MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University football coaching staff and members of the WVU football team met with the media on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/ Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On Texas junior running back D’Onta Foreman
He’s really good. He has great vision, great feet, quickness. When you think of a 250-pound back, you think straight downhill run. He can get you going in different ways. He can outrun you, we saw that last year. He’s special, he’s a really good back, great offensive team. They’re very physical, and they try to make a statement when they run the ball. We’re going to have our hands full.
On Texas junior running back D’Onta Foreman’s rushing yards
WeIl, it’s difficult because he’s really good, you guys will see that in person, but the next thing is when they bring in (Texas’ senior quarterback) (Tyrone) Swoopes that’s a another animal to try to key on, so if you try to key on one, the other will get you, the starter does, they don’t run him as much but he can hurt you as well. We have to get 11 hats to the ball every snap that’s going to be key for us. Our safeties have to be careful, we can’t scoot them too far down in the box, because they’ll throw it over you, so we have to be balanced on what we are doing and how we are doing it and try not to let him get his pads squared on the line of scrimmage, and if he does that then obviously you’ve seen what he can to, he can hurt you.
On forcing turnovers vs. Texas
Yeah, that was the key to that game last year. We had five, and off of those five, I think we ended up getting 20 points out of it, so that was huge. We already met with the guys this morning with no school going on, so that’s the big thing that I stressed to the linebackers. We need to get the ball out, we need to get everyone there and that’s how you create turnovers, and when he does throw it, we have to have some opportunities to get some interceptions.
On tempo of Texas’ offensive play
Yeah they’ll temp us. They’re averaging about 80 plays per game, so we have to be prepared, and we have to play a lot of guys. We can’t go in and just play the same 11. We have to get a good rotation going with our (defensive) d-line, we have to play some more linebackers and (defensive backs) DBs, and if we’re healthy enough, we’ll play a bunch of them as well. We just have to be prepared for it and be ready for their tempo. It’s really no different than anyone else we’ve played. They’ll go fast at times, and they’ll slow down at times. They do a good job of mixing it up.
On redshirt senior defensive back Rasul Douglas
I think he’s playing at a very high level right now. He’s a kid that I really don’t worry about out there in coverage. We’ll put him on people’s best, and see what happens, but I really like where he is, he’s brought a lot. I think I saw he’s something like top two in the nation or something in interceptions with five, so pretty impressive with him.
On if he envisioned that with redshirt senior cornerback Rasul Douglas when they brought him in
We had high expectations for Rasul (Douglas) a year ago, and again he was a kid who didn’t get here until 10 days before the first game or whatever it was, but when we recruited him this is what we expected out of him, and he had high expectations coming in, and he just didn’t have the offseason to get ready for last year, so this offseason (Director of Strength and Conditioning) coach (Mike) Joseph and his staff downstairs have done a great job at getting him ready, (Assistant coach/cornerbacks) coach Blue (Adams) has done a great job in preparing him and his technique, so I really like where he is.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Bruce Tall
On redshirt freshman defensive lineman Adam Shuler’s progression
He can run. He runs really well, so he shows up. For a big guy with his length and size, he’s got real good speed.
On freshman defensive lineman Reese Donahue’s progression
He’s continuing to progress well. He played quite a few snaps compared to each week, and he’s been building on that. I like the way we’ve developed him, and now things are working for him.
On redshirt senior defensive lineman Christian Brown’s play
He’s been solid. He’s been playing both nose (tackle) and end, and he’s really pushed the pocket. It’s helped us being able to do both. He has the ability, mental-wise, to handle both positions, so it’s been helpful.
On how important physicality will be this weekend against Texas
There’s no question, they all have to play at a high level. They have as good as an O-line as you’ll see. They’re very technically sound, very big strong guys, and they have a back that’s as big as their line. It’s a big challenge.
Assistant Coach (Cornerbacks) Blue Adams
On if it is more difficult to defend a team that has a lot of good receivers
Yeah, that makes it more difficult, but at that point I think you just get back to your fundamentals and keys. No matter what guys are out there, if you’re on your keys, that should put you in a position where you can compete.
On if the heath of the secondary is a growing concern
I think its par for the course. At this stage of the season you’ve got to fight through adversity. Usually at this point of the season it’s health. So guys have to get into the training room if they need to, guys have to do the extra in terms of just taking care of their bodies in order to be ready on Saturday.
On if there is anything they can do to compensate for having a smaller group of players
Yeah, we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to roll some different guys in and see how they compete and see how they play, which makes us better as a positon. Whichever guy that is this week, the expectation is high. There’s no drop off in play from the time that one guy gets out and the next guy goes in. We’ll see what happens on game day.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Fullbacks-Tight Ends) Joe Wickline
On the biggest challenges that Texas presents defensively
There is no question that anybody can put the film on and see that they have great athletes. They have great athletes in the secondary, in the second level and their D-Line. (Defensive line) Coach Brick Haley is a friend of mine and has done a nice job, they are playing hard, they are rotating, they are keeping fresh. I think it’s a confidence deal. (Secondary) Coach (Vance) Bedford, (Head) Coach (Charlie) Strong, and (Linebacker/recruiting coordinator) coach Brian Jean-Mary, all of those guys that I have worked with, they know a lot of football. They have their guys believing in what they doing, how they are doing it and they are sound in what they are doing.
On how Texas’ defense has improved this season
They are tackling better. I think it all gets back to assignments, and I can’t speak for them but just watching them on tape, they are getting into their gaps and they are making plays and they are where they are to be. They are tackling better and defending better and getting off blocks and are doing things that you need to do. It’s going to be a big challenge for us, they have a bunch of great athletes and it’s going to be a big challenge for our players.
On quieting the Texas crowd
We have to do what we do, I say that every week. I don’t think the story has ever changed. Again, we have to prepare every day this week, we have to prepare all the way until kickoff. We have to be the best West Virginia team we can be. We can’t really worry about the crowd, we can’t concern ourselves with who says what and who is not in the game. We have to be concerned with what we do, taking care of the football, executing in the red zone, making the blocks, making the catches, making the adjustments and playing sound football so if we do that we will be in good shape.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Line) Ron Crook
On Texas’ defensive line
Anytime you see guys with a high number of sacks, it’s a little bit of a concern. Our guys are going to have their hands full, there’s no doubt. We’re going to have to battle and fight every second. They don’t take plays off, they don’t relax. On third down, they’re laying their ears back and coming, so it’s going to be fun.
On what he’s seeing Texas doing well on film
They’re using good technique in the pass rush, they force you into bad technique. People kind of over think things a lot of time, it affects the way they take their pass sets, it affects their techniques. We’re going to go into it focusing on us, making sure we at least use good technique and play within ourselves and not let them out psych us.
On countering Texas’ defensive line and if it’s technique or if they have to match the physicality
No, you have to do both, you have to use great technique, and if you don’t, you’re going to pay for it really quick. I’ve seen their guys make some guys look foolish. If you’re not setting strong and playing with a good base and good pad level then they’re going to run you right back to the quarterback.
Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On the challenges the wide receivers face when facing the Texas secondary
I don’t think those guys are bad at all. I think they are finding out what they do best. Those guys are getting very comfortable. They’re great at playing off and having you come to them and they’re able to put hands on you. I know this team pretty well, I recruit down there. I was down there for a little bit, not at UT, but in that area so I know a couple of those kids and what they can do. I’m not taking them easy, not one bit.
On Texas’ talent
The hard thing about it is just getting all those guys to play together, which I think they’re doing now. Those guys are depending on each other, they’re buying in, and they’re playing really well right now.
On what Texas does to slow down opponents
They’re pretty much the same in the secondary. They play off a little bit, and they let you come to them. They jump on the short passes. They really don’t want to let you get too deep on them. It’s night and day from the beginning of the year until now, those guys knowing exactly what they should do. That’s always tough when kids begin to learn exactly what they need to do. Like I said, those guys are pretty good back there, I think they’re really good actually.
Senior Quarterback Skyler Howard
On Texas’s multiple defense schemes
Just go into it like every other game. We are going to take what they give us, play what you see, get out there put the ball down and play some ball.
On if the offense has their momentum back after the Kansas game
Yeah, I feel like that game was decided and that Oklahoma State game was decided in a few big plays so other than that it’s a pretty close game. I feel like we really didn’t lose anything, we didn’t need to gain anything back. We are just playing ball, worrying about us, worrying about West Virginia.
On avoiding losing yardage on plays against Texas
Keep moving forward - that’s one thing that coach has been harping on is just not going backwards, keep moving forward and that’s all there is to it. Don’t move backwards like we have in the past. These past few games we have been going back on normal downs and we have to go forward.
On Redshirt Junior Tight End/ Fullback Elijah Wellman
Yeah, no doubt not only when the ball is in his hands but just getting those guys down. He has been doing a great job cutting those big defensive ends down, filling the holes, giving those backs somewhere to go.
Redshirt Junior Wide Receiver Shelton Gibson
On his thoughts on the Texas defense.
We just watched film, watching film on their corners, they play physical, really physical. You see that they play really well when they’re at home so it’s going to be a good matchup this weekend.
On if he sees that Texas is playing for their coach’s job
They play with a lot of energy, especially when they’re home. They’re at home this weekend so they’re going to try and come up. We’re fighting for something, they’re fighting for something. We have to want it bad.
On what he remembers about playing at Texas during his freshman year
My freshman year, the only thing I remember is at the end of the game, it was rocking back and forth, the stands were really packed and they said it’s a sold out crowd this weekend so we just have to have to cancel some of that noise out.
Redshirt Junior Tight End/ Fullback Elijah Wellman
On Assistant Coach (Running Backs) Ja’Juan Seider saying it was his best game at WVU
It was one of them but like I was telling him earlier, I didn’t have a perfect game. I still have stuff I have to work on, a few plays here and there, I mean I got player of the week but like I said I still have stuff to work on and continue to perfect my craft.
On Texas’s defense
They’re pretty good. I mean coach always says respect your opponent and that’s what we’re going to do. We are going to try to go to Austin, get a win and come back to Morgantown.
On the fullback position not getting a lot of recognition
I like it. I like flying under the radar a little bit and not everything is on me. I like doing my job, staying quiet and doing some dirty work for those guys. They definitely appreciate me. They let me know that I’m doing a good job and stuff like that so it doesn’t really go unseen but I mean to the media and everything it’s not really seen. I don’t really care about that, I’m not one to be the center of attention or anything like that. I like to lay low and do my job and that’s what I like to do.
On blocking for big run plays
Getting to block for those guys and watching them run beside me out of the corner of my eye in the end zone, that’s like the reward of my job. That’s what I’m looking for in my job that I am doing so I love that.
Senior Defensive Lineman Darrien Howard
On what his job as a nose guard entails
My job is basically to drive double teams and make plays when I’m able to. My job is not to stay blocked or just to sit there, my job is to basically do what I can in the framework of the defense.
On the how tough it may be to stop junior running back D’Onta Foreman’s
It provides a challenge, but I don’t think it’s that tough. I think he’s a great back, I think he’s doing pretty good, but I feel like we have to worry about us at the end of the day and do what we do.
On redshirt senior defensive lineman Christian Brown playing multiple positions
He’s been pretty beneficial, to get different looks in there and it’s pretty good that he’s athletic enough to play the end position and come in and play the nose and draw double teams and things like that.
On if he and redshirt senior defensive lineman Christian Brown ever swap tips and insights to each other
We talk a lot, as far as our opponent and like what their tendencies are and what they like to do, so basically what to be prepared for.
On if he ever thinks about playing defensive end
I think about it. We talk about it sometimes, but I wouldn’t mind doing that, but right now I’m just staying where I am trying to do the best I can in there.
On the defensive line and if they can hold Texas junior running back D’Onta Foreman being as big as he is
I think we can as long as we come to play. That’s our biggest thing is making sure we come to play and being a tougher and more physical team.
Redshirt Senior Cornerback Rasul Douglas
On being in the top five in the country in interceptions
I’ve just been put in good position to make a play and I have made a few of them.
On why he has begun to make plays this season
I’m more comfortable, I know the system in and out. My confidence is high, coaches’ confidence in me is high, everything is coming together, that’s playing a big part.
On learning from Daryl Worley and Terrell Chestnut last year
I definitely learned from them. I asked them a lot of questions last year, because I came late, they couldn’t really teach me, because they were learning new game plans as the weeks were going on, and I was still trying to catch up from the game plan they had already in the spring. A lot of learning from those two.
On the challenges of defending the Texas offense
It’s definitely a big challenge, first to stop the run, of course. We would like for every team to pass on us, we like our secondary. We definitely have to stop the run. Coach has a plan that we are going to use against passing game and he is going to put us in position. That’s all we can ask for is to be in position.
Redshirt Senior Safety Jarrod Harper
On offensive challenges Texas brings this week
They’re big, physical. They have big backs. We just have to tackle well and get a lot of people to the ball. We have to hit their backs early and often, we have to gang tackle, so that’s just a few things from looking at their film early that stick out to me. They’re big, physical, backs who run hard, so like I said we have to get a lot of people to the ball.
On which is a bigger threat, Texas’ running game or passing game
I think Texas is going to try to big-man us. I think they’re going to try to run the ball a lot and try to establish the run game, and then try to get something over the top. I think we have to shut down the run first and turn this into a one-dimensional game and make Texas have to air it out to beat us.
On energy vs. Texas after coming off of two big wins
Texas is going to have motivation, but we have motivation too. We set a goal at the beginning of the season, and Texas is the next team in front of us accomplishing that goal. We just have to go and take care of business Saturday. Come out early, be physical, be fast. Last week in the second half we definitely relaxed a little bit. You could see it on the field when watching film. But this week at Texas, it doesn’t get any bigger than that. So we’re excited about the trip to Austin and look forward to Saturday and can’t wait to play.
Redshirt Senior Cornerback Maurice Fleming
Challenges with dealing with Texas’s run game
Tackle. You have to make the tackle that’s it.
On forcing turnovers like last year game
So I heard we had five turnovers last year. It would be great thing to match that, I mean when the ball is in the air you have to make a play and that is what coaches are looking for and we have huge expectations on ourselves.
On Texas’s wide receivers
Texas has great receivers. They also have a great running back but then again West Virginia, we also have great receivers here and we go against them every day. It’s like playing the game during the week already and we are getting that max intensity speed. That way, on Saturdays we can already be comfortable with it, play with technique, and just get it down pat and make it look crisp.
On stopping Texas Junior Running Back D’Onta Foreman
Just being able to tackle him, you just have to be physical. Get him down, that’s it. If I’m making a tackle you have 10 other players that’s running to the ball as well, that’s the game of football itself.
