Learning on the Fly
July 16, 2008 11:57 AM | General
July 16, 2008
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| Mike Dent |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Although he enters the 2008 season learning under his third different offensive line coach in as many years, Mike Dent has the opportunity to grasp plenty of knowledge from a former center who knows the rigors of being the captain of the O-line.
Offensive Line Coach Dave Johnson, who started at center for WVU in the 1981 Peach Bowl and the 1982 Gator Bowl, should have a big impact on the Mountaineers’ coveted front five in terms of helping them use some new terminology to take on defenses that are constantly improvising to stop the spread offense. His experience as a four-year player and coach gives Dent confidence that the two will mesh nicely this season.
“It helps a lot,” said Dent. “It gives you confidence because he knows what he is talking about. He’s helped me a lot. I haven’t been able to work with him yet because of my surgery in the spring but I’m excited to work with him.”
Dent filled in admirably last season after replacing 2006 Consensus All-American Dan Mozes at center. The Jeannette, Pa., native played a key role in helping guide quarterback Pat White and tailback Steve Slaton to consecutive 1,000 yard seasons on the ground. More impressively, Dent was able to come into the season and withstand more than 850 total plays as the man in the middle.
Having been named to the Rimington Trophy Award Watch List during the preseason, Dent looks to have a fulfilling year as WVU brings back a load of talent on the offensive side. He is also excited about beginning the season with such a skilled offensive line that returns all five starters.
More importantly, Dent looks to warrant the attention that has been given to the O-line during the preseason, believing that each offseason workout and practice contributes to steady success on the field.
“There’s a lot of work out there to do,” admitted Dent. “There’s more pressure on you to go out there and perform because everyone is going out and saying you’re the number one unit in the country. You definitely have to perform and practice like you are the top offensive line.”
Just as important as the starting five are the reserves who look to earn significant playing time. Dent believes that the contributions of players like Derek Hayes, Julian Miller and Eric Jobe will be substantial in adding depth to an already-formidable front five.
“There are times when we can rotate different guys at different positions,” Dent said. “From centers to guards to tackles there are guys that can rotate a lot. There are a lot of guys who will get playing time in that rotation, so I think that will help just from conditioning and experience too.”
Having an experienced bunch will be important in the upcoming season because of the slight change in terminology used by Johnson. Dent and the rest of the O-line have learned to adjust rapidly over the past three seasons while getting used to different terms from former coaches Rick Trickett and Greg Frey.
However, Dent feels comfortable knowing that the terms used for taking on a blitzing linebacker or blocking against a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense won’t change too much under Johnson. He understands that everything boils down to instincts in the end.
“It’s basically the same,” said Dent of the terms used up front. “We’ve changed the calls up a little bit, and there is some different terminology to use and different ways to call up. On the field, if worse comes to worse you just go back to what you know.”
Determining blocking schemes and reading defensive fronts should be somewhat routine for Dent, whose position demands him to become the main signal-caller on the line. WVU’s third-ranked rushing offense and ninth-ranked scoring offense last season reflects his smarts for reading defenses well, and he has prevailed off the field as well by earning a spot on WVU’s Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll.
Proving to be even more versatile, Dent has earned some praise from several of his offensive linemen for being the best basketball player on the team. Although he suits up with two-sport athlete Jarrett Brown, who joined the 2007-08 basketball squad in mid-season, Dent deflects the praise and realizes that his football skills are what are most important.
“No more basketball for me,” Dent said comically. “If I was about 40 pounds lighter I’d try.”
With his best days behind him on the court, Dent can go full-speed ahead with directing a talented Mountaineer offensive line in 2008. The 6-3, 300-pound redshirt-senior has a tremendous opportunity to improve on his all-BIG EAST second-team honor and prove to the rest of the country that the national praise for WVU’s O-line is no aberration.
