Player/Coaches Media Session: TCU
October 28, 2014 05:44 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Select members of the West Virginia University football team met with the media on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Assistant coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On TCU’s quarterback Trevone Boykin
He scrambles around, and he has a very strong arm where he is athletic enough to get away from the rush. He will be running to his left and jump and then throw it back to his right 40 yards down field. I seen him do it four or five times. He has a very strong arm, and he gets away from it. He sees it. He is not a kid that plays cautious. He is reckless, but he makes plays as he’s doing it. He is playing at a high level right now.
On preparing for TCU’s trick plays
What you have to do is play sound, and you have to play your assignment. That’s where we can’t have guys, especially when a kid like Boykin breaks away, we can’t come out of coverage. We have to make sure we do our job, whether you are responsible for a third, a half or that man then you have to stay on him. You can’t let your eyes get you in trouble, and that’s where it gets a lot of people.
On playing a lot of players again with the tempo of the game
They are going to tempo us, and I think against Baylor, we played 28 guys compared to last week where we played 20. Hopefully, we are going to get it back up to around 30.
On redshirt sophomore defensive line Noble Nwachukwu progress thus far
Noble has been pretty steady. I thought his best game of the year was at Maryland, and Riddick got all the accolades of the Baylor game, but I thought Noble played fairly well for everything we asked him to do. This past weekend, he applied some pressure with the blitz, and showed us what he we know he is capable of doing.
Senior Associate Head Coach (Defensive Line) Tom Bradley
On TCU’s offensive line
They do so many things on the perimeter, and they have a quarterback that can run. We have a quarterback that runs the option, so that’s the off-set.
On preparing for TCU’s quarterback Trevone Boykin
It is a very different style. One of the hardest things to do is to duplicate the speed that they have back there in the backfield. The execution is very difficult to do. We don’t run the option here, so we really have to manufacture that at practice to be able to get that look. They have great skill players, and we have to be ready for their tempo. It is a tough challenge ahead.
On the number one thing that the line has to do in preparing for TCU’s quarterback Trevone Boykin
They have to know where he is, and keep him on their inside shoulders. It’s one of those things where you have to be very disciplined to your assignments, and I think that is the hard part, because you can not be as reckless. You coach aggressiveness and do all those things, but there is a fine line between being aggressive and not being very smart. We just have to be aware of where he is on the field at all times.
Junior safety Karl Joseph
On comparing Baylor’s and TCU’s offense
TCU has a lot of versatile players across the field, and they have a lot playmakers. It’s going to be a tough matchup, so we just have to be ready to come play. As far as Baylor and TCU, they both score fast, and that is something that we have to keep our eyes on.
On TCU’s quarterback Trevone Boykin
He is going to throw the ball out there, so we are going to have to play sound in the secondary. Every man is going to have to do their job. He is also a good runner, so we are going to have to contain him in the pocket as well.
On what TCU’s wide-outs brings to the table
They have two big and fast receivers on the outside, and they have some guys in the middle that can do a lot of different things. They all look like they can run great routes. It’s going to be a tough matchup, and it’s going to be one of our biggest matchups this year as far as an offense. We just have to do our job and prepare.
Senior running back Dreamius Smith
On the heat last week at Oklahoma State
It’s tough. We practiced in the indoor to try to get used to it, but at the same time, going out there is a lot different. The turf added 10 more degrees on our feet. We didn’t want to use that as an excuse though, because we knew that going into to Oklahoma. Coach Holgorsen harped on that all week, and we just had to stay hydrated.
On stepping up week in and week out
That just goes back to when your number is called. You have to go in there and make plays. Opportunities do not come that often, so when your number gets called you have to go out there and make the play. Once they see that, then the coaches will keep feeding you the ball as much as they can.
On how important the running game was in pregame preparation before Oklahoma State
It was very important. They run a cover two, so we knew that we had to run the ball. That is something that running backs should take advantage of when a team runs cover two. That’s what we did, and that’s something that coach Seider harped on all week at practice – to get the ball, and run down field for yardage.
Senior wide receiver Kevin White
On his how he felt physically after the game
A little cramping, but nothing major. The heat got to us a little bit, and I felt sluggish.
On TCU’s secondary
They do a good job playing the ball, and they are real physical. They are real confident, and they have a great defensive line. They have been winning games, and they are just a great overall team.
On the opportunities to catch the ball last week at Oklahoma State
The opportunities were still there. I just missed some opportunities, and it’s just going to happen like that. Every game is not going to be perfect, but the most important thing is that we won the football game.
Redshirt senior quarterback Clint Trickett
On coach Holgorsen calling him the game manager
Obviously, the quarterback is the game manager, and there has been a lot of talk about that over the last several years on whether that is an insult or not. It’s not. That is the quarterback’s job. It’s part of the position, and if you are doing a good job, then you should take that as a compliment.
On how the running game has made the team more dynamic this year
Last year, we had to depend on the run game a lot because that’s where our best player was. This year, we have a diverse offense, and depending on what the defense is giving us, we don’t have to stick to the running game. Like we said before, pick your poison. We can pass it or we can run the ball. It makes us very versatile and very dangerous.
On TCU
They are a good defense. Obviously, last year the guy that stood out was the cornerback, (Jason) Verrett. I am watching him play on Sundays, and he is still doing the same thing he did against last year, so that is good to see. Coach Patterson is one of the best defensive minded coaches out there. I put him up there with Coach (Nick) Saban and all the other great ones that are known. They do what they do, and they do it well. They are good on third downs, but so are we. It will be a great test for us.
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