Players Media Session
March 08, 2018 04:01 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Select members of the West Virginia University football team met with the media on Thursday, March 8, 2018, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Redshirt Senior Quarterback Will Grier
On putting more focus on situational football
There's a lot of talk on efficiency right now and just trying to get the most efficient play that we can. We're having a lot of good talks, and spring is a good time to work on it.
On what caused him to want to become more efficient
Our third-down efficiency, we want it to be better. There were some situations where we know we could have had a better play or could have had a better mindset going into the third down than we did. It's miserable tape to watch that we've watched the past couple days because you're watching all of the failures on third down. But it's good tape to watch because you can say, 'What could we have done differently?' We've picked that up and tried to take it and get into more efficient plays to become more efficient on third down, especially.
On what he's seen from some of the newcomers
I love the way they are coming along. They are hard workers, and they are really talented guys. They've jumped on board and have some time to keep developing. I look forward to them joining us.
On becoming more of a complete offense
I think that speaks back to the high-percentage plays. Instead of throwing the ball deep every play, maybe take a higher efficiency throw. Like I said, that's really the talk right now. That's our focus right now, just higher percentages.
Senior Receiver Gary Jennings
On working with redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier
It's going very well. I feel like we're very ahead of the game right now. We've gotten back, and I think we're in a good spot.
On how important it is to find new receivers
In terms of reps, it allows for us to be fresher and to get more effort going.
On what he expects from defenses going forward
With the core receivers that we have, they can't just look at (senior receiver) David (Sills V) and I. (Junior receiver) Marcus (Simms), (redshirt sophomore receiver) T.J. (Simmons), (sophomore receiver) Reggie (Roberson Jr.), or whoever else is outside, those guys can be left open as well. So, I believe it isn't as easy as covering us.
Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Yodny Cajuste
On how the spring is progressing so far
It's going great. To be honest, everything is going smooth. We're learning every day.
On the development of the offensive line
Everybody is more tuned in than it has been in the past few years.
On if he's taken on a leadership role
Yes, definitely. I'm just trying to get everybody on the same page and get them to try to believe that we could be really good this year. It starts with us, the offensive line.
On what needs improved along the offensive line
We just need to focus on what we messed up a lot last season and try to fix those things, like slight protection things, points and getting more athletic and stronger to be able to block our defenders better.
Redshirt Senior Tight End/Fullback Trevon Wesco
On his feelings now that he is the senior in the room
Last year, Eli (Elijah Wellman) was here. He was a senior, he was more like a leader. So he basically showed me how. Being a senior you have to be a leader to the younger guys and show them the way a little bit.
On if he is becoming a leader now
Yeah, I am trying my best to be the best leader that I can to my teammates.
On tight ends being more involved in the offense
It's happening. I am excited, everybody is excited about it. Our room especially is excited.
On redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier saying he has good hands
I do I guess, yeah. It's good to hear that from him. He trusts me, you want to earn your quarterbacks trust of course.
Junior Defensive Lineman Reese Donahue
On how depth along the defensive line
It's pretty impressive because we have some guys stepping up that we didn't know could play some positions. So, it's exciting to see.
On which defensive linemen have been stepping up this spring
We have (sophomore defensive lineman) Darius Stills, who has moved from end to nose guard. He played a little bit of nickel nose last year, but since (sophomore defensive lineman) Lamonte McDougle is out, he's taking the full position at first-team nose. He's doing phenomenal. (Senior defensive lineman) (Brenon) Thrift, he has stepped up. He has really done well. He's learning the scheme because, obviously, he was a defensive end as well. (Senior defensive lineman) Ezekiel (Rose) has really stepped up, too. They are all doing phenomenal. I think we're developing a lot of leadership and comradery in the team room.
On learning new positions throughout spring
It's definitely a little different. He (defensive line coach Bruce Tall) wants us to be able to play every position, and, realistically, if we are or not, it just depends. But it's definitely good to know as a whole what we're doing because if I just know what I'm supposed to do as a (defensive) end, there's a lot of things we do where we stunt and move and slant. If you know what another person is doing, it makes the defense flow better. Even though, realistically, I'm probably never going to be playing a spur (linebacker), to know what those guys are doing behind me helps me do my job better.
Redshirt Senior Dravon Askew-Henry
On 2018 being his senior season
Well, it's been five years that I have been here. I didn't imagine that. In this last one I want to give everything that I have for me and my teammates.
On there was a time when his injury made him question if he wanted to come back
No. Once I got hurt, the day after that I knew I was going to come back and I wanted to be back for my teammates. So, I never hesitated about that.
On what he sees his role being this year
Just being a leader and when something is going wrong, picking up my teammates. Just have to step up and be that leader vocally and leading by example.
On how much it helps that he has played so many positions in the secondary
It helps me a lot because I know the defense; I know where everyone has to be. If coach needs me to play a certain position, then I will be able to play.
Redshirt Junior Linebacker David Long Jr.
On how the defense is coming along now from his perspective
They're still young. They are making the mistakes that is expected, honestly. But, they are coming along, getting better as they go, moving faster. They had a good day yesterday, and they have to build on it and be consistent.
On who is stepping up at linebacker
We have a few position changes and the players are starting to come into their own with those changes. Those players are stepping up, (sophomore cornerback) (Derrek) Pitts (Jr.) and the new players (redshirt sophomore linebacker) (Charlie) Benton and (freshman linebacker) Josh (Chandler). It is still early for them, but they still have to learn. We still haven't went full go yet so there are still changes to be made.
On what the defense is focusing on now
Just installing the basics, getting that down and learning how to practice honestly. Having a healthier team going into the fall.
Redshirt Senior Kicker/Punter Billy Kinney
On what he needs to improve on
I sat down with (graduate assistant coach) (Michael) Mike (Molinari) and we went through a lot of film from last year and my biggest problem was my drop, it was really inconsistent. So, just really honing in on that drop and getting it consistent will make more of a consistent ball coming off of my foot.
On redshirt sophomore kicker/punter Luke Hogan
Luke is a really hard worker. He is always trying to ask for tips to get better. He is always trying to get better. He is a real good competitor. It will definitely help out a lot bringing more of a competition into the offseason.
On the focus of special teams this spring
Since (graduate assistant coach) (Micheal) Molinari came back in, he has really tried to have his focus on competition and have us compete with one another, because that is what we will be doing in a game. Really just having that competition aspect to everything and trying to push us harder.
Redshirt Senior Quarterback Will Grier
On putting more focus on situational football
There's a lot of talk on efficiency right now and just trying to get the most efficient play that we can. We're having a lot of good talks, and spring is a good time to work on it.
On what caused him to want to become more efficient
Our third-down efficiency, we want it to be better. There were some situations where we know we could have had a better play or could have had a better mindset going into the third down than we did. It's miserable tape to watch that we've watched the past couple days because you're watching all of the failures on third down. But it's good tape to watch because you can say, 'What could we have done differently?' We've picked that up and tried to take it and get into more efficient plays to become more efficient on third down, especially.
On what he's seen from some of the newcomers
I love the way they are coming along. They are hard workers, and they are really talented guys. They've jumped on board and have some time to keep developing. I look forward to them joining us.
On becoming more of a complete offense
I think that speaks back to the high-percentage plays. Instead of throwing the ball deep every play, maybe take a higher efficiency throw. Like I said, that's really the talk right now. That's our focus right now, just higher percentages.
Senior Receiver Gary Jennings
On working with redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier
It's going very well. I feel like we're very ahead of the game right now. We've gotten back, and I think we're in a good spot.
On how important it is to find new receivers
In terms of reps, it allows for us to be fresher and to get more effort going.
On what he expects from defenses going forward
With the core receivers that we have, they can't just look at (senior receiver) David (Sills V) and I. (Junior receiver) Marcus (Simms), (redshirt sophomore receiver) T.J. (Simmons), (sophomore receiver) Reggie (Roberson Jr.), or whoever else is outside, those guys can be left open as well. So, I believe it isn't as easy as covering us.
Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Yodny Cajuste
On how the spring is progressing so far
It's going great. To be honest, everything is going smooth. We're learning every day.
On the development of the offensive line
Everybody is more tuned in than it has been in the past few years.
On if he's taken on a leadership role
Yes, definitely. I'm just trying to get everybody on the same page and get them to try to believe that we could be really good this year. It starts with us, the offensive line.
On what needs improved along the offensive line
We just need to focus on what we messed up a lot last season and try to fix those things, like slight protection things, points and getting more athletic and stronger to be able to block our defenders better.
Redshirt Senior Tight End/Fullback Trevon Wesco
On his feelings now that he is the senior in the room
Last year, Eli (Elijah Wellman) was here. He was a senior, he was more like a leader. So he basically showed me how. Being a senior you have to be a leader to the younger guys and show them the way a little bit.
On if he is becoming a leader now
Yeah, I am trying my best to be the best leader that I can to my teammates.
On tight ends being more involved in the offense
It's happening. I am excited, everybody is excited about it. Our room especially is excited.
On redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier saying he has good hands
I do I guess, yeah. It's good to hear that from him. He trusts me, you want to earn your quarterbacks trust of course.
Junior Defensive Lineman Reese Donahue
On how depth along the defensive line
It's pretty impressive because we have some guys stepping up that we didn't know could play some positions. So, it's exciting to see.
On which defensive linemen have been stepping up this spring
We have (sophomore defensive lineman) Darius Stills, who has moved from end to nose guard. He played a little bit of nickel nose last year, but since (sophomore defensive lineman) Lamonte McDougle is out, he's taking the full position at first-team nose. He's doing phenomenal. (Senior defensive lineman) (Brenon) Thrift, he has stepped up. He has really done well. He's learning the scheme because, obviously, he was a defensive end as well. (Senior defensive lineman) Ezekiel (Rose) has really stepped up, too. They are all doing phenomenal. I think we're developing a lot of leadership and comradery in the team room.
On learning new positions throughout spring
It's definitely a little different. He (defensive line coach Bruce Tall) wants us to be able to play every position, and, realistically, if we are or not, it just depends. But it's definitely good to know as a whole what we're doing because if I just know what I'm supposed to do as a (defensive) end, there's a lot of things we do where we stunt and move and slant. If you know what another person is doing, it makes the defense flow better. Even though, realistically, I'm probably never going to be playing a spur (linebacker), to know what those guys are doing behind me helps me do my job better.
Redshirt Senior Dravon Askew-Henry
On 2018 being his senior season
Well, it's been five years that I have been here. I didn't imagine that. In this last one I want to give everything that I have for me and my teammates.
On there was a time when his injury made him question if he wanted to come back
No. Once I got hurt, the day after that I knew I was going to come back and I wanted to be back for my teammates. So, I never hesitated about that.
On what he sees his role being this year
Just being a leader and when something is going wrong, picking up my teammates. Just have to step up and be that leader vocally and leading by example.
On how much it helps that he has played so many positions in the secondary
It helps me a lot because I know the defense; I know where everyone has to be. If coach needs me to play a certain position, then I will be able to play.
Redshirt Junior Linebacker David Long Jr.
On how the defense is coming along now from his perspective
They're still young. They are making the mistakes that is expected, honestly. But, they are coming along, getting better as they go, moving faster. They had a good day yesterday, and they have to build on it and be consistent.
On who is stepping up at linebacker
We have a few position changes and the players are starting to come into their own with those changes. Those players are stepping up, (sophomore cornerback) (Derrek) Pitts (Jr.) and the new players (redshirt sophomore linebacker) (Charlie) Benton and (freshman linebacker) Josh (Chandler). It is still early for them, but they still have to learn. We still haven't went full go yet so there are still changes to be made.
On what the defense is focusing on now
Just installing the basics, getting that down and learning how to practice honestly. Having a healthier team going into the fall.
Redshirt Senior Kicker/Punter Billy Kinney
On what he needs to improve on
I sat down with (graduate assistant coach) (Michael) Mike (Molinari) and we went through a lot of film from last year and my biggest problem was my drop, it was really inconsistent. So, just really honing in on that drop and getting it consistent will make more of a consistent ball coming off of my foot.
On redshirt sophomore kicker/punter Luke Hogan
Luke is a really hard worker. He is always trying to ask for tips to get better. He is always trying to get better. He is a real good competitor. It will definitely help out a lot bringing more of a competition into the offseason.
On the focus of special teams this spring
Since (graduate assistant coach) (Micheal) Molinari came back in, he has really tried to have his focus on competition and have us compete with one another, because that is what we will be doing in a game. Really just having that competition aspect to everything and trying to push us harder.
Players Mentioned
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DL
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TE/FB
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