Giving a Good Look
December 26, 2003 01:51 AM | General
December 26, 2003
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Freshman quarterback Dwayne Thompson hasn’t taken a single snap this year, but his role in getting West Virginia ready to face Maryland in the 2004 Toyota Gator Bowl is every bit as important as that of any of the Mountaineers’ starters.
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| Freshman Dwayne Thompson is in charge of getting West Virginia's defense ready for Maryland's offense. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) | |
As WVU’s scout team quarterback it is Thompson’s job to simulate Maryland quarterback Scott McBrien to West Virginia’s defense. His responsibility is to run Maryland’s plays and try to take on some of McBrien’s characteristics.
Thompson says mimicking McBrien is not that hard.
“It’s easy actually because he has the same talent I have,” said the Miami native. “He’s a lefty, he’s kind of quick, and he throws in the pocket. All I’ve got to do is be myself.”
And while it may be easy for Thompson to be McBrien, he says it’s not easy running Maryland’s complicated offense.
“They mix it up a lot,” Thompson admitted. “You’ve got option going back and forth and then they’ve got a nice passing game and they can also pound the ball too. It’s really confusing for the defense because they don’t know what’s coming.”
All-American senior linebacker Grant Wiley says the reason it is so hard to simulate Maryland’s offense is because of Coach Ralph Friedgen’s desire to show many different looks.
“They run a lot of different formations so they’re moving and motioning,” said Wiley. “Their routes are the same but they’re coming from different positions.”
Thompson says Maryland’s offense has been the toughest for him to recreate this year because of the fact that the Terps like to throw in the option every once in a while to keep defenses honest.
“The passing is a piece of cake, the running is a piece of cake but the option is tougher,” he said.
Thompson says his preparation consists mainly of looking at the cards the coaches hold up before each play.
“I’m experienced enough and we’ve got some of the same routes so I just think of it as our plays and execute it like that,” he shrugged.
All scout team players are expected to give the first team defense a good look. If they line up wrong, run the wrong play or go half-speed, they will hear about it.
“They have to take it seriously or coaches will get on them or we’ll get on them,” said Wiley. “The scout team does a real good job.”
Wiley admits having Thompson, a lefthander, simulating the lefthanded McBrien is an extra bonus, “When you see a release from a righthander all week and then you go out and see a release from a lefthander it’s kind of different,” he said.
Thompson sizes up McBrien this way, “He can improvise real well. He makes good reads when he’s under pressure,” he said.
Although Thompson’s main role this week is to get the defense ready for Maryland, he also knows that he is showcasing his talents for the coaching staff to observe for the future.
“I look at it as a way to help get the team prepared and at the same time get myself better to be ready to compete next year,” said Thompson.
Wiley has seen enough of Dwayne Thompson to predict that he has a bright future at West Virginia University.
“Dwayne has got all of the tools you need to be a great quarterback,” said Wiley. “If he keeps working he’s going to be a nice one for West Virginia.”
Briefly ...
