Rich Rodriguez press conference summary BYU week
West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the media in his weekly press conference ahead of the BYU game and here is a summary of what was said.
–Shorter week. They have a late, late game and they have to be smart with how they use their guys on travel and get ready for that. The last game is over but have to get ready to play a top 25 team on the road. He has never been there for a game so he’s heard the environment is very good.
–Rodriguez said they have guys on the staff that work a week ahead. Player wise he’s had plenty of non-Saturday games before so this is not that big of a deal. They didn’t treat Sunday differently, but they did Monday. It’s hard to have the full-on practices with the shorter week. It’s going to be more mental than physical.
–Rodriguez said a lot of times injuries gives guys opportunities but some of them came in and did some decent things. There’s a glimmer of hope for guys that got some extended time, especially on offense. But nobody was happy on Sunday but they turned it around pretty good. Hopefully they don’t get hurt too much but it’s come in bunches and the open day is coming at the right time.
–Rodriguez has known Kalani Sitake a long time. He’s a great person and is really respected in the profession. He is what the coaching profession can really look to as a role model. He has done a great job there. They’ve invested in their program and they’ve been really good. Rodriguez said they played them in the Cardinals stadium in Phoenix when he was at Arizona. When he was at Tulane they played BYU in the Liberty Bowl and then after the game Norm Chow and LaVell Edwards invited him to come out and talk some ball with them. He wanted to learn from them as well so they traded ideas and it was a neat trip.
–Sometimes getting more reps you rush yourself at times at quarterback but Khalil Wilkins can make all the throws. Scotty Fox got some reps but Max Brown and Jaylen Henderson are banged up.
–Still don’t know as much about Tye Edwards and Cyncir Bowers should be back. Diore Hubbard came in and played well.
–When West Virginia is getting first downs they are able to control the tempo. They have to do a better job coming out of the gates offensively. This is going to be the first true crowd noise test for the Mountaineers and they’ll be prepared for that.
–Rodriguez said he’ll be able to tell more after today’s practice but he thinks Jaylen Henderson and Max Brown should be able to go. They’re both a little banged up but they didn’t really do much.
–BYU is really athletic up front and are as athletic at linebacker as anybody they’ve played all year. They are coached well. They have some length and do some different things offensively. They have athletic defensive ends as well.
–Rodriguez said they can kick off better because they’ve seen it. They have to give them the confidence they can do it. They didn’t have any opportunities to block a punt but they’re not doing anything dynamic. They put enough time in there that they can maybe make a difference in the game. Not give up a big one, but also create a play on special teams.
–Rodriguez said if the defense is playing well should they give them less possessions and milk the clock. It seems like they’re better when they push the tempo. He doesn’t think they’re big and strong enough to milk the clock. He doesn’t want them to get dug in and knock them off the ball. They just have to execute better. He’s done this for years and the most successful teams are able to control the tempo.
–With the crowd noise you have to be disciplined.
–Rodriguez said they have good players on defense and need to dial back some of the stuff they’re doing. They try to find an answer and sometimes it just doesn’t work and guys aren’t being as disciplined with their eyes. Zac Alley and his staff will figure it out and have a plan. He wishes they had an open date earlier to fix some of the problems but they have a short week.
–BYU quarterback is a young guy that is really composed. The running back is one of the better ones and the offensive line is a big and physical, it’s grown men. They have some good wide receivers.
—Malik Agbo is a good football player and a great guy. He’s done a good job learning but he’s a guy in the off-season will gain 30-pounds and they’ll see a better player. He is going to play more as will Donovan Haslam and there may be a couple others that get some shots. Carson Lee was good and snaps were composed and he can play all three positions.
—Cam Vaughn is one of the most explosive guys. He is a really competitive guy and what they’ve challenged him to do is take some of the tips and pointers to get better. He has more upside to get better and when he has one-on-one coverage he has to take advantage of that. Jaden Bray was just as dynamic and they felt good they had two guys out there they couldn’t double. One of the other guys has to emerge on the other side.
–Secondary played well until this past game. This is a chance for them to have a bounce back performance.
–The coaching staff has to create a route or play call to help the players win. Designing a play or a way to make a play is where coaches should be able to help.
–The game has gotten bigger and bigger so if you’re under 300-pounds you’re too light to play offensive tackle. He isn’t as big on the arm length but big people that know what they’re doing beat up on smaller people that know what they’re doing. Guards and centers can be a little shorter, but tackles they need 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6. They better be really fast if they’re small.
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