MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia coach Neal Brown said Monday that his football team has arrived at “prove it week” during preseason camp.
The Mountaineers just concluded their 11th practice of camp Tuesday afternoon inside Milan Puskar Stadium.
Brown indicated that he is staggering practice times to simulate kickoff times during the season, so naturally today’s noon practice matches the starting time for the season opener against Penn State in Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 31.
“This is the hardest week that we will have this season,” he said. “It’s the most physical week that we are going to have this season, and can we do hard things better?
“Who can we count on? Who are the newcomers that are going to play? Who are the guys who are stepping up from maybe a backup or a special teams guy who is now going to step to the forefront? Can we count on them?
“Who are our go-to guys going to be?” he continued. “Who are we going to call a blitz for? Who are we calling a line movement for to create a play on the defensive line? Who can we count on to play some man coverage?”
Brown said he was much more pleased with Monday’s effort than he was today.
“I didn’t think it was very good today,” he said afterward. “I thought yesterday was our best practice overall being cleaner and staying off the ground for a thud practice. I thought our fits in the run game offensively and defensively were the best they’ve been all camp, so I was really encouraged leaving the practice field yesterday and even more so after watching it.
“Today, I thought it was sloppy. We are in practice 11 coming into the stadium, and we were going to tackle, and I didn’t think any of the phases were very good today. The expectations are high and when you don’t meet those expectations, it is what it is,” he said.
Brown indicated he’s not sure how he is going to approach tomorrow’s practice, originally scheduled to be a light afternoon workout on the Steve Antoline Family Practice Field with media in attendance.
“You have a plan, but when it doesn’t go the way you want it to go, I’ll go back in, watch the practice and see if it matches how I feel right now. If it does, then we will adjust some plans for Wednesday and Thursday,” he said.
Mississippi State transfer Justin Robinson made a couple of nice catches during team period this afternoon, using his impressive 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame to his advantage. His 32-game career stats at Mississippi State included 53 catches for 601 yards and four touchdowns, including a career-high 91 yards last year against South Carolina.
Brown listed a couple of players that have caught his eye that have maybe been flying under the radar a little bit.
“(Offensive guard) Sullivan Weidman has quietly had a good camp so far. I think he’s becoming trustworthy,” Brown noted. “(redshirt junior safety) Jaheem Joseph, on defense the last two practices, has played well and is pushing to start. He got injured midway through the spring, so I’m glad to see that. (Backup running back) Jaylen Anderson has been really good on special teams, and I’m hoping that continues as we move forward.”
Brown mentioned that he will continue to two-spot the Gold and Blue groups through the rest of this week leading into Saturday’s scrimmage inside the stadium before separating the developmental players from this year’s regular contributors.
“Even for guys that are probably going to be a part of the developmental squad that aren’t ready to play early in the year, I think it’s important for their confidence and it’s important to log reps, so they know what to do in all the schemes,” he said. “If it’s later in the year and they are ready, then those reps are logged. If they are a redshirt candidate, going into next spring they’ve now had a bunch of competitive reps, and they know what to expect when we go into spring ball.”
Overall, the top two offensive units are probably the most competent, intact groups Brown has had since he’s been at West Virginia.
“It all starts with quarterback, and we’ve got two talented quarterbacks,” he said. “We’ve got two guys that can go out and win us games in our league, and I really believe that. We’ve worked really hard in offensive line recruiting, and those are the two things that are the hardest to find. We’ve got a full bevy of a roster, too, so I think that helps.
“It’s not like we are calling two different offenses,” he concluded.
Among the former Mountaineer players at today’s practice was standout defensive back Mike Logan, visiting from Pittsburgh with his two young sons. Logan was a member of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl XL champion team in 2006.
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Publish date : 2024-08-14 12:17:45
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