MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – And it now begins. West Virginia University coach Dana Holgorsen, sitting in his custom-made blue and white golf cart, spent about 15 minutes visiting with a couple dozen or so media members prior to Sunday's practice at the Steve Antoline Family Football Practice Field.
 
Holgorsen spoke glowingly Sunday about the veteran football team he has this year with grown men available to use in all three phases of play.
 
The roster sheet handed out to the media before practice is full of players with r-Sr., Sr., r-Jr. and Jr. next to their names, including a r-Sr. in quarterback Will Grier, now in his third year in the program and his second full season orchestrating offensive coordinator Jake Spavital's offense.
 
"It's year two with Will. It's year two with Jake, and it's year two with them together," Holgorsen said. "It's year two with me in my role. It's year two for (offensive line coach Joe Wickline). Year two is always better, and this will be better than what we saw last year."
 
For Spavital and Grier, those two now know each other to the point where they can complete each other's sentences because they've spent so much time together on the field and off it.
 
It's apparent when you watch them operate.
 
Grier looks like a grown man, and not just because he can grow a beard of which Walt Frazier or Keith Hernandez would be proud. You can see it with his mannerisms, his body language, the way he encourages his teammates and the way he conducts himself and leads his group, which consists mostly of veteran players.
 
Having a bunch of older, more mature guys running around out there is like sprinkling gold dust on your football team.
 
And Holgorsen has it in abundance this year.
 
For whatever reason, older teams seem to have much better luck. Perhaps it is because older players usually know how to take advantage of the breaks that they are given. 
 
With older teams, there are rarely any surprises, and surprises are the things coaches loathe the most. 
 
"Just from an overall maturity standpoint, this team is light years ahead of any of the teams I've had since I've been here," Holgorsen pointed out.
 
That means drills are done more efficiently and more can be accomplished in the same amount of time. Big-picture concepts are more easily understood. It's not a matter of "give me the ball" but rather "what can I do to make the team better?"
 
Everything just runs more smoothly.
 
"I'm glad we have a mature team based on not having as many practices available to us," Holgorsen mentioned.
 
In fact, his team is so experienced this year that it may even be able to take advantage of the new redshirt rule with one of its oldest players, senior linebacker Quondarius Qualls, who is still recovering from last spring's knee injury.
 
Holgorsen said Qualls is expected to be cleared to play later this season and is a prime candidate to participate in the team's final four games and still have his redshirt available for 2019.
 
Redshirt sophomore Brendan Ferns is also out for an extended period of time and although he doesn't have a redshirt, he could also return later this season to help bolster the linebacker corps.
 
As for everyone else, Holgorsen said they are good to go, which means he's good to go.
 
"We understand we have a very mature group. There is a lot of excitement within us. There have been times when I really didn't want vacation to end, and we were all excited when vacation ended this year," Holgorsen admitted. "We were all ready to get to work."
 
They are ready to get to work and meet head-on the lofty expectations bestowed upon this year's team.
 
Some believe Holgorsen's 2018 group might possess enough firepower to knock Oklahoma off its Big 12 perch.
 
For the second straight year, West Virginia is beginning the season ranked in the coaches' poll. It will likely be ranked in the Associated Press poll when it is released closer to the start of the season.
 
Grier has been on the cover of every preseason football magazine and more than a half dozen players or so have read their names on preseason watch lists.
 
How do you keep a team with those type of expectations humble?
 
"You better be old," Holgorsen said. "If you've got immature people, it's almost impossible. For young coaches and the team, you better have some strong leaders that understand how to handle that and we do.
 
"We have a dozen or so old guys that I feel really good about. They have a very strong presence and they're going to make sure this team does what they need to do," he added.
 
That means practicing the right way on day three, day 20 and four months from now.
 
"They understand it's a long, long season so get ready to do things the right way for a long time," Holgorsen said. "Four months goes quick, but a lot happens in four months."
 
Indeed, it does. For West Virginia, perhaps a lot of good things will happen this year. 
 
Keep in mind, young teams hope good things will happen. 
 
Older teams expect it.

Sunday Sound