) Matt Moore
On if the running game is progressing the way that he wants it to progress
No. Our performance on Saturday wasn’t what I wanted it to be. We have been doing better than that in practice, and obviously, missing (redshirt junior offensive lineman Josh) Sills for a couple days definitely hurts you having that guy at the guard position inside. We just made some mistakes that we have to clear up. We have to continue to work on it and get our technique better and our pad level (better). (It’s) just basic fundamental stuff, and sometimes, these guys haven’t had a ton of reps. Both tackles played pretty well, but inside, we just didn’t do what we needed to do, and we need to continue to work on that. It’s not progressing the way I want it to right now.
On why the running game isn’t progressing
It’s not different technique. It’s just that these guys haven’t played a whole lot inside. (Redshirt junior offensive lineman) Chase (Behrndt) never played center before. There’s a lot of pressure on him. There is a lot of stuff that he has to recognize and make calls. Our defense isn’t the easiest to run the ball against. They move a lot, and that’s fine. It helps us in the long run. The growing pains early are tough, with all the moving they do, but we are going to continue to work on it and continue to try different things to get things moving in the direction we want it to go.
On if it is an offensive line or running back situation
No, it’s the o-line. We have to get it right. We can’t allow run throughs. We can’t allow negative plays. It’s like I told my group the other day, ‘If we can keep people from running through, our running backs are good enough where they are going to get yards. They are going to get what they need. We just have to do our job.’
On how much are the issues assignment mistakes and how much are physical mistakes
It’s not as much assignment. We are at the point now where they know who to go to. It’s just the technique of getting there. That’s the thing. With our defense, as much as they move, if all the sudden you cross your feet, or you step to far, and they are looping back inside, those are the things that they have to get used to seeing. It’s just a lot different than what they have seen in the past at practice week after week. The front they ran last year was not as much movement and not as much technique. I don’t think it is a physical thing. Some of the younger guys are not as strong enough as we need them to be right now. It’s more of a technique issue that I have to fix, and that’s something that I have to take care of.
On blocking vanilla stuff or were they scheming up a little bit when facing the defense
There’s no such thing as vanilla stuff with (defensive coordinator) coach Vic (Koenning). And the good thing is that I have been with him for four years, and I have been through these growing pains before. They are tough; the stuff that he does. But there’s a reason why you look at his defense year after year. It’s tough to run the ball on them. Like I said, it’s growing pains that you go through with young guys. It’s growing pains that you go through with new guys. We have all been in this situation before, at Troy, our first year there. It’s not fun, but it’s something that you have to continue to harp on and continue to fix because you have to pay attention to detail up front, especially versus this defense. They never sit still. They are never just going to sit there and let you block them. They are constantly moving. The linebackers are moving, and they do a really good job. The o-line is always the last thing to come around, because it is five guys that have to communicate and make sure they are on the right page. That’s my job as a coach, making sure that they get there. All I know to do when things go bad is to just go to work. You just have to get up and go to work the next day. That’s what this whole place is about. It’s blue collar, get up and go to work. Study your assignments a little bit harder and focus on what you are doing a little bit more.
On if junior defensive lineman Darius Stills and sophomore defensive lineman Dante Stills are coming along and giving your guys good looks
Yeah, no doubt. Defensively, I think our personnel fits pretty good with what we do, because they don’t ask them just to sit still and hold a double team. We don’t have any 330-pound guys that can do that. They are getting better. They are getting better at moving, and they are getting better at communicating. And at the same time, that’s what you want. In spring practice, you want defense to win one day and offense to win the next, so everyone is just getting a little bit better every day. I think they are doing a good job. Of course, that’s (assistant coach/defensive line) coach (Jordan) Lesley. He will definitely tell you yes or no, but I think just watching from our side, it creates some problems for us.
On if the offensive line blocked well when running backs couldn’t press blocks during Saturday’s scrimmage
Of course. It was good to see that, because I know it was very frustrating for our running backs. There were times when they were getting hit behind the line of scrimmage, which that is completely our fault. There were some times where we blocked it up pretty good, and I think those guys understand, but I completely understand the frustration. It’s frustrating for my guys, it’s frustrating for the running backs, but like I said, we’re going to keep working. We’re going to get better at it. We’ve been here before, and we know how to fix it.
On redshirt junior offensive lineman Michael Brown
Mike has probably progressed more than anybody on the offense. Coach (Neal) Brown actually recognized him yesterday. He’s really progressing. He studies really hard, he’s up here twice a day. He’s constantly studying film, he’s constantly trying to make himself better. He’s moving really well. He’s doing a good job of taking care of his body. If he’ll continue to progress, I can actually see him staying in that position as the starting guard, if he’ll continue to progress.
On what weight redshirt junior offensive lineman Michael Brown needs to play at
I don’t exactly know. He moves well. The biggest thing about his movement right now is sustaining that movement. That’s what concerns me more than anything is being able to get to a weight where you can play 80 plays. He can play 10 plays as hard as anybody, but it’s the next 70 that you have to make sure about. And he understands that. He does extra conditioning. We make sure we watch what he eats. He’s going to get there. It’s just one of those things where you can’t snap your fingers and make it happen, as we all know.
On if redshirt junior offensive lineman Michael Brown is a raw player
Yes, but the good thing about it is he doesn’t have a lot of bad habits. He’s never been the guy who’s been put in the position now where he has to play. You have to coach him every day, and he’s really responding well to it. It’s just the fundamentals of everything. He’s really responding well.
On the quarterback battle
Right now, we have the reps spread out. There are three guys that are even there, and until Coach (Neal) Brown makes that decision on who the guy is going to be, and he gets 90 percent of the reps, we’re probably not going to be at that position to where we want to be. Once he gets to that spot, because he handles that, he makes that decision. I have enough to worry about with my five guys up front. It’s like I said the other day, there are not many people on the staff that want to look at the guys that don’t mess with the ball. Everybody wants to watch the ball, watch the receivers, watch the running backs. My job is to take care of those five guys up front. That’s really what I spend 98 percent of my time on.
On moving redshirt junior offensive lineman Chase Behrndt to center
The first thing about moving to center is you have to block with one hand between your legs. You’re responsible for a lot of communication before the ball is snapped, so there’s a lot more. At guard, you wait for what the center tells you. Basically, it’s who you’re going to start with and what you’re going to do. So, there’s a lot more from a mental side to it, and I just think that he’s progressing. Of course, he’s not progressing as fast as what we want, but he’s progressing. I just have to be patient and continue to work with him and continue to meet with him. He’s got the physical ability to do it. We just have to get him correct with his pad level and his footwork. That’s the two biggest things he has to work on. Your feet come together, you stand up. You stand up, you lose leverage. You lose leverage, you get knocked backwards. It’s just a chain reaction. It goes back to one thing. So, I have to fix that one thing.
On redshirt senior Kelby Wickline
The thing about it is, Coach (Joe) Wickline and I, I’ve known him. He recruited a player out of my high school, at Hoover High School, in 2002 when he was at Florida, and we’ve had a relationship since then. I’ve done professional development with him several times. I know him, he knows me, and Kelby knows that. That was one of the first conversations with Kelby. I said, ‘Hey, I know your dad really well. I know he’s a good o-line coach. I know he does a good job. I’ve clinic’ed with him before.’ And Kelby has no issues with. I treat him just like any other player on the team.
On how several positions battles can impact the offenses timing
It’s like I said, when you’re rotating three different quarterbacks and he’s not throwing to the same guy every time at Z or X or Y. When you have to all 11 guys doing the right thing, that’s what happens. It’s early in spring. It’s early in our process of installing this offense. We’re halfway through spring. We’ve basically had four padded practices. So, some of this is to be expected, but as a coach, you never want to see it. You want it to be better than it is, and like I said, the only thing you do is let’s go to work. Let’s keep working, and that’s what I told my guys. No matter how bad it is, the only thing we’re going to do is continue to work, continue to get better, and we’re never going to say, ‘That’s as good as it’s going to get.’ We’re going to continue to work.
On what he wants to see out of the next team scrimmage
I want us to be able to run the ball without free hitters and penetrators up front. I want us to get a hat on a hat, have a good base, good pad level, the running backs make a good read. The quarterbacks have the correct footwork to hand the ball off and make their correct read to pull it. We have play makers. We just have to get everybody going on the same page and get everybody fundamentally correct.
On his assessment on the tight ends
I’m excited about our tight end position, I really am. The thing about the tight end position that you have to understand is it’s a difficult position because you have to know everything the (offensive) line is doing, you have to know everything the receivers are doing, and you have to be able to protect in the run game, and you have to be able to run routes. It just takes time to teach all that stuff. (Assistant coach – tight ends/inside receiver) Coach (Travis) Trickett, he’s doing a great job with them, and I’m excited about the ability those guys have. Once we hone down exactly what we want them to do – during spring practice and fall camp, you’re throwing everything at them; you’re throwing at that stuff at them – but when you get to a game plan week, you’re going to pick and choose, and they are going to be a lot more decisive on what they’re doing, and they’re going to be a lot more confident in what they’re doing when you hone it down from a game-plan standpoint. But I’m really excited about their ability to block, their ability to run routes and make plays.
On redshirt freshman offensive lineman Junior Uzebu
His pass protection is getting much better. He’s really raw. Being redshirted last year, he didn’t get coached a whole lot, but he’s really raw and long. We just have to continue to work with his flexibility to be more of a component in the run game. But his pass protection, I’m excited about the direction his pass protection is going.
On if any other young linemen have surprised him
Well, (redshirt sophomore offensive lineman) (Adam) Stilley had to come in and be the backup center. I think he had one bad snap, but he does good job of fitting up on linebackers, he understands, and he studies really hard, and he’s done a good job, especially being a guy that I don’t know how much was expected of him when he came here. He’s done a good job of us being able to operate with that second group.
On the unique skill sets of junior wide receiver Tevin Bush and redshirt sophomore Alec Sinkfield
They give us speed on the edge and the ability to hit the home run. To be able to hand them the ball, get them on the edge, get them in space, and hit that home run, make that guy miss, that’s what they bring. Bush had a really, really good week, had a great week. He made some great plays. He came out Saturday, and it probably wasn’t as good as what he wanted. I think he probably put a little too much pressure on himself as far as the way he wanted to perform. Sometimes you just try a little too hard, and you’re a little stiffer, a little bit tighter than you want to be. But I think both those guys bring that home-run hitting ability as far as scoring touchdowns when you make a guy miss. That’s what they both bring to us.
On evaluating so many different players and positions
It’s an ever-changing line. Once you get halfway through, we’re sitting down, and we’re looking at it, and we’re going, ‘OK, what do we need to scale back?’ Because we have an install that we worked on weeks ago of what we’re going to put in. Then, each day, we talk about it, we meet as a staff and say, ‘OK, what do we need to put in? Do we need to put anything else in? Do we need to work on what we installed last practice and get it right?’ But at the same time, you want to have enough in to go into the summer with them understanding a lot of the stuff that we want to do from an offensive standpoint, even if it’s just put it in, do it one time, don’t do it live, do it a couple of times, and now they have in their head what the word means and what they do went that word is said, if it’s a motion, if it’s a route, if it’s a play. That’s how we do it.
Co-Offensive Coordinator (Running Backs) Chad Scott
On getting two running backs on the field at the same time
They’ve used some two-back sets in the past. I just think we’re going to utilize them a little more so now. We have so many experienced backs, and they’ve done a good job of blocking for one another. Like I said, they’ve done it in the past, but I think we’ll utilize them more so this season.
On sophomore running back Leddie Brown
He’s grown big time in his pass protection. Obviously, he’s a physical runner. I think he’s done better up to this point right now of showing a better burst on the second level and also of being elusive in space. He’s done a good job of breaking some tackles, making some guys miss in space, which was not an area of concern. It’s an area of improvement he wanted to work on this spring. Also, in pass pro (protection) recognition, I think that’s one of the issues that he’s wasn’t asked to play much of last year. He played quite a bit, but I know pass pro recognition might have been a liability for him. But he’s done a good job in pass pro. So, the two areas of improvement I’ve seen for Leddie is burst, his ability to win in a one-on-one situation in space and his pass pro recognition.
On the running back corps
They’re competitive. They all have a phenomenal relationship, they’re competitive. It’s a great competitive environment and atmosphere in the room. It’s a great room, a great group. It’s what you want. You want those competitors that keep everybody on edge, keep everybody on their toes, have no days off. The guys bring it every day. They bring their best every day.
Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Xavier Dye
On redshirt junior wide receiver T.J. Simmons
Having him learn the positions is the main thing, because he’s doing a great job. He’s a great kid. He’s a smart kid, and it comes easy for him. It’s easy for us to flip him in and out, but he’s doing fine. Like I said, I’m excited about him, and it’s fun to coach him.
On which players are working out at outside receiver
(Redshirt freshman) Sam James, (redshirt junior) T.J. (Simmons), (redshirt freshman) Bryce Wheaton, (redshirt sophomore) Ricky Johns, (redshirt freshman) Randy Fields (Jr.) and (redshirt freshman) Dillon Spalding all are guys who are on the outside with me.
On redshirt freshman wide receiver Bryce Wheaton’s physicality
He shows glimpses that he can do it, which I know he can. You have to get it out of him every day. He’s a young kid that’s still learning, still trying to process everything, but once he gets it, he’s going to be really good. It’s hard to stop a guy like him because of his size. We’re just trying to teach him, working on pad level and things like that. It’s not easy for a guy being big, because I was a bigger receiver myself, so we’re coaching him through that stuff. But he’s doing well. Like I said, he’s bringing a lot of energy, and we just have to get it every day.
Assistant Coach (Quarterbacks) Sean Reagan
On the quarterback battle
It’s a steady competition day in and day out. These guys are trying to get better, they’re learning the offense. We just have to continue to fundamentally get better each and every day.
On the attributes of each quarterback
The good thing about, for instance, with (redshirt junior) Austin (Kendall) and (redshirt junior) Jack (Allison), they’re both catching on to the concepts really, really well. Now, being able to do it on paper and on the board is one thing. We just have to carry that on to the field and be consistent at executing it in a live, 11-on-11 situation. (Redshirt freshman) Trey (Lowe III), we’re trying to figure out what his package is going to be. He’s going to rep a few different things today keyed towards him, and (we’ll) kind of see where he takes that. He’s coming along. He’s gotten better. He’s better now than he was when we watched film on him when we first arrived in January, so that’s a good thing.
On timing when installing a new offense
It’s coming. It’s a little slow, but that’s to be expected. When you throw the football, there’s one good thing that can happen and that’s that the ball gets completed. There’s a lot of variables that go into that. Timing, depth of routes, protection, you can go on and on and on. That’s going to be the slowest thing to come about but it’s getting better day in and day out.
Assistant Coach (Tight Ends/Inside Receivers) Travis Trickett
On what he’s seen out of the tight ends
Coach (Neal) Brown got to coach them for about three days and I told them, ‘Look, you have the head coach coaching you. You all better show out.’ We have a long way to go. The good thing about it is they’re getting asked to do a lot. So, like I told them, at the tight end position, we have slot receivers inside that room as well. At the tight end position, you have to play the slot receiver position. You have to do all the on-the-ball stuff, and then, you have to do all the hip and in the backfield stuff, too. And that’s really three different positions. That’s three different fundamentals; that’s three different techniques. You’re involved in the run game, the passing game and pass protection. So, you have a lot on your plate. That’s probably more than what they’ve done before, and I can tell from the mental load that it is for them. We have to do a really good job of preparing them off the field, because we can only have so many hours with them. They have to take some stuff home, and they have to really prepare to catch up on the football where we need to be from just a base-learning standpoint and understand, so that when we do go out there and take those reps, we can execute at a high level and focus on ‘Okay, what kind of fundamentals do I need to take on here?’ rather than just what to do. It’s a lot of learning right now, so we’re having to do a lot of teaching, just base groundwork probably more so this spring than we’ll ever have to do in the future. But it’s just year one. That’s what we’re going through. But they’re working, and I’m excited. We have two healthy bodies out there, or three healthy bodies out there and (Redshirt freshman) Mike (O’Laughlin). Mike’s moving better right now. We probably won’t be able to get him into live contact this spring, but he’s moving around a lot better.
On the blocking abilities of the tight ends group
They pretty much said ‘(Trevon) Wesco, you’ve got that’ and he did a really good job at it, too. The biggest thing I tell all of our guys, whether it’s the tight ends or the slot receivers, is you have to be a complete player. You have to be able to physically dominate your opponent not only blocking, but route running, your releases and everything we’ve asked those guys to do. We focus on being football players. Some guys probably think of themselves as just route guys or this and this. We’re not doing that. You have to be a full football player. If you want to win, I really do believe you have to be a really great perimeter blocking team. That’s what we can control. When we’ve become the best perimeter blocking team in the Big 12, then we’ll have a chance to win the Big 12. Until we get to that point, it’s going to be tough. We have some skill guys that can do some things with the ball. That’s what we’re developing is that mindset right now.
On the progress of redshirt junior tight end Jovani Haskins
Jovani is a big target. He’s a long strider, so his top end (speed) isn’t super-fast, but he covers a lot of ground in his steps. Sometimes it gets him in trouble, because in those shorter, quicker game routes, he really has to be under control with his stride length and understand getting his footwork underneath his body, because sometimes those big guys (that have) a big stride length, you get outside your framework, and you have to get yourself an upper body the bigger you are. Like I’ve told all those guys, the bodies they have are physically impressive. They have some ability. Now, it’s understanding what we need to do to execute what we’re being asked to do. He does have some ability, he’s made a couple plays here. I’m challenging all of our guys. I showed them (Rob) Gronkowski. He just retired, and they did a little montage, and I went to them and said, ‘This is the definition of being big. This your advantage. Take advantage of advantages.’ Just like with the slot receivers, you have some big guys, some smaller guys. Take advantage of your advantages. We have to be complete, but we also need to make sure we’re great at what we’re designed to be great at. He made a play in this scrimmage on Saturday where he was being big, and it was a five-yard gain that he carried a couple of guys on. I said, ‘That was the best play I’ve seen you make in two years, because you created those five yards by you being big.’ As a unit, that’s what we’re focusing on not just with Jovani, but with (redshirt freshman tight end) T.J. (Banks), with Mike, who’s not able to take reps and (redshirt freshman tight end Jesse) Beal. That’s what we want to make sure we’re focusing on.