West Virginia Spring Practice Notebook:

[wvjohn]

Spring Practice Notebook: Day 1

When reporters walked in through one of the tunnels at Milan Puskar Stadium just before 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, they were immediately greeted by an unfamiliar sight -- at least for what was only the first day of WVU's spring football practice.

There was the team’s offense, adorned in white jerseys (with a few exceptions), on one side. There was a line of scrimmage, on the other side of which stood the blue-clad defense.
Instead of just being a day to work out the rust and focus on lighter, position-by-position drills, this looked like football -- because it was.

The vast majority of the 30 minutes of practice reporters were permitted to watch consisted of “live” drills. Contact was limited, as players were, per NCAA rules, only wearing helmets for protection (no pads). But down-and-distance markers were in use and the drills certainly had an air of competition around them.

The following is a collection of notes from what transpired during the open period of practice:

Coaches on the new WVU offensive staff had said the new system coordinator Dana Holgorsen started installing Wednesday might look a bit ugly at first.
It didn’t take long for that to be borne out. On only the second play reporters got to watch, quarterback Geno Smith was intercepted by Brantwon Bowser on an out-pattern.

Head coach Bill Stewart later said that was the second interception of the day for Bowser.

In terms of the more fundamental things, however, coaches said they were pleased with the way offensive players have picked up the basics of the Holgorsen system.

Both offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh and inside receivers coach Shannon Dawson said there weren’t any major mental mistakes in terms of players lining up in the wrong spots or having issues with terminology.

Of course, Dawson said part of that stems from the way the system keeps players in largely the same place on the field, saying he was confident he could even get this reporter lined up properly with relative ease (but expressing far less faith in my route running ability).

Few players were limited on the first day of drills due to injury, but as expected, both Don Barclay and Jeff Braun were in red jerseys and not participating as they continue to recover from offseason surgeries.
They were joined in red by safety Eain Smith and walk-on defensive lineman Donovan Pearson, who, like Barclay and Braun, are not expected to participate in essentially any of the actual practice portions of spring drills. Instead, the four will be left to take “mental reps.”

The change in West Virginia's offensive schemes was seen by many as a major blow to the chances of playing time for Tyler Urban, since tight ends have been used minimally at Holgorsen’s previous coaching stops.
However, if the first day of drills is any indication, Urban should be just fine. He lined up at the “Y” receiver position and was a consistent problem for the defense, catching several balls between the hashes for gains of 8-15 yards.

That impressed his new position coach, Dawson, who shared what he had told Urban shortly after he arrived in Morgantown.

“If you make plays, you’ll get on the field,” Dawson said. “Bottom line.”

Attempting to come up with a list of first- and second-team offensive players early in spring might be a lost cause.
Players who are presumptive starters at positions like receiver (including Brad Starks, Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin) and running back (Shawne Alston and Trey Johnson) all took reps with quarterbacks Brian Athey and Paul Millard, as well as Smith.

Athey and Millard both had plenty of chances to show what they could do, as Holgorsen seemed to follow through on his promise of a few weeks ago that all three quarterbacks would see roughly equivalent numbers of snaps in spring drills.

Neither Athey or Millard looked rattled on their first day of practice in college football. Millard calmly completed a pass to Urban to convert on a third-and-8 play, fitting the ball through a small seam in the defense.

Athey had his share of highlights as well, but got a rude awakening at one point when defensive lineman Jorge Wright charged into the pocket and blocked one of his passes with both hands before nearly grabbing the interception.


Beyond Bowser’s two picks, the defensive star of the day was, to no one’s surprise, Bruce Irvin. He made multiple plays in the little time reporters got to watch practice, earning a “sack” of Smith at one point (all quarterbacks are wearing gold jerseys, signaling they are not to be touched) and what would have been an easy tackle for loss on an Alston run later.
Stewart later said that was only a small sampling of what Irvin had done in practice, indicating that “no one blocked [Irvin] all day.”

Indeed, after earning that would-be TFL on Alston, Irvin turned and barked towards the offensive players who were waiting for their chance to get in. “That’s 10!” he exclaimed. It wasn’t immediately clear what statistic Irvin was referring to.


Running backs, like quarterbacks, also saw roughly the same number of reps. Alston, Ryan Clarke and Trey Johnson (who was wearing jersey number 7 as opposed to last year's 21), all had their chances to show their stuff.
Clarke made one impressive run between the tackles early, showing a burst of speed that belies his larger frame. That drew raves from his new position coach, Robert Gillespie. “Way to get skinny!” Gillespie offered in encouragement.


Beyond Johnson’s jersey change, other players in different numbers included Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.
Austin is listed still as No. 1, but was in a No. 8 jersey Wednesday. Bailey’s change might be more long-lasting, as the former No. 10 was listed as No. 3 on the roster -- and, indeed, he wore No. 3 during drills.


While each offensive assistant is listed as dealing with a particular position, those terms might be a bit overrated when it comes to the way the Mountaineer offense will now practice.
After the “live” drills were completed, players broke up for small-group instruction on a position-by-position basis. But Dawson didn’t work exclusively with inside receivers and Gillespie didn’t focus solely on running backs. Instead, all of the offensive positions (except the offensive line, which did work separately with Bedenbaugh) went through three drill rotations.

Dawson worked with inside receivers first, then the running backs, then the outside receivers, putting them through a ball security drill.

After each position finished with Dawson, those players would then move to a station with Holgorsen and newly-hired assistant Daron Roberts. There, they ran short post patterns, focused on catching the ball with their hands and ran through the catch, where they were quickly met with a swipe from a large pad, aimed at ensuring they secured the ball after the catch.

Finally, they moved to a drill with Gillespie, where players would catch a short, soft pass, turn around and quickly chop their feet while moving forward. As they high-stepped, they went through a “gauntlet” of sorts, composed of other players waiting to take their turn, who swiped at the ball in an attempt to jar it loose.


As far as the offensive line goes, the final minutes of practice were largely fundamental in nature. Bedenbaugh stressed proper hip angles (emphasizing that players should stay square to the line of scrimmage) and working them through a few drills surrounding proper backpedal technique for pass protection.
“Good,”

[wvjohn]

Spring Practice Notebook: Day 2

On only the second day of a spring practice period that will apparently be defined by results of competitive drills that pit West Virginia's offensive and defensive players directly against each other, players on both sides of the line of scrimmage had reason to hold their heads high after making some highlight-reel plays.


Again, almost the entire portion of practice reporters were allowed to watch was devoted to competitive, offense-versus-defense “live action” drills.
As we strolled onto the playing surface of Mountaineer Field just before 5:30 p.m., a modified 7-on-7 drill was underway, with a trio of managers holding large pads high up in the air in the area where the defensive line would be, forcing quarterbacks to throw around the simulated defenders.

It wasn’t clear how long that particular set-up had been in effect before reporters arrived, but shortly after, it ended. The offensive and defensive lines joined the action (they had been working against each other in the open area between the south end zone and the Milan Puskar Center) and went to work -- even though players were again, per NCAA rules, not in full pads.


Both sides had plays to add to their respective highlight reels once practice moved to 11-on-11 work.
For the offense, receivers Tavon Austin and Tyler Urban both impressed again.

Urban was less frequently targeted by WVU quarterbacks than he was on Wednesday, but he still ran solid routes and made a nice play to scoop up a low throw from Brian Athey without diving to the ground, keeping his feet to give himself the chance to add yards after the catch.

Austin put his impressive burst on display several times, as the junior caught several short and intermediate passes and got upfield quickly.

Because players were not in pads, there were no true tackle attempts -- defenders essentially served as “pursuers” and plays were whistled dead as they approached ball-carriers -- it was tough to gauge how far the receptions would have gone for, but suffice to say Austin showed off his ability to play in space.

But there was one play where freshman quarterback Paul Millard found Austin downfield for what would have easily been a gain of 30 yards, and could have been more had the receiver had the chance to make people miss after the catch.

Nearer to the wide edge of the field, Ivan McCartney also got in on the act, making catches from all three quarterbacks (Athey, Millard and presumptive starter Geno Smith). The Miramar, Fla., native had multiple catches near the sideline that were good for gains of more than 20 yards.


Defensively, Mountaineer newcomer and junior college transfer Josh Francis made his first big play as a Division I linebacker, reading Athey’s eyes on one play and positioning himself perfectly for an easy interception.
Had the play been truly “live action,” Francis would have had plenty of room to run on a long return. As things stood, play was whistled dead after he moved about 20 yards toward the end zone after picking the ball off near the defense’s 40-yard line.

Fellow linebacker Branko Busick had his chance for an interception as well, easily getting both hands on a pass early in the drill. But somehow, the ball fell to the turf, leaving the soon-to-be redshirt sophomore frustrated -- and an easy target for his teammates, who wasted little time chiding him for the mistake.


Tempo has been a subject of considerable discussion since Dana Holgorsen was hired as the Mountaineers’ offensive coordinator and head coach in waiting, and the first signs of the new staff’s emphasis on fast play were witnessed Friday.
Though the majority of snaps were taken at a moderate pace, there were about four or five occasions where the offense went into overdrive. Both first-teamers and those further down the depth chart had a chance to show their ability to quickly process a play call, get lined up and start the play, hoping to catch the blue-clad defense off guard.

There seemed to be no obvious issues of confusion on either side of things. Offensive players all reacted to the increased speed admirably, but their counterparts on defense weren’t caught napping, either.

Communication on both sides was key, as the volume level during those “quick change” situations rose considerably. Members of the secondary could be heard calling out coverage schemes, while offensive linemen quickly tried to discern who was responsible for blocking which position.

As a result, there were no significant plays for either side as a result of the tempo change. However, defensive lineman Bruce Irvin, eager as ever to rush the quarterback, did jump offside in his zeal on one of those plays.


In general, the Holgorsen offense's roots in the Bill Walsh-era "West Coast" attack was on full display Friday.
Defenders had a hard time dealing with short and intermediate routes, as quarterbacks had many options to throw to for steady gains. Few passes so much as fell incomplete, and there were no obvious "negative" yardage plays.

There were a few longer pass attempts thrown in for good measure, but the majority of the passing plays resulted in moderate gains.


As it did on Wednesday, WVU finished practice with what it is calling a “ball security/turnover circuit.” Offensive players rotated among three different stations with various position coaches, working on the finer points of locking the ball away mid-run and after the catch.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the field, defenders worked on techniques to strip the ball and otherwise generate turnovers.


West Virginia’s third spring practice period is to be held Saturday afternoon. Players will be in shells for the first time.
Be sure to check back with BlueGoldNews.com this weekend for more from Friday’s practice, including interviews with several players, as well as full coverage of Saturday’s session

[wvjohn]

Spring Practice Notebook: Day 3

Sleet and snow chased West Virginia's football team indoors for the third practice of the spring on Saturday, but the enthusiasm was still high within the confines of the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility.


WVU's first day in partial pads (shells) also marked the third and final day of the initial installation of the new offensive system, and Mountaineer offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen admitted that a number of mistakes were apparent as phase one drew to a close. However, he was also happy with the enthusiasm he saw, which was also echoed by the coaching staff.

“The thing I like more than anything is the tempo and the effort that these guys are playing with. You can’t really tell until you get them out here and actually play, but for the most part the effort has been really good and they’re a lot of tough guys. The [quarterbacks] stare a hole through me sometimes, because they don’t get it, and that’s what they are supposed to do. If they get it they turn, and if they don’t get it they stare at me, and that bothers me at times. “

Holgorsen, who watches each play from an angle behind the offense, was a bit more animated during Saturday's practice than he was the first two days, but didn't have any volcanic explosions. He understands the teaching is just beginning, and big displays of emotion aren't going to help in the early stages of the teaching process. Still, he also has a limit to his patience.

“We aren't going to get mad about mistakes,” Holgorsen said. “We're going to get mad if effort is bad. As the spring goes and and we make the same mistakes, that's when you'd see me get angry.”

Although he hasn't faced snow before, Holgorsen noted that the late snow shower isn't the only weather interruption he has seen during spring drills. Hail and wind storms in Texas created issues for practices at Texas Tech.

* * *

Running back Daquan Hargrett continues to impress. He is running the ball with the most authority of anyone in the early going, and is showing a good burst through the line. He also catches the ball on screen and swing passes well, and uses blockers effectively before making a solid cut and getting upfield. Full contact with tackling included may tell a different tale, but for now Hargrett has been the most consistent of all the backs. Trey Johnson and freshman Vernard Roberts have also had some good showings out of the backfield.

* * *

The defensive line had a very dominant stretch during a brief one-on-one drill during Saturday's practice. For a stretch of about ten reps, defensive linemen defeated their opponents and got to a tackling dummy which stands in for the quarterback. Bruce Irvin unveiled an improved bull rush that sent a pair of opponents back into the QB, and Julian Miller, Jorge Wright, Josh Taylor and J.B. Lageman all had wins during the impressive streak.

* * *

In full 11-on-11 work, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Ryan Nehlen all had long pass receptions as the offense worked on first-, second- and third-down plays. Tyler Urban was again a standout target for Geno Smith, and J.D. Woods also had a pair of nice catches along the sideline. While there was a great deal of hype the past couple of days about a possible 100-catch receiver in the WVU offense, it's just as likely that this unit might produce three or four players with 50 catches. With the focus on developing as many as eight receivers with the ability to play, it might not be a stretch to see Austin, Urban, Bailey, and Bradly Starks put up those sorts of numbers. As receivers coach Shannon Dawson has noted repeatedly, “the ball with find the playmakers”.

Making full judgments about the offense versus the defense can be misleading at this point, as each side is concentrating on installing their systems and teaching. While the offense is putting in its new scheme, focus on the defensive side is on bringing along a host of newcomers and backups who may play vital roles this year. Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel indicated that his defense isn't gearing up to stop the offense during the spring – it's simply trying to start from the beginning and learn all of the basics of his system.

That said, the defense has had its moments as well. Josh Francis is a physical player at linebacker that should make his presence felt early, and Vance Roberts, twin of Vernard, is also a physical, take-no-prisoners type at cornerback, although he's still working to learn the coverages in the defense. The defensive line also got better pressure on the quarterbacks during 11-on-11 drills, batting down a pair of passes and forcing the quarterbacks to relocate in the pocket on several other occasions.

* * *

Experimentation and shuffling continues up and down the lineup on both sides of the ball. On Saturday, Tyler Anderson, Najee Goode and Branko Busick formed the “first team” linebacking trio, after Francis and Casey Vance had time in those roles on Friday. More mixing and matching occurred in the secondary, making any attempts to put together a depth chart at this point an exercise in frustration. With games still five months away, that's not a priority at this point, of course.

* * *

Specialists continue to to do work mostly on their own, with no special teams periods being conducted in public view during the first week. Punters Corey Smith and Michael Molinari did spend part of Saturday's practice kicking into the nets that surround the indoor facility field.

* * *

Linebacker Doug Rigg has been hampered with a leg problem, but did return to a blue jersey for Saturday's scrimmage.

* * *

Practices continue next week on Wednesday in full pads – the first such session of the spring

[wvjohn]

Spring Practice Notebook: Day 4

After a three-day hiatus, the West Virginia football team got back to work in spring practice, spending its first day in full pads Wednesday morning -- and the already-competitive tenor of drills was further raised as physical play became the rule of the day.


Tyler Urban continues to be the biggest standout of the spring, as the converted inside receiver made multiple catches across the middle of the field, much as he had in the first three sessions as well.
But just as observers started to wonder if Urban would solely be a threat between the hashes, the former tight end was used on a play that was typically more suited to smaller, quicker players like Jock Sanders and Tavon Austin in recent years.

Indeed, the bubble screen made an appearance -- and, surprisingly, it was Urban on the receiving end of Geno Smith’s pass. His fellow receivers did a solid job of blocking on the play, and Urban showed a bit of power, finishing his run after the catch by lowering his shoulder, powering through the tackler and falling forward for an extra yard or two on what was about an 8-yard gain.


On both sides of the ball, wholesale substitutions have been the name of the game, mixing and matching personnel groupings with one or two changes to put players in positions to show their skills with different teammates around them.
Offensively, this tactic has been used often to give quarterbacks Paul Millard and Brian Athey a chance to rep with what would otherwise be the first-team offense at this point. Wednesday was probably the roughest day so far for the two freshmen at that position. That’s not to say that either made egregious errors, but both struggled to make plays.

That was evident on one play, when the offense, with Millard in at quarterback, looked completely disjointed on one play. Defensive lineman Bruce Irvin pressured Millard, forcing the young quarterback to roll out, and receivers failed to make appropriate adjustments, leading to a near sack and a throw-away.

That caused offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, who has largely been quiet in the times media has gotten to watch practice, to declare to nobody in particular, “That is so bad.”


Athey did not take many reps during the 25 minutes or so of “live” football media members got to watch toward the end of practice. That coincided with a few more snaps for starting quarterback Geno Smith, who had his moments of glory Wednesday.
He tossed a touchdown pass of about 67 yards to Brad Starks on what was a simple “go” route from the outside receiver. Starks put a quick move on cornerback Ishmael Banks and got a bit of separation from the defender. Smith placed the ball perfectly, allowing Starks to catch it in stride and run in for the score.


That was the first salvo of a bit of a personal battle between Starks and Banks. A few plays later, the receiver complained of Banks holding his face mask while trying to run a route -- a charge Banks feigned ignorance to.
Regardless, Starks found his own way to get a bit of revenge. On a later running play, Starks acted as though he was running a pass route, then straightened up and charged out into Banks, knocking the cornerback on his rear end with a rare “pancake” block for a receiver.

“That’s what you get,” Starks said to Banks, as he turned around and headed back towards the sideline.


Much of the focus of the first few days has rightly been paid to Irvin, the defensive lineman who head coach Bill Stewart said “still hasn’t been blocked” by anyone, as of Wednesday.
Again, Irvin had at least two plays in the short period of time reporters were allowed to watch practice that would have been sacks had defenders been permitted to hit quarterbacks.

But Julian Miller showed he is no slouch coming off the other end of the line as well, schooling offensive tackle Quinton Spain on one play, faking a move to the inside before turning back outside and simply running around Spain to get into the backfield, forcing an early throw from Smith that ended with a drop from Ivan McCartney.


The running back position continues to be a revolving door, as five players are all vying to earn substantial playing time. All have alternately been impressive.
Daquan Hargrett had his moment to shine Wednesday, taking advantage of a spread-out defense on one inside handoff late in drills, bursting through the middle of the field and going untouched on what was a 65-yard touchdown run.

As far as the larger power backs go, Matt Lindamood caught the eye of position coach Robert Gillespie, making several solid blocks in pass protection and coming out of the backfield to make a pair of catches.

Lindamood may push teammate Ryan Clarke for playing time among the bigger backs, while Hargrett is part of a position battle with Shawne Alston and Trey Johnson.


The aforementioned Johnson was the intended receiver of a pass from Smith at one point, but the ball bounced off his shoulder and popped into the air just long enough for Tyler Anderson to pick it off near the sidelines.
That was the only turnover committed during the time media was permitted to watch practice.


We have previously described the specifics of the ball security circuit the offense concludes each practice with, as skill position players rotate among three different stations to focus on different aspects of preventing turnovers.
While those drills proceed on one end of the Mountaineer Field surface, the blue-clad defense focuses on techniques aimed at causing turnovers.

Cornerbacks work with position coach David Lockwood on getting one arm across a ball-carrier’s body and grasping at the football before “ripping” it away from the offensive player’s torso. They then are specifically taught not to bend down and pick the ball up, but instead to go after it in a “scooping” motion -- something Lockwood had to emphasize to multiple players Wednesday.

Meanwhile, linebackers go through a sequence that likely has a two-fold purpose. One set of players holds footballs around chest level, then those players quickly raise the ball over their heads. At that point, the set of players actually being drilled makes an aggressive move to hit the football and jar it loose as quickly as possible.

Visually, this mimics the way a linebacker would jump up to try to keep an opposing receiver from catching a ball (knocking it away at its highest point) and what those players would do if they get to an opposing quarterback in the middle of his throwing motion, trying to force a fumble.

Defensive linemen and safeties also have their own respective drills, which we’ll dissect further as practices continue

[wvjohn]

Spring Practice Notebook: Day 5

While West Virginia’s players were only wearing shoulder pads, helmets and shorts, their Friday workout was far more physical than the one that preceded it on Wednesday -- and that was the Mountaineers’ first day in full pads.

Indeed, there was no lack of contact in the portion of practice media members were permitted to watch Friday. Shoulder pads and helmets were popping all over the field, and the requisite trash talk that accompanies those big hits also made plenty of appearances.
As reporters arrived, offensive and defensive players were pitted in an 11-on-11 battle, with the white-clad offense taking snaps from its own 2-yard line and trying to work its way away from its end zone.

The defense, as it did most of the day, held the upper hand. Only a tough run from running back Daquan Hargrett (who fought through a tackle attempt from reserve Wes Tonkery) served to move the ball very far forward.

Shortly after, Ryan Clarke got his chance to take a rep as the running back. But newcomer Josh Francis popped Clarke right in the midsection, jarring the ball free of Clarke’s grasp. Fellow linebacker Jewone Snow pounced on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

That was essentially the end of Clarke’s day, as the running back was tasked with running around the perimeter of the field for the remainder of practice as a punitive measure for his inability to secure the football.

Francis, meanwhile, was just getting started. The junior college transfer gave offensive players fits all evening and made several big hits (some that were too big, in fact, for a day players weren’t in full pads -- coaches had to emphasize Francis was not to take players to the ground).

He showed impressive speed and agility in getting around blocks and his physical presence is readily apparent.


Skill position players continued to work against each other in a skeleton 7-on-7 drill while the offensive and defensive lines moved to opposite ends of the field to work with their respective position coaches. There were no down-and-distance markers in use, and plays were blown dead before tackles were made.
On one play, Brad Starks (perhaps the star of the day for the offense) made an impressive break from his stance to juke his way around cornerback Keith Tandy (who was in press coverage) before taking off straight upfield. Freshman quarterback Paul Millard found Starks in stride for what would have been an easy 80-yard touchdown.

Receivers further down the depth chart also took advantage of the opportunity to show their skills.

Pete Miller (not to be confused with cornerback Pat Miller) was on the receiving end of a pass from Geno Smith -- a throw which barely had enough air under it to keep a leaping Brodrick Jenkins from an interception -- for a gain of more than 30 yards.

But Pete Miller got a rude awakening shortly thereafter. He was walloped by Pat Miller after fielding a short screen pass, drawing yells of appreciation from the defenders on one sideline. Pete Miller didn’t take too kindly to the hit, and promptly jumped up, got in Pat Miller’s face mask to share a few choice words before throwing the football at the defender’s head.

Teammates got involved to keep the incident from further escalating, but it reflected the increasingly competitive nature of action between West Virginia’s offense and its defense.


The skeleton drill showed off a couple of key points about that offense.
First, Dana Holgorsen’s system may be known for putting up gaudy numbers, but at its core, it really seems rooted in the old West Coast offense popularized by Bill Walsh. Many of the routes run on any given play are short-to-moderate patterns.

The bigger gains, both in the running and passing games, come when the defense tries too hard to account for those shorter throws, leaving lanes for running backs and receivers to chew up bigger chunks of yardage.

But even short routes aren’t always so easy. So much of Holgorsen’s system relies on timing between quarterbacks and receivers, and that will be a work in progress all the way up until WVU’s first game of the season.

That was evidenced by Smith, who tried to throw a ball to receiver Ryan Nehlen before Nehlen even broke his route -- something that, when it works, shows high-level coordination between players at those two positions. But this did not, as the ball arrived at the spot long before Nehlen did, and it skipped harmlessly along the turf.


The linemen returned to the field after the skeleton drill competed, and the Mountaineers went full-scale 11-on-11 for the last few periods of practice.
The team’s defense again wasted little time adding to its highlight reel. On only the second play of the drill, Smith attempted to throw a quick slant to Starks. But defensive lineman Bruce Irvin was there, having timed his leap perfectly to get both hands on the ball. It fluttered towards the middle of the field, where it was picked off by a diving Najee Goode.

Not to be outdone, fellow defensive lineman Julian Miller also batted down a Smith pass. Darwin Cook blew up a screen pass that was completed to inside receiver Tyler Urban. Pat Miller again registered a big hit, this time on inside receiver Coley White.

Millard was intercepted late in the drill by Brodrick Jenkins on an underthrown pass intended for Tavon Austin. Safety Terence Garvin followed that up by stepping in front of a later pass Smith intended for Austin and picking the ball off for what would have easily been a touchdown.

That’s not to say the offense didn’t have its share of success. Reserve receiver Willie Millhouse took advantage of a blown coverage and hauled in a pass of about 60 yards from Smith.

Wide receiver Ivan McCartney did his best Babe Ruth impression, calling his own shot by yelling “Touchdown!” just before the snap on one play, then badly beating Jenkins for what would have been a 65-yard scoring play.

Stedman Bailey also made a couple of nice catches on underneath patterns, and Hargrett again continued to shine at running back with a couple of additional tough runs.

But in general, this was a day dominated by the team’s defense.


The white shirts won’t have to wait long to try to take back the upper hand.
West Virginia will practice again Saturday afternoon, this time in full pads. Be sure to check back with BlueGoldNews.com for full coverage from that session, plus interviews with Mountaineer players and coaches.

[wvjohn]

Spring Practice Notebook: Day 6

The battle between the Mountaineers’ offense and defense may have come to a stalemate on Saturday, but that doesn’t mean there was any lack of explosive plays on either side of the line of scrimmage.

The following is a collection of notes from the WVU football team’s Saturday afternoon practice in full pads:

Once the team went to 11-on-11 work, the offense wasted little time in gaining the upper hand.
Its first play was a bomb from Geno Smith to J.D. Woods, who got behind the defense and ran in easily for a 65-yard touchdown. The progress didn’t stop there, as all told, five of the first six plays from scrimmage went for 10 yards or more.

It looked as though the seventh play was destined for similar success. The offense lined up in a “diamond” formation with three running backs surrounding Smith in the backfield (one to either side and one behind the quarterback). Smith handed off to Shawne Alston, who flipped the ball back to Smith for a flea flicker.

Receiver Brad Starks had worked his way open near the far sideline, but Smith failed to see him and instead forced a pass to the opposite side that was intercepted by cornerback Avery Williams.

That play seemed to settle the defense down, and a stalemate of sorts ensued.


That’s not to say each side didn’t have its moments the rest of the way.
The offense continued to find ways to gain moderate chunks of yards.

Stedman Bailey caught a pair of Smith passes for about 15 yards each. Coley White grabbed a Paul Millard pass for 10 more. Bailey took a reverse and gained 10-15 yards. Tyler Urban got in the act, catching a Smith pass between the hashes for around 20.

Alston, getting his most significant action of the spring thus far, also had his moments. He made multiple tough runs up the middle, gaining 10-15 yards on one play and about eight on another.

But beyond those plays, the defense wasn’t yielding much after the offense’s quick start. Bruce Irvin easily would have had two sacks of Smith -- and any one of the three defensive linemen could have been credited with a third.

On Irvin’s second “sack” he didn’t even run towards Smith when he could have. He shed his blocker and ran around Smith’s back, all the way to the other side of the field. When Smith dumped the ball off for a short gain, Irvin was in on the tackle -- some 20-25 yards away from where he lined up for the snap.

The defense also dominated in short yardage.

Ryan Clarke fumbled yet again (a trend Dana Holgorsen noted in his post-practice talk with the media) on a third-and-1 play, allowing Irvin to scoop up the ball and run back for what perhaps would have been a 45-yard return for a touchdown.

Trey Johnson got stuffed on an earlier third-and-1 play. Johnson was again met in the backfield on a subsequent snap, a draw play that resulted in a loss of 2-3 yards. The running back did make a nice play on a third-and-9, taking a screen pass and keeping his feet while absorbing a couple of big hits and making it to the sticks for a first down.


Daquan Hargrett, the star of the running backs thus far in spring practice, received far less work Saturday than the media had seen him get on any other day.
That may be because coaches have been satisfied with what they have seen from him and wanted to give others in the crowded backfield battle a chance to show what they could do.

Alston was impressive in his stead, and Matt Lindamood and Ricky Kovatch both earned praise from Holgorsen for their work in drills thus far.


When reporters arrived to watch the portion of practice they were allowed to see, players were still in position-by-position drills, meaning there was less “live” action to see Saturday than there has been throughout the earlier sessions this spring.
Still, West Virginia ran about 50 plays of 11-on-11, something Holgorsen emphasized will be important, as he and his assistant coaches will study the film from these practices all summer long to better learn the strengths and weaknesses of the offensive players.


While Holgorsen said few of his receivers have been consistently good in practice (singling out Urban as perhaps the lone exception), there are players further down the depth chart at that position stepping up to make occasional plays.
Ryan Nehlen was among those players Saturday, snaring a couple of tough balls near the sidelines and holding on despite taking a big hit on one of those plays. He could vie for playing time as part of the second tier of receivers come fall.


Speaking of Urban, that 20-yard catch he had in 11-on-11 drills was one of the more impressive plays of the day -- and showed why Holgorsen has liked what he has seen out of the converted tight end thus far.
Smith’s pass was well behind Urban, but the receiver made a nice adjustment to lean his body back and somehow pull in the football regardless. Urban has been the closest thing WVU has had to a sure thing at receiver thus far -- he just has not dropped many balls, and his route-running ability has also been impressive.


When discussing the defense, it’s hard to not fawn over Irvin. He has been spectacular thus far -- an almost unstoppable force at times.
But others deserve some praise as well. Julian Miller is doing a more than capable job on the other side of the defensive line. And safety Terence Garvin has been assignment-sound while maintaining an aggressive mindset -- something that separates mediocre safeties from the truly good ones.


Clarke, meanwhile, is going to have to start showing an ability to hold the football, lest he lose out on any opportunity to play this fall. He fumbled away a ball near his own goal line Friday for a defensive touchdown, and again fumbled in a short-yardage situation Saturday (the play Irvin may have returned for a score as well).
On both occasions, he has been told to run around the perimeter of the field for essentially the remainder of practice as punishment. But he is going to have to start showing some ability to retain something from those lessons if he wants to do more than just sit and watch games from the bench this fall.

“If he puts the ball on the ground again,” Holgorsen said of Clarke, “he might not play at all.”

[wvjohn]

Spring Practice Notebook: Day 7

On Wednesday, its first day of practice since Saturday, the West Virginia football team did its best to disprove the theory that absence makes the heart grow fonder by engaging in what was certainly the most intense practice of the Mountaineers’ spring drills thus far.

That enthusiasm boiled over on multiple occasions throughout the time reporters were permitted to watch practice.
During one-on-one battles between offensive and defensive linemen, Bruce Irvin took exception to the tactics of his opponent, Nick Kindler. A brief shoving match resulted, but Irvin backed away as Kindler’s offensive line mates came closer to the action.

Irvin settled with taking several verbal jabs at Kindler, and defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich wisely opted to keep Irvin out of the one-on-one drill for the last few minutes before “team” periods began.

Tensions again peaked during that segment of practice, as a full-scale, benches-clearing brawl briefly broke out after one play. Though it was difficult to see what exactly got things started, one offensive player threw the ball at a defender’s head after a play completed, and the fracas began.

Tensions defused quickly on their own, as coaches, like running backs mentor Robert Gillespie, didn’t see the need to get involved. “I ain’t getting in that,” he chuckled to offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, who was standing near the sidelines, watching the short-lived brawl play out.

When WVU players were getting work done and not fighting with each other, it was another day with mixed results for both offense and defense.
The first play of full-scale “team” drills saw wide receiver Brad Starks get a bit of separation as he battled cornerback Brantwon Bowser in a one-on-one situation. But quarterback Geno Smith slightly underthrew Starks, allowing Bowser to catch up and make just enough of a play to force an incompletion.

Starks stayed on the turf for a good while after the play and was slow to get up, as he appeared to be favoring his right arm. Trainers tended to him on the sideline, but Holgorsen didn’t seem to be so sure the receiver was hurt, rather vocally questioning why the oft-injured senior wasn’t in the action on multiple occasions.

Starks did not take part in any more reps for the remainder of practice.

Irvin may have taken his frustrations with Kindler with him to team drills, as he was again essentially never blocked and would have registered at least two sacks (and likely more) had he been permitted to take quarterbacks to the ground.

It is still early in spring, and Gillespie indicated that other factors such as pass protection and the ability to run routes out of the backfield will play into the coaches’ decision, but Daquan Hargrett continues to impress at running back.
While it is difficult to handicap the ability of Hargrett and other running backs in those areas so early, Hargrett has consistently been the toughest runner on the Mountaineers’ roster this spring.

He again burst through the middle of the defense, displaying good pad level and an ability to keep his balance through contact, on a run that would have gone for at least 30 yards on Wednesday.

That’s not to say he has been able to get out of every tough situation. A few plays later, he took a handoff from Smith and was met almost immediately by both Julian Miller and Jorge Wright for a loss of three or four yards.

Tyler Urban also has continued to be a solid option at inside receiver, as he made a nice quick move to beat his cornerback on a slant pattern -- a read that quarterback Paul Millard made perfectly and delivered almost immediately for a gain of 20 or more yards between the hashes.
Unfortunately for Millard, that was about the only highlight he had on what was easily his roughest day of work in “team” drills.

He drew the angst of Holgorsen on several occasions for delivering a few balls where his receiver had no chance to catch them, held onto the ball in the pocket for too long on other plays, and rushed a couple of reads -- one of which came on a short pass across the middle that landed right in the chest of linebacker Josh Francis, who somehow failed to come up with what should have been an easy interception.

Later, Millard received a snap and almost immediately had both Doug Rigg and Irvin coming for him. Millard, perhaps in a bit of a panic, fell to the ground. His left shoe came off in the process, drawing laughs from Irvin and others on defense, who taunted the young quarterback about supposedly being scared.

Holgorsen’s offensive system has almost consistently led to at least one play per practice where the defense is simply bewildered and ends up in a completely blown coverage, and Wednesday was no exception.
Stedman Bailey found himself as open as any receiver could ever be on one play, with no blue shirt within 15 yards of him in any direction -- a tough thing to do, considering the ball was snapped on the defense’s 30-yard line.

Smith found his former high school teammate and Bailey casually walked into the end zone for a score.

Among the younger players taking part in spring practice, Avery Williams is certainly a name to watch. He again made a few plays that left cornerbacks coach David Lockwood impressed.
Williams, like Francis, should have had an interception, as a Smith pass intended for Willie Millhouse came right to him. But the young corner dropped the ball.

Later, Williams got burnt by Millhouse on a quick slant that went for a touchdown. But he learned from his mistake.

On the last play of “team” drills, Williams kept good inside position, forcing Ivan McCartney to fade toward the corner of the end zone. Smith lofted a floating pass towards the back pylon, but Williams again made a good play, waiting until just the right moment as the ball arrived to initiate contact with McCartney and ensure the ball would not be caught in bounds.

As the offensive and defensive players went to work with their position coaches during West Virginia’s ball security/turnover circuit just after that play, Lockwood heaped some praise on the young cornerback.

“You can’t get beat inside, young puppy,” the cornerbacks coach said repeatedly to Williams. “The harder throw is that one (the fade). The easy throw is that slant. But I love your attitude. I love your attitude.”

McCartney continued to line up as an outside receiver, but several of his routes towards the goal line led him towards the middle of the field. He made plays there, catching back-to-back balls from Smith, the latter of which went for a 12-yard touchdown.

McCartney came to the sideline after making that play, and Holgorsen quickly said, “You’re not done,” to the young receiver. McCartney explained he had come off the field to tie his shoe, to which the offensive coordinator said, “Hurry up,” before saying he was tired of seeing players make a play and then, apparently satisfied, take the next four or five snaps off.

Big offensive tackle Quinton Spain took a few reps at guard Wednesday, something offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh later said was done out of necessity because of the few healthy bodies the Mountaineers have along the front five at this point.
But Bedenbaugh admitted he wanted to see what Spain looked like at an inside position as well, something he said he would evaluate in film study of Wednesday’s practice.

While things are still up-and-down for Smith as he continues to adjust to the new offense, his confidence in his own skills and in the system is clearly beginning to grow.
He made one jaw-dropping throw Wednesday, fitting a ball through an impossibly tiny seam across the middle of the field to Tavon Austin, who caught it for a touchdown of about 20 yards.

There were no fewer than four defenders who appeared to be close enough to the trajectory of the pass to possibly make a play on the ball, but Smith delivered it with enough zip to fit through all of them and into Austin’s waiting arms.

[wvjohn]

Spring Practice Notebook: Day 8

There was not much in the way of good news for the WVU football team’s offense on Friday morning, as it was largely dominated by its teammates on defense during practice. And to add injury to that insult, one of its senior stalwarts, Brad Starks, underwent a surgical procedure on his right shoulder that will keep him out of action for 12 weeks.

Starks sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder according to the Mountaineers’ head trainer, Dave Kerns. A sprain is the same thing as a separation of that joint, he explained, and thus, Starks had to have a screw put in place to repair the damage.
Kerns said he expects no complications from the injury after Starks’ recovery period, which will eliminate the receiver from much of West Virginia’s voluntary summer workouts.


Appropriately enough, the offense had one of its toughest days of the spring on the same day it lost Starks. The blue-clad defense was seemingly omnipresent, keeping the offense from so much as getting a first down for much of the early portion of “team” periods toward the end of practice.
The defense set the tone early, as the second play of those 11-on-11 drills saw both sides of the ball get into another large-scale brawl, quite similar to the one that broke out on Wednesday morning.

Running back Trey Johnson caught a pass on a short screen from Geno Smith, but he was quickly wrapped up by a host of tacklers. But those tacklers didn’t let up, even after it was clear Johnson’s progress had been stopped and the play was essentially over.

A few of Johnson’s offensive teammates took exception to the rough tactics, and a bit of pushing and shoving quickly turned into another large-scale scrum.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel had to get right in the middle of the fight to break up some of the battles, rather vocally admonishing his players for getting involved.


The punches and shoves stopped at that point, but the defense still bullied the offense for much of the rest of the morning’s session.
There was plenty of early pressure on Smith, as multiple defenders seemed to be in the quarterback’s face on almost every throw. That forced some early passes -- something offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s system is certainly capable of dealing with effectively.

But while Smith was close to hooking up with receivers on almost every play, few of those quick tosses resulted in completions. The pressure forced a series of incomplete passes, save for one play on a comeback route ran by Coley White that was caught near the sideline for a first down.

Even the mainstay plays that had worked for much of the first sessions of spring were shut down. A throw from Smith intended for Tyler Urban, who was running between the hashes -- a place he has been open so often this spring -- was well defended by linebacker Najee Goode, who had little problem breaking up the pass.

In general, defensive backs did a solid job of coverage, and an even better job of timing hits perfectly as the ball arrived to separate it from the intended receiver.

And inside runs, which were useful at least as a change of pace from the passing onslaught of Holgorsen’s offense in recent weeks, were almost totally unsuccessful on Friday. The most successful of those plays went for about three or four yards.


But all wasn’t perfect for the defense. Nose tackles Jorge Wright and Josh Taylor each committed an encroachment penalty, pushing over opposing centers on separate occasions.
And when the offense got to work closer to the end zone, it finally found its stride to an extent.

On the first play of a series that began at the defense’s 30-yard line, Smith found freshman Vernard Roberts with a short toss, and the shifty newcomer did the rest. He left two defenders grasping at air with one hard juke move and quickly got upfield, just beating the desperate tackle attempt of a safety for a touchdown.

Receiver Ivan McCartney got into the act as well, catching two touchdown passes once the line of scrimmage was moved closer to the goal line. He beat cornerback Avery Williams in a jump ball situation near one corner of the end zone for an 18-yard score.

McCartney’s second TD came as part of a series of successful plays that originated with the offense’s “diamond” formation, featuring three backs in the backfield with Smith.

As the formation is designed to do, wide receivers were left in man-to-man coverage when West Virginia went to the diamond. On the first play the formation was in use, Stedman Bailey was the target of a quick Smith pass to the end zone, but he was unable to get off a jam at the line of scrimmage, allowing the pass to fall incomplete.

But McCartney got open on a quick slant for an easy 2-yard touchdown on the next play, and Bailey atoned for his mistake on the subsequent snap, winning a jump ball for another score.


WVU will scrimmage Saturday morning at Milan Puskar Stadium. Check back with BlueGoldNews.com for all the details.

[wvjohn]

Spring Practice Notebook: Day 9

For the first time this spring, West Virginia had a formal officiated scrimmage on Saturday. And while both offense and defense had moments of glory, both showed plenty of weaknesses that will give coaches ample fodder to focus on for the final two weeks of spring drills.

Saturday’s session was the first time reporters have been permitted to watch more than a 30-minute period of a Mountaineer practice this spring, and as a result, certain drills were seen that we had not yet witnessed in the first two weeks of practice.
That started with the “V” or “Victory” drill, the series of one-on-one battles staged between offensive and defensive players as a running back tries to reach the end of a set of cones.

The only modification to that drill this season has been to include quarterbacks in it, though only to start each play by handing the ball off to the running back. Previously, the running backs stood at the ready with the ball already tucked away. The change presumably is in place to give quarterbacks and running backs a chance to polish their exchange of the football.

Trey Johnson was the most successful of the runners in the drill, passing all three defenders on two separate occasions thanks both to solid blocking from his teammates and a shifty move or two of his own.

There were no huge hits from the defense in what is always an intense, physical drill. Defensive lineman Jorge Wright did make a nice play, though, slipping around the block attempt of center Joey Madsen on one play and wrapping up the runner quickly.


Then came PAT/field goal periods, offering reporters their first chance to see both Tyler Bitancurt and Corey Smith in placekicking action.
Neither was particularly impressive.

Bitancurt was 4-of-6 on his kicks, making a point-after, a 23-yard field goal from the left hash, a 28-yarder from the right hash and a 33-yard kick from the left hash.

But the junior-to-be showed he is still having issues with elevating his kicks, much as he did during a tough sophomore season in 2010. His attempt from 38 yards away was blocked by Travis Bell and scooped up by Terence Garvin, who would have easily returned it for a touchdown if the play was run to completion.

Bitancurt then missed a 43-yard kick from between the hashes, pushing it to the right just enough to bounce off the upright and fall back to the turf.

Smith, though, was worse.

The Inwood native had his PAT attempt blocked, missed a 23-yard attempt from the left hash and didn’t even get to attempt what would have been a 32-yard kick. It wasn’t immediately clear if a fake was called or a high snap was to blame, but holder Michael Molinari rose up, looked for somewhere to go with the ball and found nothing, ending the play.


With that exercise complete, the scrimmage itself began in earnest. It, too, got off to an inauspicious start, as the first team offense failed to gain a first down on either of its first two drives (both of which, to be fair, started at its own 2-yard line).
The heavy rain that fell throughout almost the entire scrimmage almost certainly played a part in that, as receiver Tavon Austin had the first of his two drops of the day on a simple screen pass that was destined for at least a moderate gain.

Passing in general was somewhat difficult because of the conditions, but quarterbacks Geno Smith and Paul Millard seemed to adjust after a bit of time of the field.

Millard, a true freshman, got things rolling for the offense. He showed good chemistry with receiver Ryan Nehlen, completing a 15-yard pass on the second team offense’s first play, getting that unit out of the shadow of its own goal posts.

Later, Millard found Nehlen again, this time on a deep bomb near one sideline, gaining 48 yards to convert on a third-and-13 situation. A couple of Johnson rushes got the ball to the defense’s 1-yard line (a full 97 yards from where the drive began), but the running back was thrown for a short loss on second-and-goal and a false start penalty subsequently moved the ball back to the 7-yard line.

Millard’s pass from there was incomplete, and Corey Smith came on to attempt a field goal. But again, he never got a chance to, as the snap went through the hands of Molinari and right to the kicker, who was tackled for a loss to end the drive.

The first team offense finally got a bit of momentum when Smith passed to Ivan McCartney for 29 yards. Austin’s second drop of the day on the next play cost the offense another 25 yards, and defensive end Bruce Irvin got his first of three sacks on a resulting third-and-6, ending that drive.


The starting line of scrimmage was moved up to the offense’s 35-yard line, and predictably, things started to go a bit better for the white shirts. The first team unit’s first drive from there resulted in the first touchdown of the day, ending an 11-play drive with a 1-yard scoring rush from Johnson.
Running back Daquan Hargrett kept that march alive by just converting on a third-and-5 to move to the defense’s 16-yard line. That came two plays after Irvin’s second sack set up a second-and-18, and coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s offense -- revered nationally for its passing prowess -- surprised most onlookers by running on both that play (a 13-yard gain for Hargrett) and the subsequent third-and-5.

In all, six of the final seven plays on the drive were runs. The other would have been an easy passing touchdown from Smith to J.D. Woods, but cornerback Brantwon Bowser wisely committed pass interference rather than allow the score.

It didn’t matter, as Johnson plunged in from one yard away on the next snap.


Third-string quarterback Brian Athey got his one and only series next, but the freshman signal-caller completed only one of his three passes -- and that one went for no gain, as Andrew Goldbaugh was quickly swallowed up by Wes Tonkery on a third-and-11 completion.
Other young players were impressive, though. Vernard Roberts had several tough runs and definitely should be in the conversation about the crowded battle for playing time at running back (even though he is listed as an inside receiver on the team’s official roster).

Roberts did fumble on one play late, though, ending a drive with the second team offense that was progressing deep into the defense’s territory.

One player who again didn’t see any carries at that position was Ryan Clarke. The big-bodied, fumble-prone runner did not touch the ball and was rarely (if at all) in the action.


Once the ball moved to the defense’s 35-yard line, the first team offense again managed to score. Smith completed a 23-yard pass to a wide open Austin to convert on a second-and-16 play, then found Austin again to pick up 11 more on a third-and-6.
That put the ball at the 3-yard line, from where Shawne Alston ran in easily for a touchdown on the next play.


Facing a third-and-26, most would expect Holgorsen’s offense to air it out. On at least one series for the second teamers late, that didn’t happen. Roberts again took a handoff, and again somehow made something happen, gaining 27 yards to move the chains and set up first-and-goal at the 1.
But things sputtered there. A fade thrown towards Austin from Millard was incomplete. Roberts was quickly met in the backfield by Mike Dorsey on a second down run for a loss of five yards. Millard had Stedman Bailey in the back corner of the end zone on third down, but the pass couldn’t be caught in bounds.

Rather than send out the struggling field goal unit on fourth down, the offense stayed in, and perhaps for the first time all spring, Millard looked like a true freshman on fourth-and-goal. He locked in on his receiver, allowing Dorsey to read the quick slant all the way and easily step in front of the ball for an interception in the end zone.


Bitancurt did manage to make a 36-yard field goal on the first team offense’s next drive. But that “drive” lasted four plays and actually went for a loss of 10 yards.

Millard bounced back from the pick to throw a 7-yard touchdown to Tyler Urban on the final play of the scrimmage on a drive that started at the defense’s 9-yard line.

Unofficially, Smith was 7-of-13 for 113 yards passing. Millard was 11-of-18 for 149 yards, one interception and one touchdown.
The first team offense scored on three of its seven drives (though one of those was the aforementioned trip that actually netted a 10-yard loss). The reserves (which is a bit of a misnomer, as top-tier receivers and others played alongside Millard as well as Smith at times) scored on one of their six drives (and that one started at the defense’s 9-yard line).


West Virginia will hold its first Monday practice of the spring this week, as Saturdays will be off days for the last two weeks of drills