Photo by: Drew Mathis
WVU Assistants Wright, Trickett Offer Team Assessments
August 23, 2021 04:30 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sometimes it's better to trust the eyes of others, particularly when it comes to watching football practice.
Last week, West Virginia assistant coaches Dontae Wright and Travis Trickett visited with the media to offer their perspectives on their player units.
That meant Wright talking about his Mountaineer safeties and Trickett reviewing the tight end position he oversees.
But what I wanted to know was what they were seeing on the other side of the ball. Of course, Wright is part of a defensive staff trying to stop West Virginia's offense while Trickett is part of an offensive unit trying to exploit the Mountaineer defense.From Wright's point of view, he has seen significant growth in West Virginia's offense since he came on board here two years ago.
"Jarret Doege is playing at an extremely high level," Wright admitted. "I have to go in and remind my guys every day, 'You can't be mad about that. He just made an unbelievable throw.' He's making throws that I've never seen him make. His ability to move around in the pocket and keep himself alive and be able to get the ball into tight spots, recognizing coverages and where to go with the ball … he's not making bad decisions. And it's not that he made bad decisions before, but he's making the right decisions now.
"He has grown into a really, really good quarterback," Wright said.
Doege's play is not the only aspect of West Virginia's offense that has impressed Wright.
"Leddie (Brown) is Leddie. He's special, as we all know," he said. "The O-line has gotten tremendously better. They've really come together as a group and are physically stronger after a great summer. You can see that on film because our D-line is pretty salty, and they hold their own - more than their own."
The wide receivers?
Wright has been impressed with them as well.
"I have not seen Oklahoma, but from top to bottom, I'd be shocked to find a better top-to-bottom group of wide receivers than we have here. I know coach (Gerad) Parker will be mad at me for saying that, but that's the way I feel," he said. "Winston Wright is a problem. Bryce Ford- Wheaton is a problem. Sam James is a problem. Sean Ryan is a problem in his own way. They've got a really, really good group so there are really no weaknesses.
"They don't have Mike O (O'Laughlin), but he's really talented. (T.J.) Banks is talented and those young guys have talent and will be good. I'm really excited about what our offense can do. I'm excited to see them because we struggle mightily against them at times, and they struggled against us at times. We've got the potential to be really good, so we'll see what happens," he said.
Wright believes the daily battles on both sides of the ball are making both units much better.
"There has not been a practice where one side has just completely dominated, and that's what you want. A lot of position coaches on this side don't normally look at it that way, but I do. I look at bigger picture, and it really goes like that all practice long," he explained. "Even the plays that we're making, at times, those are completely contested and people are just making great football plays. There has not been a time when it's been bad ball, and it's really exciting to watch and fun of which to be a part.
"We're not anywhere close to being there, I'm not saying that by any means, but we've got the potential to be a really good football team if we continue to work and continue to progress," he added.
On the other side, Trickett highlighted some of the problems West Virginia's defense presents on a daily basis.
"Going into a game, it's like, 'Alright, this is what we expect.' This defensive coordinator has this identity based on film, based on tendencies and all of these reports we get so we know what we can possibly see. Then you have rules to bail you out if for some reason something comes up you haven't seen. But with our guys, we see everything you can possibly see. We see all different fronts, and every different snap, guys are coming from all over," he explained.
"Whatever you ID, and it could be a D-lineman, a linebacker, a safety or even a corner, so from a communication standpoint it stresses you, and that's where that growth has really helped us," Trickett noted.
When the tight ends must pass protect, there are instances when they are matched up one-on-one with Dante Stills, considered one of the best defensive linemen in college football this fall.
"We're on Dante Stills by formation and the tight end has got to block him … 'Hey, cowboy up and let's go!' That's been good because there are times when we block Dante and I let him know it," Trickett said. "Then he comes back and he makes it harder on my guys the next go-around. With routes it's the same deal."Ultimately, Trickett used the metaphor of "iron sharpening iron" whenever the two units are competing against each other, which is what all good football teams are seeking.
"They are a very complex defense. It blows my mind every day because I went against it in my last job and it was hard to get them all ID'd. Now I kind of know it, but it's really neat how it can enable those kids to play fast and know what to do, but it's so hard on an offense," he concluded.
West Virginia is scheduled to have a light practice today up at the Steve Antoline Family Practice Facility and then tomorrow the team will be under the lights at Milan Puskar Stadium for an evening, no-tackle scrimmage in front of the student body.
That practice will mark the conclusion of preseason camp and the beginning of full Maryland preparation beginning on Wednesday.
The Mountaineers and the Terrapins will open the 2021 season in College Park, Maryland, on Saturday, Sept. 4. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN and will kick off at 3:30 p.m.
Tickets for the 2021 home season remain on sale and can be purchased through the Mountaineer Ticket Office by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
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