(Neal Brown Zoom Conference – Aug. 29)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s offensive and defensive units both showed signs of progress at times, according to head coach Neal Brown, in Saturday’s scrimmage.
“There was a lot of give-and-take,” Brown said. “I thought the defense started off strong and forced some takeaways — a fumble and two interceptions I believe to start the scrimmage. The offense right around the middle rebounded and ran the ball better.”
On offense, Brown once again highlighted the play of junior running back Leddie Brown. Fellow running back A’Varius Sparrow, Fairmont Senior graduate and offensive lineman Zach Frazier also earned praise from the head coach.
Middle Tennessee State transfer receiver Zack Dobson had his best practice since joining the program a few weeks ago.
“This is probably the first time he has stood out in any practice situation. He caught a couple balls down the field and had a really nice run after a catch. I think he had four catches for ninety-some yards. It was a productive day. In all reality, he is still learning what to do. He hasn’t been here that long.”
On the offensive line, Brown said that redshirt freshman Brandon Yates and sophomore Junior Uzebu remain locked in a position battle at left tackle. James Gmiter (left guard), Chase Behrndt (center) and Mike Brown (right guard) are holding down spots in the middle of the line. John Hughes is set to step in at right tackle. Zach Frazier is the backup center. Briason Mays, who started seven games at center last year, is getting practice reps all over the line.
“He has played center, guard and tackle. He’s a guy we feel like is going to move around and maybe even break into the lineup.”
Veteran quarterbacks Austin Kendall and Jarret Doege continue to battle for the starting quarterback spot. Brown said mixing first-team and second-team units on scrimmage days makes it more difficult to truly evaluate each of them. A decision on the starter could come next week.
“They both did so methings that older quarterbacks shouldn’t do as far as making decisions. We will start having those conversations tomorrow — sometime this week, I think that is fair.”
Throughout the week in practice, Brown was pleased with the way the defense forced takeaways.
“I thought defensively we played with a lot better energy than we did a week ago. I was pleased with how they performed at the start of the scrimmage and how they did at the very end as well.”
A pair of new Mountaineers have emerged. Arizona transfer Tony Fields is practicing fully after arriving in Morgantown two weeks ago. He is getting reps at the ‘mic’ linebacker spot.
“He really runs and you can tell he loves to play the game. He plays at full speed every snap. He is great in pursuit. He is learning our movements. He has great energy and he is physical at the point of contact. I am excited about him and what he is going to bring to our defense.”
True freshman defensive back Daryl Porter, Jr. has likely earned playing time with strong performances in preseason camp.
“First of all, his football IQ for a young guy is extremely high. Second of all, he loves to compete. And the third thing is he has great feet. He keeps himself in really good football position. And he has made plays. He has the most (interceptions) of anyone in our camp so far. The guys that are productive are the ones that will play and he has been productive.”
On defense, Brown also highlighted the play of defensive backs Tae Mayo and Tykee Smith, as well as the defensive line.
While the offense and defense had bright moments, Brown was not pleased with the play of his special teams units. An unusual preseason practice schedule could have been a factor.
“We didn’t have full speed reps because we didn’t necessarily have enough depth in those split squads to get a great scout team look. For instance on a punt team, we really didn’t have a good rush look until a week ago Friday.
“I think some guys got exposed today for not being ready to go on our special teams unit. We’ll get it corrected. We have time.”