Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Campus Connection: Eyes From the Sky
September 07, 2018 12:46 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - For many football coaches, getting assigned to the press box is a lot like drawing the last straw. Joe Wickline once spent a miserable year working up top for Dana Holgorsen before he finally got back down on the field.
Coaches sent upstairs sometimes complain that it can be somewhat of a sterile environment compared to being on the field where the action is taking place. That's where most coaches want to be because it helps them get a better feel for the environment and how their players are reacting to it.
It also gives them a chance to see their players' eyes, which oftentimes reveal far more than what they are saying.
But being up top also serves a critical role as well. The guys in the booth are the eyes from above for Holgorsen and coordinators Tony Gibson and Jake Spavital.
That's where formations, blocking schemes and personnel groupings are more easily identified. Coaches in the booth have to be able to give the decision makers on the field the necessary information they need, but at the same time tend to their individual players.
Therefore, clearly these guys working upstairs have to have their stuff together.
"It can be extremely hard," admitted veteran defensive line coach Bruce Tall, Gibson's eyes in the sky.
For instance, last Saturday Tall spent some extra time on the field during pregame warmups to make sure he had a feel for how hot things were to give him a better idea of how much he needed to rotate his players.
He also has to take maximum advantage of the short time he has with his players at halftime to understand what they're seeing and comprehending. Because he can't be right there with his guys while the game is going on, Tall relies heavily on graduate assistant coach Julian Miller when he's up in the booth.
"Coach Julian Miller and I are on the phone right away on a separate line," Tall said. "What I'm doing is I will have him ask direct questions to the guys and then I will go back and have him ask them again, and I challenge him to look at their facial expressions and the things I want to see."
Of course, that's after he's done giving Gibson the information he needs to make the defensive calls.
Tall is perfectly suited for this vital role because of his vast experiences as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator, as well as his long history working with Gibson dating back to the mid-2000s on Rich Rodriguez's WVU staff.
Tall and Gibson have the most experience coaching West Virginia's unorthodox 3-3 stack scheme.
"I'm looking more at what they do, watching their blocking schemes and what they're doing protection wise," Tall said. "I try and have that done pretty quickly so I can give him the information from the previous series and then move on."
Because so many things are happening at once, that's why you frequently hear coaches say they need to study the tape before making firm assessments of how their guys played.
They have a general idea, but a lot of the specific things require more detailed study later that evening.
"You see the things at the point of attack, but you can't see stuff on the backside sometimes, so you're figuring that out after you grade the tape and study it more," Tall said. "You talk to your players and hope they understand what's going on. We had some good conversations at halftime (last Saturday) and the more the guys understand the blocking schemes the more they can help each other and get through some things."
During the Tennessee game, Tall had a full hour to go over things with his guys because of two different lightning delays. Normally, he would have less than a third of that time before having to hustle back upstairs to the booth to get into position for the second half.
"You are in and out of there, usually," he concluded.
Interesting stuff.
Now, some more Mountaineer sports notes to take you into the weekend …
Perhaps the most interesting stat from last Saturday's victory over Tennessee was the number of TFLs produced by the seven defensive linemen who got into the game: 7 ½. That's more than half the total number of 12 TFLs the defense produced.
According to Tony Gibson, defensive end Jabril Robinson's 37 snaps were the most among the defensive linemen last Saturday.
That kind of depth is really going to help the Mountaineers late in the season when the calendar flips to November.
For the first time ever, Mountaineer fans outside of the local television footprint will be able to watch the AT&T SportsNet telecast of Saturday's Youngstown State game on their computers, mobile streaming devices and smart televisions.
I have Roku, and I know there are lots of Apple TV users out there so it will be interesting to see how their viewing experiences go on Saturday. I would anticipate there could be a record-setting number of live viewers for our online partner SideArm to deal with this Saturday night.
Streaming video can sometimes be a tricky deal and hopefully everything goes well for everyone on Saturday!
Did you happen to catch Rasul Douglas's interception in the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles' 18-12 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night? It came near the Eagles' goal line and helped preserve their six-point victory.
Nearly all of the student tickets have been claimed for Saturday's game and if everyone shows up, the crowd should approach 58,000, according to senior associate athletic director Matt Wells. By the way, one of those students happens to be my daughter, Sydney, a WVU freshman this year.
Ticket sales experienced a boost this week following the Mountaineers' 26-point win over Tennessee last Saturday in Charlotte.
For those of you who missed the football uniform reveal on football's official twitter site, @WVUfootball, the combination this week is blue helmet, blue jersey and white pants. I am told uniform combinations will be announced two days before each game at 6 p.m., for those of you who are interested.
That in itself is a good reason to follow @WVUfootball in twitter, based on the number of times I am asked during the course of the day leading up to the game what uniform combination the team is wearing.
WVU Varsity Club Director Dale Wolfley said he is thrilled with the turnout for this year's 30thanniversary reunion for the 1988 football team. The Wolfman says approximately 50 former players will be back on campus this evening for a team reception and will remain in town for tomorrow evening's home opener against Youngstown State.
Among the key players from that team returning to Morgantown include quarterback Major Harris, wide receiver Reggie Rembert, defensive standouts Renaldo Turnbull and Mike Fox, as well as team captains John Stroia, Kevin Koken and Bo Orlando.
I am told Stroia, Koken, Orlando and Harris will be on the field for the ceremonial coin toss at the beginning of the game.
The entire team, including its coach Don Nehlen, will be recognized on the field at the end of the first quarter, according to assistant athletic director for sports marketing Nathanial Zinn.
And finally, here are a few takeaways from the 2018-19 men's basketball schedule released earlier this week. For the first time since West Virginia's inaugural season in the Big 12 in 2012-13, the Mountaineers will open conference play at home instead of on the road.
Big 12 play for the Mountaineers will tip off on a Wednesday night (Jan. 2 without the students) against Texas Tech instead of beginning with two games on the road as has been the case since 2013-14.
WVU will also not have any back-to-back road games in league play this year, meaning West Virginia will have to cross times zones nine different times this season instead of eight as has been the case for the last five years.
What other Power 5 team in America will change times zones nine different times to play its conference schedule this season? I think you know that answer.
Also, the final four Saturdays of conference play this year will be on the road, making things a little more challenging for the sports marketing staff because Saturday games are historically the most well-attended games near the end of the regular season when coach Bob Huggins' teams usually are peaking.
One other unique scheduling tidbit: for the fourth straight year West Virginia will play a Wednesday night game in Ames, Iowa, after coming off its Big 12/SEC Challenge game, this year at Tennessee.
Last year, it was Kentucky at home and then a trip to Ames, two years ago Texas A&M at home and then a trip to Ames, and in 2016 it was a trip to Florida followed by another trip to Ames.
What is the statistical likelihood of the scheduling computer spitting out that scenario four straight times?
Meanwhile, the Backyard Brawl returns to Morgantown on Saturday, Dec. 8, and will likely be televised nationally once again.
Early December is when West Virginia has been able to capitalize on appealing regional games such as last year when 12,816 came out to the Coliseum to see WVU knock off the Cavaliers, and I would anticipate another big crowd for the Panthers this year.
I also anticipate a big crowd on Saturday night to cheer on the 14th-ranked Mountaineers in the home opener against Youngstown State.
For those of you coming to Morgantown, we'll see you at the stadium.
Have a great weekend!
Coaches sent upstairs sometimes complain that it can be somewhat of a sterile environment compared to being on the field where the action is taking place. That's where most coaches want to be because it helps them get a better feel for the environment and how their players are reacting to it.
It also gives them a chance to see their players' eyes, which oftentimes reveal far more than what they are saying.
But being up top also serves a critical role as well. The guys in the booth are the eyes from above for Holgorsen and coordinators Tony Gibson and Jake Spavital.
That's where formations, blocking schemes and personnel groupings are more easily identified. Coaches in the booth have to be able to give the decision makers on the field the necessary information they need, but at the same time tend to their individual players.
Therefore, clearly these guys working upstairs have to have their stuff together.
"It can be extremely hard," admitted veteran defensive line coach Bruce Tall, Gibson's eyes in the sky.
For instance, last Saturday Tall spent some extra time on the field during pregame warmups to make sure he had a feel for how hot things were to give him a better idea of how much he needed to rotate his players.
He also has to take maximum advantage of the short time he has with his players at halftime to understand what they're seeing and comprehending. Because he can't be right there with his guys while the game is going on, Tall relies heavily on graduate assistant coach Julian Miller when he's up in the booth."Coach Julian Miller and I are on the phone right away on a separate line," Tall said. "What I'm doing is I will have him ask direct questions to the guys and then I will go back and have him ask them again, and I challenge him to look at their facial expressions and the things I want to see."
Of course, that's after he's done giving Gibson the information he needs to make the defensive calls.
Tall is perfectly suited for this vital role because of his vast experiences as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator, as well as his long history working with Gibson dating back to the mid-2000s on Rich Rodriguez's WVU staff.
Tall and Gibson have the most experience coaching West Virginia's unorthodox 3-3 stack scheme.
"I'm looking more at what they do, watching their blocking schemes and what they're doing protection wise," Tall said. "I try and have that done pretty quickly so I can give him the information from the previous series and then move on."
Because so many things are happening at once, that's why you frequently hear coaches say they need to study the tape before making firm assessments of how their guys played.
They have a general idea, but a lot of the specific things require more detailed study later that evening.
"You see the things at the point of attack, but you can't see stuff on the backside sometimes, so you're figuring that out after you grade the tape and study it more," Tall said. "You talk to your players and hope they understand what's going on. We had some good conversations at halftime (last Saturday) and the more the guys understand the blocking schemes the more they can help each other and get through some things."
During the Tennessee game, Tall had a full hour to go over things with his guys because of two different lightning delays. Normally, he would have less than a third of that time before having to hustle back upstairs to the booth to get into position for the second half.
"You are in and out of there, usually," he concluded.
Interesting stuff.
Now, some more Mountaineer sports notes to take you into the weekend …
***
Perhaps the most interesting stat from last Saturday's victory over Tennessee was the number of TFLs produced by the seven defensive linemen who got into the game: 7 ½. That's more than half the total number of 12 TFLs the defense produced.According to Tony Gibson, defensive end Jabril Robinson's 37 snaps were the most among the defensive linemen last Saturday.
That kind of depth is really going to help the Mountaineers late in the season when the calendar flips to November.
***
For the first time ever, Mountaineer fans outside of the local television footprint will be able to watch the AT&T SportsNet telecast of Saturday's Youngstown State game on their computers, mobile streaming devices and smart televisions.
I have Roku, and I know there are lots of Apple TV users out there so it will be interesting to see how their viewing experiences go on Saturday. I would anticipate there could be a record-setting number of live viewers for our online partner SideArm to deal with this Saturday night.
Streaming video can sometimes be a tricky deal and hopefully everything goes well for everyone on Saturday!
***
Did you happen to catch Rasul Douglas's interception in the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles' 18-12 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night? It came near the Eagles' goal line and helped preserve their six-point victory.
***
Nearly all of the student tickets have been claimed for Saturday's game and if everyone shows up, the crowd should approach 58,000, according to senior associate athletic director Matt Wells. By the way, one of those students happens to be my daughter, Sydney, a WVU freshman this year.
Ticket sales experienced a boost this week following the Mountaineers' 26-point win over Tennessee last Saturday in Charlotte.
***
For those of you who missed the football uniform reveal on football's official twitter site, @WVUfootball, the combination this week is blue helmet, blue jersey and white pants. I am told uniform combinations will be announced two days before each game at 6 p.m., for those of you who are interested.
That in itself is a good reason to follow @WVUfootball in twitter, based on the number of times I am asked during the course of the day leading up to the game what uniform combination the team is wearing.
***
WVU Varsity Club Director Dale Wolfley said he is thrilled with the turnout for this year's 30thanniversary reunion for the 1988 football team. The Wolfman says approximately 50 former players will be back on campus this evening for a team reception and will remain in town for tomorrow evening's home opener against Youngstown State.Among the key players from that team returning to Morgantown include quarterback Major Harris, wide receiver Reggie Rembert, defensive standouts Renaldo Turnbull and Mike Fox, as well as team captains John Stroia, Kevin Koken and Bo Orlando.
I am told Stroia, Koken, Orlando and Harris will be on the field for the ceremonial coin toss at the beginning of the game.
The entire team, including its coach Don Nehlen, will be recognized on the field at the end of the first quarter, according to assistant athletic director for sports marketing Nathanial Zinn.
***
And finally, here are a few takeaways from the 2018-19 men's basketball schedule released earlier this week. For the first time since West Virginia's inaugural season in the Big 12 in 2012-13, the Mountaineers will open conference play at home instead of on the road.Big 12 play for the Mountaineers will tip off on a Wednesday night (Jan. 2 without the students) against Texas Tech instead of beginning with two games on the road as has been the case since 2013-14.
WVU will also not have any back-to-back road games in league play this year, meaning West Virginia will have to cross times zones nine different times this season instead of eight as has been the case for the last five years.
What other Power 5 team in America will change times zones nine different times to play its conference schedule this season? I think you know that answer.
Also, the final four Saturdays of conference play this year will be on the road, making things a little more challenging for the sports marketing staff because Saturday games are historically the most well-attended games near the end of the regular season when coach Bob Huggins' teams usually are peaking.
One other unique scheduling tidbit: for the fourth straight year West Virginia will play a Wednesday night game in Ames, Iowa, after coming off its Big 12/SEC Challenge game, this year at Tennessee.
Last year, it was Kentucky at home and then a trip to Ames, two years ago Texas A&M at home and then a trip to Ames, and in 2016 it was a trip to Florida followed by another trip to Ames.
What is the statistical likelihood of the scheduling computer spitting out that scenario four straight times?
Meanwhile, the Backyard Brawl returns to Morgantown on Saturday, Dec. 8, and will likely be televised nationally once again.
Early December is when West Virginia has been able to capitalize on appealing regional games such as last year when 12,816 came out to the Coliseum to see WVU knock off the Cavaliers, and I would anticipate another big crowd for the Panthers this year.
I also anticipate a big crowd on Saturday night to cheer on the 14th-ranked Mountaineers in the home opener against Youngstown State.
For those of you coming to Morgantown, we'll see you at the stadium.
Have a great weekend!
Players Mentioned
DL
/ FootballJohn Neider | April 18
Saturday, April 18
Coach Zac Alley | April 18
Saturday, April 18
Coach Rich Rodriguez | April 18
Saturday, April 18
Coach Pat Kirkland | April 15
Thursday, April 16
