Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval  Watch |  Listen

Seeking the perfect pass, Trickett harder on himself than he is on defenses

Clint Trickett scans the Maryland defense, which he riddled for 511 yards and four touchdowns. His self-evaluation: “I really didn’t think I played worth a damn, honestly.”

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Was Clint Trickett seriously downplaying the carnage he inflicted in College Park? Had his humility gene mutated into malignancy?

After becoming only the second quarterback to hang a 500-yard passing day into the West Virginia hall of awesomeness, he seemed rather letdown about what many of us considered astonishing. The Walter Camp national player of the week—was this right?—sounded a tad embarrassed to be accepting commendations.

His ESPN quarterback rating—a sports analytics tool that accounts for play-by-play success based on down, distance, score and defensive strength—soared to 87.1, easily the best of his 12-game sample size at West Virginia. Yet, despite what we thought of his performance, Trickett thought the opposite:

“I watched the game and I really didn’t think I played worth a damn, honestly.”

More from the never-satisfied Big 12 player of the week:

“The stats looked good, but there were lots of thing I could have done better. I could’ve put some balls out there further and made it easier on our guys.”

Having sat through film sessions listening to Trickett nitpick himself to zoomed-in detail, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson figured his QB couldn’t be satisfied.

“Clint’s a perfectionist when it comes to certain things,” Dawson said. “Even if a throw gets to where you want to get it on time, but it’s slightly wobbly, he’s not happy. He wants to throw the perfect ball every time.”

Just like he wants the perfect delivery. So Trickett evaluates himself after every game on every play—a commitment he made beginning in high school—checking for flaws in his mechanics and better in-play decisions that eluded him.

“He watches his feet, his knees, his alignment, everything,” Dawson said. “It’s pretty impressive the breakdown he gives himself.”

On the meticulous Trickett grading scale, positive outcomes don’t override negative decisions. This 42-yard hookup with Kevin White lifted West Virginia out of a field-position hole, yet Trickett docked himself points for failing to notice safety Sean Davis (No. 21) coming to help cornerback Alvin Hill (No. 27). To hear Trickett score it, White’s leaping grab between double-coverage was a bail-out.

 


“Right when he threw it, I was like, Oh (expletive). Not good,” said Dawson. “And Clint said he was thinking the same thing. Terrible decision, but it worked out.”

Obviously, there are degrees of terrible—and lobbing a jumpball deep to White is becoming a dare for out-sized defensive backs. The 6-foot-3 senior caught 216 yards’ worth at Maryland, on 13 mostly high-difficulty catches. Both stats are third-most in WVU single-game history.

And on the opposite side, even 5-foot-9 Mario Alford elevated over tight coverage for touchdown grabs of 36 and 43 yards to highlight his 11-catch day. Trickett probably felt he could have led Alford more on each of those long-range scores.

Though Trickett might not be comfortable accepting compliments, he’s generous with extending them toward the Mountaineers’ big-play receivers.

“I watched ‘Hard Knocks’ where you’ve got Roddy White and Julio Jones out there, and now I feel just like Matt Ryan,” he said. “You saw what Maryland did—they put safeties like 30 yards deep. I’ve never seen that before. Thought it was pretty comical. That just shows you how good of a deep threat we have in Kevin and Mario.”

Regarding an offensive line who played 108 snaps without substitution, Trickett paid tribute to their guts by stuffing their guts. In treating the O-line to dinner this week, he relaxed his usual criteria of a one-sack maximum (Maryland made three).

“That goes out the window when you play 108 plays,” he said.

Despite a thorny nonconference schedule bookended by a not-so-neutral-site game against Alabama and visiting a Maryland defense that shutout WVU last season, the Mountaineers own the Big 12’s second-rated passing offense in terms of yards per game (410) and efficiency. Only Baylor, which hasn’t faced much competition at all, owns better numbers.

“We’re not playing scrubs. We’re playing tough teams and we’re still executing at a high level,” said Trickett, pausing to laud the explosive receivers, tireless linemen and emerging running backs who are making the offense hum with versatility.

Surrounded by so many components, the quarterback who hates mistakes sees a group capable of compensating when he makes one: “I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.”





More WVU Sports

Sports
Beanie Bishop posts top 40-yard dash time at Big 12 Pro Day
March 29, 2024 - 1:21 am
Sports
Tucker DeVries prepares to shoulder challenges awaiting in Big 12
A two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, Tucker DeVries will spend his senior season at West Virginia. As he gets acclimated to a new program, DeVries' focus is on improving the health in his right shoulder after undergoing surgery on it Tuesday.
March 28, 2024 - 4:54 pm
Sports
Darian DeVries welcomed as West Virginia men's basketball coach
DeVries eager for what's to come in what marks second head coaching gig.
March 28, 2024 - 2:57 pm
Sports
Greene strives for improved accuracy through extra emphasis on fundamentals, mechanics
West Virginia quarterback Garett Greene felt he could've gotten more out of the 2023 season, and his completion percentage is a major reason why.
March 27, 2024 - 7:58 pm


Your Comments