Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Coach Dana Holgorsen Press Conference
December 24, 2018 05:35 PM | Football
ORLANDO, Fla. – West Virginia University football coach Dana Holgorsen addressed members of the media on Monday, Dec. 24, at Boone High School in Orlando, Florida.
On working with the weather this week
I don't know how to really deal with weather appropriately. I'm a weather man, but I don't know if what we do is incredibly the right thing to do when it comes to our student-athletes. We had four good days before we came down here. Last week, the weather in Morgantown was unseasonably warm, so we got good work in. I don't care what the weather is, it's just all about getting in good, quality work. We had four good days in Morgantown, and then coming down here, we'll have two good days, and then we'll try to start backing off on them a little bit before the game. We're happy to be here; everybody got here safe and sound, and we're excited to be back in Orlando. These guys do such a good job when it comes to the bowl festivities and facilities, from hotel to events. Obviously, with theme parks and everything, that makes it easier. There's no shortage of things to do, so this is as good as it gets when it comes to a bowl destination, and I know our guys will have a good time for the short period that we'll be here.
On what he's seen from redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Allison and freshman quarterback Trey Lowe III
It's not like we haven't practiced them for the last year. These guys have done a good job for us; I think Jack has been outstanding when it comes to a backup quarterback. The time that he's been able to go in and play, I thought, he went in and played pretty well. Guys change quickly when they get out of the backup mentality, the backup role. Guys change. I've been excited and encouraged to see what he's been doing with the practice reps that he's gotten over the last couple of weeks. He's attacked it the right way, and I've been satisfied with that. And then Trey is a freshman, he hasn't had any game snaps. I'm anxious to see how he does when it comes to game snaps. He's been with us for a whole year now, and he's taken advantage of his reps as well. So, I'm anxious to see how he responds. I asked him if he's going to be nervous going into it, and he said, 'No.' He goes, 'It's just football, Coach.' I said, 'That's a great attitude.' I've been happy with both of them, we'll keep practicing this week, get a week better and then look forward to what they do on Friday night.
On repping younger players throughout the season so practice time can be altered during bowl preparation
I don't even think there's a 15-practice rule anymore. Everybody wants to make a big deal about how you get 15 practices. I don't know how people get 15 practices, especially with the earlier bowl games. You can't practice them during finals, and we have to be on the road recruiting for two, three weeks prior, so I think 15 practices is extremely optimistic, even though that rule doesn't exist anymore. We had a good week of practice in, and then we get down here and will have another good week of practice. That's about the extent of it. I've been very encouraged with practicing these guys throughout the course of the year, we've got more developmental work throughout the course of the year than we ever have based on this new redshirt rule. We can't ignore guys that are redshirting anymore, and that's been the case in the past, where you just focus on the guys that are playing and you try to develop them as much as you want to, but that's really what the offseason is for. We've made a conscious effort this year to really focus on those guys that are redshirting and practice them more. So, that's why I think you're going to see about 10 guys that will probably take reps in this game that are all utilizing a redshirt rule. Whether any of them make plays or not, that is yet to be determined, but there are guys that I've been encouraged by.
On evaluating younger players off use of team's Thursday Night Football
Yeah, that's the biggest thing that we did. You have to push coaches to be excited about that. A lot of our young coaches did a good job with coaching guys up, but just because it was such an emphasis on coaching them hard and teaching them what to do because later in the year, we'll be able to play them. We've had hundreds of more snaps on that Thursday Night Football than we ever have in years past. So, we got guys ready to play, I think, quicker than what happened in the past.
On who can fill senior wide receiver Gary Jennings Jr.'s role
Well, (junior wide receiver) Marcus (Simms) has been pretty good. He was arguably our best receiver the first probably 33 percent of the season. His numbers were the best. He got injured, that's part of the game, but I don't think he handled the injury as well as he could have. The same thing happened to Gary. Gary had an injury, and it affected his production as well. But Marcus needs to have a good week of practice and see if he can pick up some of the slack. And then (redshirt sophomore wide receiver) T.J. Simmons is the other guy. We're moving him to inside receiver, which is his natural position. With Gary not being here, that gives us an opportunity to move T.J. in, and he's gotten two, three weeks of work where I think that will benefit him heading into next year. But he looks good in there, that's his natural position, that's where he feels the most comfortable. Those are our three starters. Those three have started for us throughout the course of the year quite a bit. I think we're in good shape when it comes to that. And then, obviously, (redshirt senior tight end/fullback) (Trevon) Wesco and (redshirt sophomore tight end/fullback) (Jovani) Haskins, (sophomore wide receiver) Tevin Bush is another guy that fills the role for those inside receivers. And then (freshman wide receiver) Sam James and (freshman wide receiver) Bryce Wheaton are probably getting the majority of the reps throughout the course of these last couple of weeks. Those guys get better and better, and they look pretty good to me.
On redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Allison repping with younger players throughout the season
He did, and it feels good. He was always in there with the backups, and the backups are (freshman wide receiver) Sam (James) and (freshman wide receiver) Bryce (Wheaton) and (senior wide receiver) Dom Maiden and (sophomore wide receiver) Tevin (Bush) and (redshirt sophomore tight end/fullback) Jovani (Haskins). He's been throwing it to Jovani for three years now. I like what I see, I'm encouraged by it. We have to block well up front, and those guys are doing a good job up front. We have to get the run game going with these backs that we have, but what Syracuse does is they take away the run. They're going to put more people in the box than we can block, so that makes that pass game all the more important.
On if he expects Syracuse's defense to bring pressure
I am. It just makes sense. They do pressure people, and they take chances with how they play defensively, much like we do. I'm expecting quite a bit of it. We've studied all of their blitzes, and they like to put a lot of people in the box and pressure people, so that's what I'm expecting them to do.
On his thoughts on expanding the College Football Playoff
I have my own opinions, but nobody seems to really listen to them. Expansion is kind of a dead topic at this point in time, I don't think it's dead for long, but it's dead at this point. The Big 12 and some other conferences have been pretty vocal when it comes to we're not doing anything at this point in time right now. I don't think it's over, I think there's probably going to be some expansion in the future, whether that's two more years or four more years. I lose track of what the TV contracts are all that stuff. I think there's probably one more on the horizon, and UCF, because of what they've done in the American (Athletic Conference) the last couple of years, are positioning themselves fairly nicely. I don't think it's a dead subject for them or a couple of other of these Group of Five's that are pretty good.
On why Syracuse is scoring more than it did last season
Well, there are a lot of possessions in their games. When you snap the ball 83 – they're No. 2 in the country. And then the way they play defense, as well, they give up some plays and some yards, but they are getting off the field on third downs. The amount of punts and punt returns and special teams plays in general are as high as I've seen in quite some time. It's just the amount of changing possessions. When you possess the ball 16, 17, 18 times a game, your points are going to be up. That's just the style that they play, and we're accustomed to that. It's not necessary how I like to do it all the time, but we're accustomed to it and understand that it's a long game and no matter what happens, you have to keep playing.
On if Syracuse reminds him of a Big 12 offense
Well, (Syracuse coach Dino Babers) was at Baylor for three years and learned that system. It has worked for him. When he went to Bowling Green, he got those guys pretty good in three years, and it's pretty much the same staff at Syracuse. Three years into it, they're pretty good at what they do. They have something they believe in, and from a team perspective, they're good with being able to play like that.
On working with the weather this week
I don't know how to really deal with weather appropriately. I'm a weather man, but I don't know if what we do is incredibly the right thing to do when it comes to our student-athletes. We had four good days before we came down here. Last week, the weather in Morgantown was unseasonably warm, so we got good work in. I don't care what the weather is, it's just all about getting in good, quality work. We had four good days in Morgantown, and then coming down here, we'll have two good days, and then we'll try to start backing off on them a little bit before the game. We're happy to be here; everybody got here safe and sound, and we're excited to be back in Orlando. These guys do such a good job when it comes to the bowl festivities and facilities, from hotel to events. Obviously, with theme parks and everything, that makes it easier. There's no shortage of things to do, so this is as good as it gets when it comes to a bowl destination, and I know our guys will have a good time for the short period that we'll be here.
On what he's seen from redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Allison and freshman quarterback Trey Lowe III
It's not like we haven't practiced them for the last year. These guys have done a good job for us; I think Jack has been outstanding when it comes to a backup quarterback. The time that he's been able to go in and play, I thought, he went in and played pretty well. Guys change quickly when they get out of the backup mentality, the backup role. Guys change. I've been excited and encouraged to see what he's been doing with the practice reps that he's gotten over the last couple of weeks. He's attacked it the right way, and I've been satisfied with that. And then Trey is a freshman, he hasn't had any game snaps. I'm anxious to see how he does when it comes to game snaps. He's been with us for a whole year now, and he's taken advantage of his reps as well. So, I'm anxious to see how he responds. I asked him if he's going to be nervous going into it, and he said, 'No.' He goes, 'It's just football, Coach.' I said, 'That's a great attitude.' I've been happy with both of them, we'll keep practicing this week, get a week better and then look forward to what they do on Friday night.
On repping younger players throughout the season so practice time can be altered during bowl preparation
I don't even think there's a 15-practice rule anymore. Everybody wants to make a big deal about how you get 15 practices. I don't know how people get 15 practices, especially with the earlier bowl games. You can't practice them during finals, and we have to be on the road recruiting for two, three weeks prior, so I think 15 practices is extremely optimistic, even though that rule doesn't exist anymore. We had a good week of practice in, and then we get down here and will have another good week of practice. That's about the extent of it. I've been very encouraged with practicing these guys throughout the course of the year, we've got more developmental work throughout the course of the year than we ever have based on this new redshirt rule. We can't ignore guys that are redshirting anymore, and that's been the case in the past, where you just focus on the guys that are playing and you try to develop them as much as you want to, but that's really what the offseason is for. We've made a conscious effort this year to really focus on those guys that are redshirting and practice them more. So, that's why I think you're going to see about 10 guys that will probably take reps in this game that are all utilizing a redshirt rule. Whether any of them make plays or not, that is yet to be determined, but there are guys that I've been encouraged by.
On evaluating younger players off use of team's Thursday Night Football
Yeah, that's the biggest thing that we did. You have to push coaches to be excited about that. A lot of our young coaches did a good job with coaching guys up, but just because it was such an emphasis on coaching them hard and teaching them what to do because later in the year, we'll be able to play them. We've had hundreds of more snaps on that Thursday Night Football than we ever have in years past. So, we got guys ready to play, I think, quicker than what happened in the past.
On who can fill senior wide receiver Gary Jennings Jr.'s role
Well, (junior wide receiver) Marcus (Simms) has been pretty good. He was arguably our best receiver the first probably 33 percent of the season. His numbers were the best. He got injured, that's part of the game, but I don't think he handled the injury as well as he could have. The same thing happened to Gary. Gary had an injury, and it affected his production as well. But Marcus needs to have a good week of practice and see if he can pick up some of the slack. And then (redshirt sophomore wide receiver) T.J. Simmons is the other guy. We're moving him to inside receiver, which is his natural position. With Gary not being here, that gives us an opportunity to move T.J. in, and he's gotten two, three weeks of work where I think that will benefit him heading into next year. But he looks good in there, that's his natural position, that's where he feels the most comfortable. Those are our three starters. Those three have started for us throughout the course of the year quite a bit. I think we're in good shape when it comes to that. And then, obviously, (redshirt senior tight end/fullback) (Trevon) Wesco and (redshirt sophomore tight end/fullback) (Jovani) Haskins, (sophomore wide receiver) Tevin Bush is another guy that fills the role for those inside receivers. And then (freshman wide receiver) Sam James and (freshman wide receiver) Bryce Wheaton are probably getting the majority of the reps throughout the course of these last couple of weeks. Those guys get better and better, and they look pretty good to me.
On redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Allison repping with younger players throughout the season
He did, and it feels good. He was always in there with the backups, and the backups are (freshman wide receiver) Sam (James) and (freshman wide receiver) Bryce (Wheaton) and (senior wide receiver) Dom Maiden and (sophomore wide receiver) Tevin (Bush) and (redshirt sophomore tight end/fullback) Jovani (Haskins). He's been throwing it to Jovani for three years now. I like what I see, I'm encouraged by it. We have to block well up front, and those guys are doing a good job up front. We have to get the run game going with these backs that we have, but what Syracuse does is they take away the run. They're going to put more people in the box than we can block, so that makes that pass game all the more important.
On if he expects Syracuse's defense to bring pressure
I am. It just makes sense. They do pressure people, and they take chances with how they play defensively, much like we do. I'm expecting quite a bit of it. We've studied all of their blitzes, and they like to put a lot of people in the box and pressure people, so that's what I'm expecting them to do.
On his thoughts on expanding the College Football Playoff
I have my own opinions, but nobody seems to really listen to them. Expansion is kind of a dead topic at this point in time, I don't think it's dead for long, but it's dead at this point. The Big 12 and some other conferences have been pretty vocal when it comes to we're not doing anything at this point in time right now. I don't think it's over, I think there's probably going to be some expansion in the future, whether that's two more years or four more years. I lose track of what the TV contracts are all that stuff. I think there's probably one more on the horizon, and UCF, because of what they've done in the American (Athletic Conference) the last couple of years, are positioning themselves fairly nicely. I don't think it's a dead subject for them or a couple of other of these Group of Five's that are pretty good.
On why Syracuse is scoring more than it did last season
Well, there are a lot of possessions in their games. When you snap the ball 83 – they're No. 2 in the country. And then the way they play defense, as well, they give up some plays and some yards, but they are getting off the field on third downs. The amount of punts and punt returns and special teams plays in general are as high as I've seen in quite some time. It's just the amount of changing possessions. When you possess the ball 16, 17, 18 times a game, your points are going to be up. That's just the style that they play, and we're accustomed to that. It's not necessary how I like to do it all the time, but we're accustomed to it and understand that it's a long game and no matter what happens, you have to keep playing.
On if Syracuse reminds him of a Big 12 offense
Well, (Syracuse coach Dino Babers) was at Baylor for three years and learned that system. It has worked for him. When he went to Bowling Green, he got those guys pretty good in three years, and it's pretty much the same staff at Syracuse. Three years into it, they're pretty good at what they do. They have something they believe in, and from a team perspective, they're good with being able to play like that.
Players Mentioned
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RB
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WR
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WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ FootballRich Rodriguez | Dec. 3
Wednesday, December 03
Reid Carrico | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
Jeff Weimer | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
Rich Rodriguez | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
