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Coach Dana Holgorsen Media Conference
November 15, 2016 04:47 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University football coach Dana Holgorsen addressed members of the media on Tuesday, November 15, 2016, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Opening Statement
Going into Oklahoma week, it’s not to my surprise that playing Oklahoma, who is a the top-10 team every year for the last 16 years I’ve went against these guys, they’ve been a top-10 team, so this is no different. It’s the same (Oklahoma Head Coach) Bob Stoops coached Oklahoma team, extremely talented, play hard, with effort, play with a chip on their shoulder, play with an attitude you know that is no different this year than it has been. Everybody is excited about this matchup, and I know our guys will prepare hard this week to give themselves a chance to beat the mighty Sooners, so I’m excited about that.
Offensively, they’re playing as good as anyone in the country. Everything starts with the quarterback. They have an outstanding quarterback. (Redshirt junior quarterback) (Baker) Mayfield just continues to get better, plays with grit, makes plays, takes care of the football, scrambles around, does a great job in the run game, is accurate with his passes. What he’s doing with the (redshirt senior wide receiver) (Dede) Westbrook dude is impressive. I haven’t seen a combo put up these kind of numbers in a long time here recently. Didn’t have the start that they wanted but over the last six games what they’ve done is really impressive, so that will be a challenge. He’s the best receiver we’ve went against, there’s no doubt. Then the the running back combination that they have. OU is always going to try to run the ball, they’re averaging 42 runs a game. They’re running it more than they’re throwing it, and they’re throwing for a ton of yards, over 340 yards a game, but they’re going to get their running game going, they’re going to run it first. Their run-pass ratio is similar to ours, so they’re going to focus on the run and have two of the best running backs in the country, and they’ll put them both back there at the same time, so whether its split backs, two backs, we know (junior running back) (Samaje) Perine is going to be healthy in a week, better. We’ve seen what he can do for a couple of straight years, but they’re really good in the run game, they have an outstanding receiver, (Dede) Westbrook, they’re tight ends their next guy, this (redshirt sophomore tight end) (Mark) Andrews kid out of Arizona is really a talented guy. Big, can block, do different gaps but is a huge receiving threat as well, so their (offensive line) o-line, they’re getting better. We know (assistant offensive coordinator/ offensive line) (Bill) Bedenbaugh is as good as there is out there and continuously coaching these guys up and getting them better. They’re young. I think they’re struggling a little bit early, but they’re young, they’re getting better, and they’re pretty dang good.
Defensively, I would warn you on looking at stats. If you just look at what our defense did last week, gave up 500 yards but held Texas to 20 points. It’s not about yards. Guys in the Big 12 are going to get yards. Oklahoma is giving up some yards, but they’re a good defense, they’ve been battling a lot of injuries, they’re getting guys back that are healthy, they’re playing a lot of young kids, they’re starting two true freshmen and have I think six or seven, eight of them and they’re two deep that are true freshmen bodies, so they’re going to get guys back, who knows how many of those guys who are hurt who are going to be able to play. We’re expecting them all to, which is going to give them the depth that they’re used to and the players that they’re used to. With that said, they have guys who can fly around and make plays, same secondary went against last year, same scheme. You know Bob (Stoops) and (Associate Head Coach/ Defensive Coordinator/ Outside Linebackers) Mike (Stoops) have been doing it for a long time. Arguably the two best defensive minds in football, so those guys are playing well and know us extremely well.
Special teams are always something they’ve been good at. They do a great job with their cover teams. You can recruit good bodies just like Texas can, you can recruit good bodies at Oklahoma, so they’re going to have big/fast guys who can run down the field and cover, and then set up returns with Westbrook and (redshirt sophomore running back) (Joe) Mixon. Their return game is probably the most dangerous in the country. Westbrook has changed games, (junior running back) (Samaje) Perine is back, they’re averaging, I’m sorry, (Joe) Mixon has been back there averaging almost 30 yards on kickoff returns, so two of the best when it comes to offense, two of the best when it comes to returners but what makes great special teams are having adequate bodies that can run fast and tackle and run fast and block, so that will be challenging as well. Yes, we’re excited about a top-10 match up in Morgantown, Saturday night at eight o’clock. All of that is good, but what our team focuses on is the next game, that’s what this group has done, lets prepare hard to put ourselves in position, but I know the atmosphere is going to be great. I’m happy for Mountaineer Nation to be able to have this and look forward to on Saturday night. We’ll get ready to play and put a good product out there that they can be proud of.
On if it’s hard for kids to block outside noise
Well yeah with telephones and social media and all of that, it is. There is going to be buzz around campus. We’ve played in some big games, nothing bigger than the one we played in last week that was a pretty big one. I thought our guys did a good job of just focusing in on what it is. It better not affect them, if it does we won’t win, so you have to focus on the next one. If you’re fortunate enough to go win this one, then the most important one is the next week, going to Iowa State, do you think that’s going to be easy? It could be the most challenging game we have, so you have to be in the routine, we have good older kids who understand that all we do is preach about what’s important is the next one, worry about what you control, block everything out. We didn’t listen to people when they said we were bad, don’t listen to them when they say you’re good, that sort of thing. It’s been a constant communication all year when it comes to that. I think our guys are at a point where they know how to block everything out.
On the running back position
(Freshman running back) Kennedy McKoy I thought played well that’s why he was our player of the week. For a true freshman to get in there and it didn’t affect him at all, and he was about the only one we played and he gets right down to it. I’ve been saying you have to have the second guy and a third guy and probably a fourth guy in order to get through a game if we could have not turned the ball over and moved the ball a little bit better then we probably would have went to someone else. (Redshirt junior tight end/fullback) (Elijah) Eli (Wellman) took some snaps off of him. (Freshman running back) (Martell) Pettaway was ready to go. He practiced all week. Didn’t think (redshirt senior running back) (Rushel) Rus (Shell III) could go, put him in, couldn’t’ go. Didn’t think (junior running back) (Justin) Crawford could go, went in there, didn’t like what we saw. So go out there and practice today. Guys want to play they have to practice, so we’ll see if they do that.
On junior running back Justin Crawford’s injury
It’s the same thing, they have a lower extremity injury down below the waist. They’ve been dealing with the same thing.
On how he reevaluated the offense
Need to play better. Is that a good one? If we want to win we need to play better. We play good in spurts, we’re very inconsistent, and if we want to win then we need to play better consistently I don’t know how else to put it. We went in there, started good on offense and got some points on the board, 17 in the first, I think four drives we had 17, the turnover on the five was just, but anyway we did okay, and then I don’t know if we just got complacent or we felt like we did enough, wanted defense to go out there and win it, not quite sure but just didn’t play very good. Need to be more consistent, and I’m not talking about consistently making big plays, I’m talking about consistently making average plays.
On is he’s changed his coaching style since he’s been at WVU
Yeah I have, when I first got here I was an offensive coordinator. There is point after our first year in the league and with this, we’ve talked about this a lot, but after the first year in the league we started doing somethings differently, how we practice, how we call plays, what we run offensively, how we recruit that sort of thing, and I think we did some things that have helped the program, offensively, defensively, special teams wise, so yeah I think I have a good bit. I think we have philosophy’s on all sides of the ball right now are good. I think that with the philosophies that we have on all three sides of the ball, I think you’re seeing wins because of it.
On how to get senior quarterback Skyler Howard to play more consistently
Yeah just make routine plays. I don’t know, he’s played a lot of ball around here, so were going to coach him were going to practice the same way that we have. We need to be more consistent. I prefer I guess the higher moments, but we can’t have the game changing moments, just can’t have it. If we want to win, we can’t have it, but the biggest thing that I’m stressing with these guys offensively is just be consistent. Be consistent with how you practice, be consistent with how you play.
On if WVU still hasn’t played their best offensive game
Well if it’s not, then we won’t win at some point, so I’ve been disappointed in our improvement. I’ve been disappointed in our improvement, so I think it’s still out there, I think it can be out there, but I have to coach better, as an offensive staff we have to coach better, as an offense we have to practice better, it would probably help to get a little healthy, a little more healthy than we are right now. You have to grind through it, and you have to practice and you have to get out there and you have to be determined and prepared and ready to go. Probably at some point this year were going to need the offense to play better if we’re going to want to win.
On if the best attributes of the team don’t show up in the box score
I would say that’s the main reason we’ve won. I couldn’t be prouder of this team when it comes to just their mentality that exists with each other, just a good bunch of guys who care about each other, like to be around each other as funny as that sounds that doesn’t exist everywhere I can assure you that. It hasn’t existed in this room since I’ve been here, although this room is only two-years old. I’ve been on a lot of teams and those guys, they’re just kind of teammates, they’re not friends, but this group really likes each other. Our comradery with all three sides is good, the coaching is good, I see defensive coaches cutting up with offensive players al of the time. I see offensive players cutting up with defensive players, and there’s just a lot of good interaction. They do what they have to do, they expect to win, they do what they have to do to try to find a way to win in the end for the majority of the time, and that’s a great quality to have. Fun to coach.
On how he cultivates that as a coach
Well, I think you can cultivate that environment definitely. I think you can cultivate that environment definitely, which we have cultivated that environment in a lot of different ways, but the players deserve a lot of credit for that.
On if WVU had a chance of getting OU’s redshirt senior wide receiver Dede Westbrook
There’s always initial interest but you know he’s a Texas kid, so that was a good fit for him right up the road, good player. He was a good player at Blinn JC and has continuously gotten better. You can see going back a year ago (Baker) Mayfield was looking for No. 3, the (Sterling) Shepard kid who’s playing pretty good for the Giants now, but now he’s looking for him which is why the numbers are going up. They are two great players, and again (redshirt senior wide receiver) (Dede) Westbrook is doing things that are pretty impressive.
On redshirt senior defensive lineman Noble Nwachukwu
Yeah that’s why we practice. We thought Noble had a chance to go on Saturday but just had a hard time pulling the trigger, so we’ll see how he is today, expecting him back but see how he is today. Can’t say enough about (redshirt freshman defensive lineman) (Adam) Shuler (II) and (freshman defensive lineman) Reese Donahue, both of those cats. Two freshmen going into that game, Shuler got his first start, played well, has a chance to be a really really good player, and then Reese Donahue, going as a true freshman is playing his tail off. He has a bright future here as well.
On the rotation at offensive line
We’ll keep moving them around. I would like to get our best five out there and just play them every snap, that’s just really not reality. You have to give guys a break every now and then. We feel like we have seven guys right now with the five starters, (redshirt junior offensive lineman) Grant (Lingafelter) and (redshirt junior offensive lineman) Marcell (Lazard) who have played, those guys are all going to play, they have to play good, and if they don’t we’ll keep rotating people, but I would expect that to continue as the year goes on.
On accepting that it's not going to be easy
Well you know let’s not forget the opponent might have something to do with that. I will give (Texas Head Coach) Charlie (Strong) credit, and those guys were ready to play, just the pregame aspect of that you can sense that those guys were ready to play, and I thought they had a good plan on defense, they have great players on defense, they’re going to get better and better and better, they may have had something to do with our struggles offensively, so there’s that. It’s human nature to want it to be easy but that’s not reality in college football, everything’s hard, we talked about that everything about my job is hard, everything about our assistant coaches job is hard because it’s so competitive. Every week you’re looking at a group that’s doing the same stuff you know with a lot of the same players, so it’s hard. If you want to be successful, you have to be mentally tough, and you have to put the last one behind you and go out and attack and practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and get prepared to go play your best on Saturday, there’s nothing easy about that. If it was easy everyone would do it.
On how the defense has progressed
I mean were playing, I’ll tell you the biggest thing we have defensively, is we have an identity, and (Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)) Tony (Gibson) is doing a great job of leading the scheme, understands the scheme, calls it, just outstanding, got older players who understand what to do and go out there and they play, and then if you don’t have younger guys like (redshirt freshman defensive lineman) (Adam) Shuler (II) and (freshman defensive lineman) Reese (Donahue) and (redshirt sophomore safety) Toyous Avery went out there and got some good quality snaps out of him, if you don’t have a good combination of that then you don’t have depth, so group that believe in what they’re doing, a group that believes in the scheme, understands the scheme, coaches that get it, get the most out of our guys defensively, I can say that. Proud of that as well
On junior safety Dravon Askew-Henry and redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jaleel Fields’ recovery
Good. Yeah we took him and Jaleel this week. We took them on the trip to Texas. They wanted to go. Jaleel is a lot farther along. There’s a chance he’ll get cleared for the bowl game, so we may get him back in December, but Dravon is good. He comes into the meetings a lot, interacts with the guys. If you tell me we’re going to Texas and going to hold them the 20 points, win the game without our two best defensive players, Dravon and Noble (Nwachukwu) say who it would be tough but that says a lot about our defense, our coaches, our guys who just get guys plugged in and they don’t want to let anybody down, they want to go in there and they want to play hard.
On having three players from the White family
Oh yeah, they’re a very, very tight-knit family. It’s been fun getting to know them. Mom and Dad are awesome. I have been to their house a couple of times, they have been to my house a couple of times, just through the recruiting process but with the bond that they have, talking about what Kevin (White) had with (senior wide receiver) Daikiel (Shorts Jr.) and Wendell (Smallwood), carried over to (redshirt junior safety) Ka’Raun (White) coming in for a year and having that same relationship with Daikiel, and then (junior safety) Kyzir (White) comes in, that exists with our whole team. That family is a special family, they are very close, their older brother is a good dude who is always around, comes to all of the games. The younger sister just signed with Auburn as a basketball player. Very, very talented family but a very tight-knit family that cares about each other and when you have that kind of support you tend to do well. It’s been fun to get to know them. I am glad that we have them for another year. I don’t know if I’ll ever find a family or meet a family like it, from the ability but just quality, quality people.
On redshirt junior wide receiver Ka’Raun White’s improvements
He’s getting better, he’s getting better, becoming more consistent. He’s still has a long way to go, (junior safety) Kyzir (White) has a long way to go, they both do. They’re both on track to being really good, they’re on track to being really good.
On redshirt junior linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton’s leadership on defense
He’s the vocal guy, love (redshirt junior wide receiver) Al (Rasheed Benton). I recruited Al, and Al overcame a lot to get here, it’s been great, waited his turn, we talked about this in the beginning of the year. Jared Barber was a huge, huge presence for us last year, and he went out game two, and Al went in there and was the player of the game. Al was huge on special teams. What Al did on special teams for us last year, we are getting that out of (redshirt junior safety) Marvin Gross (Jr.) right now, out of (junior linebacker) Xavier Preston right now, (redshirt senior linebacker) Sean Walters is doing that, but now Al is in a middle linebacker, team-leader type situation, so he’s our vocal leader, makes all the calls on defense, trust him. He is just a very huge presence and a positive leader.
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