Scrimmage Recap
August 09, 2008 09:38 PM | General
August 9, 2008
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| Pat White |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In a hard-fought scrimmage that capped a first week filled with plenty of optimism and room for improvement, both the Mountaineer offense and defense offered glimpses of what could be another stellar season in Morgantown.
The first-team defense set the tone early, only to have Pat White and Co. battle back and progressively work their way through WVU’s retooled offense.
Regardless of the plays that were made on the field, Head Coach Bill Stewart believed this scrimmage was mostly about the intangibles that were shown on both sides of the ball.
“What we saw today was good leadership,” Stewart said. “I thought our guys competed very hard. It was their fifth practice in three days, and yesterday we got after it with the pads. It’s a tough game played by tough people, and the Mountaineers right now are playing pretty tough.”
Stewart was impressed by what he saw from a defensive unit that lost seven starters but returns plenty of talent.
Brandon Hogan, making the switch from slot receiver to defensive back, made an early statement by recovering two fumbles on the first two possessions for the second-team defense. The second recovery came when Jarrett Brown threw a swing pass behind the line of scrimmage that was mishandled, causing Hogan to jump on the ball right before it went out of bounds.
Following the series, Brown was held back from the rest of the scrimmage by his coaches after tweaking his hamstring.
“It was just a slight twinge,” Stewart said. “His legs are tired; he’s been running a lot. It’s not anything bad. What that is is tired legs, and it was just precautionary. Plus Bradley Starks needed to play - I told you all we won’t have any hesitation playing No. 14 at quarterback.”
Starks improved his stock after working with the second and third teams at quarterback. He had a productive day both passing and running the offenses, highlighted by a six-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ryan Nehlen during goal line period.
“I thought he stepped up in the pocket and threw a couple strikes,” Stewart said of Starks. “Brad Starks is a natural. Now I’m hoping he can be the starting slot/wideout guy, and then be the third quarterback. But some things don’t always go as planned. It was good for him to play, and now he knows he will be forced into the situation.”
Although new offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen is straying away from using Pat White as a runner, the reigning BIG EAST player of the year showed off his speed when his receiver options weren’t open.
During the second possession, White scampered for a 44-yard gain after faking an option pitch to Noel Devine. He later scored on a nine-yard run.
The offensive highlight came when White found freshman Tyler Urban down the left side for a 42-yard play. Urban was able to create space in the open field after a breakdown in coverage caused him to be left alone down the sideline.
“What I saw was a big play from Patrick White to Tyler Urban,” Stewart said. “He will press Will Johnson for some playing time. He’s a tight end/fullback, and that was a big-time catch from that 18-year-old young man. He’s going to be a good one.”
Freshman Terence Kerns made a nice debut and posted some solid runs on the second and third-team offenses. His first carry of the scrimmage went for a 38-yard gain, and he later reached the end zone on a nine-yard run after using a nice cut-back move during goal line situation.
“He looks good,” linebacker J.T. Thomas said. “He’s built like a man and he’s going to bring another threat to our already-powerful offense. It will be a nice change-up to Noel Devine.”
Defensively the first team allowed only one touchdown, and dominated the offense during third down and goal line situations. Two defensive highlights were Thomas’ would-be sack on White during third down drills and linebacker Najae Goode snuffing out an attempted reverse by the third-team offense.
During the second goal line possession for the first-team offense, the defense got a push up front and stuffed Devine on fourth down. Devine had 24 yards on eight carries.
“I was pleased with the one defense on the goal line,” Stewart said. “They got real, real nasty.”
The scrimmage showcased a variety of situational plays, including a segment featuring a speedy field goal unit that could quickly get on the field with time running out.
“We went Nascar kicking,” Stewart admitted. “We put the ball on the near hash with no time left on the clock, and it’s used for the end of the game. We sent in our fast, hurry-up field goal team, and it worked out okay.
White led the Mountaineer quarterbacks by completing seven of 10 passes for 95 yards. Starks completed three of four passes for 33 yards.
Kerns led all rushers with 64 yards on nine carries, and White finished with 63 yards on six carries.
The Mountaineers return to practice on Monday, Aug. 11.
Unofficial Statistics
RUSHING: Kerns 9-64, White 6-63, Poitier 6-30, Devine 8-24, Arnett 1-22, Sanders 3-13, Rodgers 1-9, Starks 1-7.
PASSING: White 7-10-0-95-0, Starks 3-4-1-33-0
RECEIVING: Urban 1-42, Arnett 2-24, Devine 4-20, Kerns 1-20, Sanders 1-16
