MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (December 21, 2015) – West Virginia University assistant coaches and select members of the West Virginia University football team met with the media on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Assistant coach (defensive coordinator/linebackers) Tony Gibson
On having an idea of what to do defensively in the bowl game against Arizona State
Yes. We have some different things, and we’re going to do some stuff a little different.
On if he learned anything about the blitz from his year at Pitt
The year we were all at Pitt together, we weren’t as aggressive. Right now, they’ve kind of put the script on things. (Arizona State head coach Todd Graham) He’s getting after people. He’s putting a lot of cover zero. He’s doing some things, and obviously, you guys know I like to do that. I like that style of defense. It maybe about who’s going to blitz more, us or them. I would keep a tally.
On if Arizona State’s offense reminds him of another team’s
Texas Tech. A lot of different formations. They’ll spread you out. That’s probably the closest. I just got off the phone with the ESPN people, and they asked the same thing. That’s the first thing that came to my mind. I think they’re more of Texas Tech’s style than anyone else we’ve played.
On what makes (Arizona State head coach) Todd Graham a good coach
He is really no different than any other coach I have been around. He is a good motivator. He gets his kids to play hard. He really does a good job with the kids. The kids will react and play hard for him. That’s what I think makes a good coach. When the kids respond. He does a great job with it. He helps the kids rally, and he does a great job with it.
On redshirt senior linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski
I have talked about (redshirt senior linebacker) Nick (Kwiatkoski) a lot. He’s a guy that does everything the right way. He has his degree, and he is playing in his fifth year. He is playing at a very high level, and he is starting to get noticed around the country. He was invited to the Senior Bowl. If you get invited to the Senior Bowl, then you are definitely going to be invited to the combine. I would be shocked if he doesn’t. He’s going to be drafted afterwards pretty high. He is a kid who worked his butt off and overachieves. If you look at his body from when he came in to where he is at now, it is a huge difference. The best game that he played was against K-State, and that went unnoticed. His numbers where pretty impressive, and he keeps getting better and better. He is a great kid, and I hate to lose him.
Assistant coach cornerbacks Brian Mitchell
On the wide receiving core at Arizona State
Yes, they have really good wide receivers: No. 15 (redshirt senior wide receiver Devin) Lucien, No. 12 (redshirt junior wide receiver Tim White), (senior wide receiver D.J.) Foster and (redshirt junior tight end Kody) Kohl is a receiving tight end. They’re athletic. They’re big. They can catch the ball. They can get off press. They can stretch you vertically. They can make you miss a space. They’re a talented group of guys. They have reps under their belt. They are senior, junior type guys. They’re not freshmen guys that are learning their ways. These guys have been through some battles.
On Arizona State’s redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici
He’s steady. He has command of the offense with all of the things that they do from the shifting and the motioning. He puts the team in the right position down-after-down. The kid doesn’t make many mistakes. He’s pretty accurate. He’s completed a little over 60 percent of his passes. They only have nine turnovers for the whole season. They’re doing a great job with ball control. He’s getting the ball to his playmakers, and it doesn’t hurt when you have a running back that’s rushing for a 1,000 yards as well.
On the preparation and if it changes
The beauty of a bowl game is that you have time. We’ve had time to analyze everything they’ve done, and I’m sure they’ve done the same thing with us. You can go in there, and you can’t really pin point what they’re going to do, but you take the bulk of what they are going to do and you give it to your kids. Over three weeks, hopefully, your kids can memorize and regurgitate it when it’s time to visit.
Assistant head coach (receivers) Lonnie Galloway
On Arizona State’s team overall
We just have to make sure we are able to catch the ball when we throw it. We have to hit the runs, and we have to try and give (junior running back) Wendell (Smallwood) and (redshirt junior running back) Rushel (Shell) routes. The biggest thing is to be sound and execution. That is what it is going to boil down to. You get time off, and then you start to put together a game plan. Bowl games are about whoever executes the best from the stuff that we do offensively and from the stuff they do defensively. It is somewhere in the middle, and that is whose going to win the game. They bring pressure. They are coached well. Obviously, there is history between the coaching staff and things like that. It will be a good game. They do a good job at what they do, and we are watching film trying to put together a good game plan.
On how important junior wide receiver Daikiel Shorts Jr. and senior wide receiver Jordan Thompson roles will be against Arizona State
A lot. They try to bring more than you can block. (Junior wide receiver) Daikiel (Shorts Jr.) and (senior wide receiver Jordan Thompson) Squirt have done a good job at getting themselves open this season. That’s what it is going to boil down to. They have to be able to execute in tight situations, and we have to be able to execute.
On Arizona State’s run defense and the importance of having a backup place
It’s going to be one of those things that we are going to try and execute what we have in the game plan. They are good against the run, but it is one of those things where we have been good at running the ball. We have been up and down in the passing game, so it is my job to get the guys ready. This is the next step in getting the young guys ready.
Assistant coach running backs Ja’Juan Seider
On getting the younger players ready to be able to contribute more
We only have these guys for one more year. We need guys to take a step forward just like what (junior running back) Wendell (Smallwood) did his freshman year. He played toward the end of the season, and he became one of the better players. We need those guys to take those steps forward, because these guys will be gone in a year and injuries happen. We were very fortunate to be able to get through 12 games without having those guys hurt. (Junior running back) Wendell (Smallwood) had a bad ankle sprain, so having another guy that’s ready to play for us will be big.
On what he liked out of the developmental practices
I just like watching all of those guys. To me I think great depth. You watch the young freshmen o-linemen, and it’s probably the best group of young linemen’s I’ve been around in a while. They get along. They’re tight. They’re close-knit. Just watching that whole group. It’s the best scout team I’ve been around in a long time. Even on the defensive side, going against those guys every day. The type of depth that they have on the defensive line and the linebackers. That’s going to be good for us going forward.
On junior running back Wendell Smallwood in relation to Charles Sims
He allows us to stop talking about Charles (Sims) and start talking about (junior running back) Wendell (Smallwood). I think that’s the biggest thing. If you’re starting to really put a step into this program and see what he’s doing and what he’s accomplished, you will start calling him by his own name. You stop comparing him. It was great having a mentor like that for a young kid, and I expect him to do the same thing with these young kids coming in. I want him to put a staple on this program and how we conduct our running back room. I want high expectations out of those young guys when they come in and maybe compare the next kid to (junior running back) Wendell (Smallwood), and not just compare (junior running back) Wendell (Smallwood) to Charles (Sims). I think he’s really starting to put his foot in the ground. People are starting to take notice of him. He’s starting to get some attention, which he deserves. He should get more than what he gets now. In my opinion, I think he’s one of the best running backs out there in the country.
On his excitement to go out to Arizona and play a team that they’re not all familiar with
It’s a good challenge. Those teams came in with high expectations. I think they were preseason Top 10, so you know you’re playing a team that’s very capable of winning. They won a lot of close games. Just watching the stats, they lost a lot of close games. I haven’t followed them as much because it’s a west coast team, but I had a relationship with KP (defensive coordinator/linebackers/defensive special teams Keith Patterson) when he was here, and I recruited that running back that’s playing for them now. I like watching him and seeing how he’s progressing. You always try to follow the kids that you had recruiting relationships with. It’s going to be a good matchup. It’s a great matchup. They have a lot of talented players. It’s going to be a challenge.
Junior quarterback Skyler Howard
On how the extra practices are going and how it helps
Tremendously. We’re excited. Our energy is high. We’re going out there to work every day, and we’re getting some good work in. It’s not only good for the bowl game, but it’s good for those younger guys to get some experience in practice that maybe they didn’t get during the season. We’re just getting better as a whole team.
On Arizona State’s defense and what their challenges are
In preseason they were ranked No. 1, and they were national championship contenders for a reason. They have players. They have some ball players, and they’re really aggressive on defense. They have some big, physical guys up front. They will move around, and they will also heat you up. It’s nothing that we haven’t already seen, so we’re going to work on the looks we’re given, and we’re going to take what they give us.
On the extra time being able to work with the receivers
It’s been good. It’s always a work in progress. You can always continue to get better at that. We’re just doing what we do. Throwing everyday repetition. I think repetition is the key to success. If you just keep doing it and doing it, and it will come easy on game day.
On if Arizona State’s defense compares to another Big 12 team
They do some stuff that kind of looks like Oklahoma. They bring some guys off of the edge, and they really heat you up. It’s really nothing that we haven’t seen before, so I think we’ll be prepared. We will be.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Shelton Gibson
On what he saw during the four developmental practices
There’s a lot of them from a receivers standpoint like (redshirt freshman wide receiver) Ricky Rodgers. I think the Kansas game built his confidence up a lot. You can also see it out there. Even talking to him, it built his confidence up.
On Arizona State overall
They’re fast. They’re a very fast team. We’re going to have to come with speed, and our legs are going to have to be fresh to run with them.
On his excitement playing in a bowl game
It’s very exciting. Watching film on the corners, and I know that they switch. Both corners are pretty good, but I know that No. 8 (redshirt senior cornerback Lloyd Carrington) is very good.
On if there is anything he has to do differently while playing inside a baseball venue
No. if I run into the wall, I’m just going to have to run into the wall. I’m going to run my fastest.
Junior running back Wendell Smallwood
On the biggest thing that jumps out about Arizona State
They have a lot of good players, and I think their defense is very lively. They blitz a lot. We are going to have to be on our A game just like every other game.
On Arizona State’s rush defense and what he has to do to prepare
I have to focus on the game plan. I have to stay in the film room and figure out what those guys are doing. That way when I see it on the field, I know what’s going on, and I will be able to make plays.
On if the team has bounced back after the Kansas State lost
I definitely think that we are over the Kansas State game. We are focused on bowl prep now. I think the guys have been coming in and working every day in order to get their bodies right. I think we are starting to pick it up, and we have rolled through these past couple days.
On his teammates that graduated last week
It felt good to see those guys finally finish and accomplish everything that they came here to do. I am pretty proud of them.
On how this season panned out
I think it was hot then cold, hot then cold. We had some good games, and we had some bad games. We had a lot of games get away from us, and it was kind of a roller coaster. I am still proud of this team and the way that we finished. If we would’ve finished the last game, then we would’ve went out on a high note. We really want to get this bowl game and get this win. We want to finish the season at 8-5.
Junior cornerback Daryl Worley
On if Arizona State’s offense compares to another Big 12 team
We were kind of comparing them to Oklahoma. They’re very similar and very efficient. We just feel like the quarterback plays a little bit different.
On former defensive coordinator Keith (Patterson) and the thoughts of beating him
I don’t even think about it. He was always a great coach and a great guy. He was a coach that I loved while he was here. Different opportunities come, and he took advantage of his opportunities. There’s no hard feelings there. I definitely look forward to talking to him.
On the up-tempo offense and if it reminds him of another Big 12 team
Well, it actually reminds me us in practice. We got back to going up-tempo, so we know we’re going to have to be ready for it. It’s basically going to go back to how our Big 12 games were early in the season. Things are happening quickly. We’ll have to get lined up quick and be ready.
On how it felt when he found out he was First Team All-Big 12
That was one of my goals this season, but when it hit me, I wasn’t as stunned as I thought I would be. It hasn’t hit me yet, because at the end of the day, the work isn’t done. We’re still preparing for a bowl game, and I feel like work still needs to be done.
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Kyle Rose
On comparing them to other teams
No, not really. They do a lot of different things. The Big 12 and Pac-12 are a little different. If you were to compare them to anyone else in the Big 12 I don’t know who you would compare them to. They don’t run a tempo like anyone else in the Big 12, but they have the ability to run tempo if they want in short yard situations. I see them do some decent things. They’re a pretty balanced team. I think they throw the ball a little more than they run it, but they can run it pretty well. They’re a balanced offense. I know they had national title hopes at the beginning of the season. We may not know a lot about them culturally as a team, but from what I’ve seen on film, they play hard. It will be a good game for us.
On Arizona State’s 6-6 record and how critics thought they would be in the College Football Playoffs
We’re trying to win the bowl game no matter what. No matter who we’re playing. It doesn’t matter if we are playing Ohio State or Notre Dame. We’re playing Arizona State. We need to beat them. That’s who we are preparing to beat. I just think the incentive for our senior group is to make sure we win and leave with a win. We want to make sure we get to eight wins in this program. I think that would be pretty good, and it’s something that we can be proud of.
On his memories with Arizona State’s defensive coordinator/linebackers/defensive special teams Keith Patterson
I really have no memories with coach Patterson. He’s not really here right now. I’ll say hi to him after the game, and I’ll tell him good luck before the game if I see him. Then after the game I’ll tell him good try.
On if they’ve played anyone similar to who they’ve played defensively
I don’t really think there’s a defense kind of like our defense in the country. I know Arizona runs a 3-3-5, but we do a little bit of different things than them. I think we have better personnel than Arizona. I know they’ve seen the fronts that we run, maybe in the three-man line, but I think what we’re going to bring to them is a little different from what they’ve seen.
Senior safety KJ Dillon
On if he is going to take the seniors into the last game of the season
Yes. I will do my part and hopefully, we will come out with our first bowl win.
On how difficult it makes the offseason when the season ends on a loss
Nobody wants to end on a loss. Winning builds more momentum for the next year, and we haven’t had that. Hopefully, we will get this win for them to start off well. It will be build more momentum going into the spring semester.
On the key to defeating Arizona State
We have to stop the receivers, and we have to stop the quarterback from making plays. They have a pretty good offensive line. We have to do what we do and force turnovers. We have to attack the ball and create opportunities for our offense.
On creating their own Mountaineer atmosphere with the game in Arizona
We had tough road games this year, so we know how to create our own energy. We had tough away games at Kansas State, Oklahoma, TCU and Baylor. We know we have to create our own energy. We know that it’s going to be like a home game for them since it is like 18 miles away from their school, but we are not worried about that. We can harness our own energy on the sidelines. I think everyone will be pumped up just because we have another game.
