Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineer Football Notebook
April 02, 2019 04:28 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – There are a lot of cat-and-mouse games going on right now with Vic Koenning's Mountaineer defense playing the role of the cat.
Last Saturday, co-offensive coordinator Matt Moore was not happy with the way his offensive line struggled to block Koenning's oncoming defenders.
The problem is, Koenning's guys are usually never where they're supposed to be and that can be a recipe for disaster when you're dealing with young and inexperienced offensive linemen.
"Our defense isn't the easiest to run the ball against," Moore said Tuesday afternoon. "They move a lot, and that's fine because it helps us in the long run, but the growing pains are tough with all of the moving they do."
The growing pains on Saturday came in the form of unblocked defenders running right into running backs 4 and 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
That's to be expected just halfway through spring football practice in the first year of a new offense. Plus, Koenning's guys defend the same plays every day so they know what to expect. That's why offensive coaches don't get too alarmed when they struggle to move the ball during the spring.
The alarming aspect is when the defense knows what's coming and can't stop it.
"They see those plays over and over and over and that gets frustrating for either the offense or the defense because does it mess with the timing? I don't know," quarterbacks coach Sean Reagan said. "It's something we've got to get better at, but it does make us better because they've seen those plays so much."
"There is no such thing as vanilla stuff with Coach Vic," Moore added. "The good thing is I've been with him for four years, and I've been through these growing pains before, and they're tough. The stuff that he does … you look at his defense year after year and it's tough to run the ball. We've been in this situation before. It's not fun, but it's something you have to work through."
Some of the timing aspect is also impacted by the position battles going on at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. It's difficult to get any continuity when so many different guys are on the field.
"When you are rotating three different quarterbacks, and he's not throwing to the same guy every time at Z, X and Y and when you don't have all 11 guys doing the same thing, that's what happens," Moore said. "It's early in our process of installing this offense so some of this is to be expected."
When Moore's young offensive linemen eventually get their legs underneath them and finds their way, he expects the defense to win one day and the offense the next.
"You want everyone getting better," Moore said.
What does he want to see this Saturday when they scrimmage for a second time this spring?
"I want to see us run the ball without free hitters and penetrators up front," he said. "I want us to get a hat on a hat, have a good base and good pad level, the running backs make a good read and the quarterbacks have the correct footwork to hand the ball off or to make their correct read to pull it.
"We've got playmakers. We've just got to get everybody on the same page," Moore concluded.
Briefly:
* Moore said Tuesday that junior Michael Brown is making strides at offensive guard working with the ones.
* Slot receiver Tevin Bush had a good week last week, according to Moore, although it didn't show up during last Saturday's scrimmage. "I think he maybe was trying a little too hard," Moore said.
* Reagan said his No. 1 deal with his three quarterbacks right now is processing things when they are in the pocket.
"Something we've got to do better as quarterbacks is get rid of the football or decide to run," Reagan explained. "That's just processing information and that's reps, reps and reps."
Reagan says that's simply a product of inexperience.
"When you look at all three, who has played a lot? None of them," he said. "Whoever wins the job hasn't started anywhere since high school. Jack (Allison) started the bowl game so he's got one."
Reagan said Austin Kendall and Allison are pretty similar in the pocket.
"Even when you are comparing Austin and Jack, both of them move well enough to tuck the ball and get yards," he said. "I think those two are similar. Now Trey (Lowe III), he runs a little bit better, but their mentality in the pocket is very similar. We want to throw the football first, but if it breaks down take off."
In the case of Lowe, it may be better for him to take off immediately.
"When Trey tucks it, he may be able to go the distance," Reagan said.
Another aspect Reagan is harping on with his quarterbacks is throwing the football at the proper time. Sometimes they are waiting too long to pull the trigger.
"When you see that guy covered and he's about to get open you've got to throw the ball," he said. "You have to trigger when they're covered and throw as they are getting open. If you wait until they're open they aren't.
"Sometimes we're triggering when we're supposed to and sometimes we're triggering when they're open and most of the times that's late. That's part of the timing aspect we've got to get better at."
* Inside receivers and tight ends coach Travis Trickett illustrated the value tight ends can bring to Neal Brown's offensive system. He says they can be three players in one.
"The great thing for a tight end here is you are going to be a complete guy," he said. "When a tight end is in the game you can be in an 11-personnel set, you can get into a 20-personnel set and you can get into a 10-personnel set, so the defense has to make a call to make adjustments.
"Hopefully, that vanilla-downs the defense a little bit," Trickett said. "That's what we want to create with the tight ends a little bit by keeping them on the field to create situational problems for the defense."
The versatile tight ends that can stay on the field at all times are obviously very valuable players to have.
"We want to be complete," Trickett said. "We want to have answers and that's the one thing coach Brown does a great job of. He's got some really good stuff that, as a coordinator for eight years, I'm sitting there going, 'That's good. I like that!' It's really exciting to be a part of that."
West Virginia is scheduled to practice today and Thursday and will have a closed scrimmage on Saturday.
Select players will be made available to the media before Thursday's practice and Brown will meet with media early afternoon on Saturday following the scrimmage.
The annual Gold-Blue Spring Game, presented by U.S. Cellular, will take place on Saturday, April 13 at 1 p.m. inside Milan Puskar Stadium.
Tickets are available in advance for $10 each and can be purchased online at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU GAME. WVU students will be admitted free with a valid ID. Information on the stadium, parking, game day activities, online streaming and television broadcast will be released at a later date.
A portion of the proceeds from the Gold-Blue Game once again will benefit WVU Medicine Children's. Since 1984, the Mountaineers have donated more than $740,000 to WVU Medicine Children's.
Last Saturday, co-offensive coordinator Matt Moore was not happy with the way his offensive line struggled to block Koenning's oncoming defenders.
The problem is, Koenning's guys are usually never where they're supposed to be and that can be a recipe for disaster when you're dealing with young and inexperienced offensive linemen.
"Our defense isn't the easiest to run the ball against," Moore said Tuesday afternoon. "They move a lot, and that's fine because it helps us in the long run, but the growing pains are tough with all of the moving they do."
The growing pains on Saturday came in the form of unblocked defenders running right into running backs 4 and 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
That's to be expected just halfway through spring football practice in the first year of a new offense. Plus, Koenning's guys defend the same plays every day so they know what to expect. That's why offensive coaches don't get too alarmed when they struggle to move the ball during the spring.
The alarming aspect is when the defense knows what's coming and can't stop it.
"They see those plays over and over and over and that gets frustrating for either the offense or the defense because does it mess with the timing? I don't know," quarterbacks coach Sean Reagan said. "It's something we've got to get better at, but it does make us better because they've seen those plays so much."
"There is no such thing as vanilla stuff with Coach Vic," Moore added. "The good thing is I've been with him for four years, and I've been through these growing pains before, and they're tough. The stuff that he does … you look at his defense year after year and it's tough to run the ball. We've been in this situation before. It's not fun, but it's something you have to work through."
Some of the timing aspect is also impacted by the position battles going on at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. It's difficult to get any continuity when so many different guys are on the field.
"When you are rotating three different quarterbacks, and he's not throwing to the same guy every time at Z, X and Y and when you don't have all 11 guys doing the same thing, that's what happens," Moore said. "It's early in our process of installing this offense so some of this is to be expected."
When Moore's young offensive linemen eventually get their legs underneath them and finds their way, he expects the defense to win one day and the offense the next.
"You want everyone getting better," Moore said.
What does he want to see this Saturday when they scrimmage for a second time this spring?
"I want to see us run the ball without free hitters and penetrators up front," he said. "I want us to get a hat on a hat, have a good base and good pad level, the running backs make a good read and the quarterbacks have the correct footwork to hand the ball off or to make their correct read to pull it.
"We've got playmakers. We've just got to get everybody on the same page," Moore concluded.
Briefly:
* Moore said Tuesday that junior Michael Brown is making strides at offensive guard working with the ones.
* Slot receiver Tevin Bush had a good week last week, according to Moore, although it didn't show up during last Saturday's scrimmage. "I think he maybe was trying a little too hard," Moore said.
* Reagan said his No. 1 deal with his three quarterbacks right now is processing things when they are in the pocket.
"Something we've got to do better as quarterbacks is get rid of the football or decide to run," Reagan explained. "That's just processing information and that's reps, reps and reps."
Reagan says that's simply a product of inexperience.
"When you look at all three, who has played a lot? None of them," he said. "Whoever wins the job hasn't started anywhere since high school. Jack (Allison) started the bowl game so he's got one."
Reagan said Austin Kendall and Allison are pretty similar in the pocket.
"Even when you are comparing Austin and Jack, both of them move well enough to tuck the ball and get yards," he said. "I think those two are similar. Now Trey (Lowe III), he runs a little bit better, but their mentality in the pocket is very similar. We want to throw the football first, but if it breaks down take off."
In the case of Lowe, it may be better for him to take off immediately.
"When Trey tucks it, he may be able to go the distance," Reagan said.
Another aspect Reagan is harping on with his quarterbacks is throwing the football at the proper time. Sometimes they are waiting too long to pull the trigger.
"When you see that guy covered and he's about to get open you've got to throw the ball," he said. "You have to trigger when they're covered and throw as they are getting open. If you wait until they're open they aren't.
"Sometimes we're triggering when we're supposed to and sometimes we're triggering when they're open and most of the times that's late. That's part of the timing aspect we've got to get better at."
* Inside receivers and tight ends coach Travis Trickett illustrated the value tight ends can bring to Neal Brown's offensive system. He says they can be three players in one.
"The great thing for a tight end here is you are going to be a complete guy," he said. "When a tight end is in the game you can be in an 11-personnel set, you can get into a 20-personnel set and you can get into a 10-personnel set, so the defense has to make a call to make adjustments.
"Hopefully, that vanilla-downs the defense a little bit," Trickett said. "That's what we want to create with the tight ends a little bit by keeping them on the field to create situational problems for the defense."
The versatile tight ends that can stay on the field at all times are obviously very valuable players to have.
"We want to be complete," Trickett said. "We want to have answers and that's the one thing coach Brown does a great job of. He's got some really good stuff that, as a coordinator for eight years, I'm sitting there going, 'That's good. I like that!' It's really exciting to be a part of that."
West Virginia is scheduled to practice today and Thursday and will have a closed scrimmage on Saturday.
Select players will be made available to the media before Thursday's practice and Brown will meet with media early afternoon on Saturday following the scrimmage.
The annual Gold-Blue Spring Game, presented by U.S. Cellular, will take place on Saturday, April 13 at 1 p.m. inside Milan Puskar Stadium.
Tickets are available in advance for $10 each and can be purchased online at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU GAME. WVU students will be admitted free with a valid ID. Information on the stadium, parking, game day activities, online streaming and television broadcast will be released at a later date.
A portion of the proceeds from the Gold-Blue Game once again will benefit WVU Medicine Children's. Since 1984, the Mountaineers have donated more than $740,000 to WVU Medicine Children's.
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