O-line- should be improved and healthy. Add a coach to the mix and this could be on par with the 2005 line.
Geno- A lot to learn and a LOT of hype. I think he's up for it.
RBs - I think this could be a strength. There's a lot of depth and young talent. It's a good combination. This could be surprise strength-particularly with improved line plane.
WR's - I think we have the talent and depth to spread the field the way Coach H wants. Austin and Bailey are big play makers. They should rack up the statistics this year!
Ball control- The one question on O. Can they consistently make first downs? This offense is fast paced and sometimes it can be over before it starts. I don't want our D on the field for long stretches of time.
Turnovers- Last year this was an Achilles heel. Not that we had a lot of turnovers, but the timing was horrific. I expect this will be a point of emphasis in Holgorsen's offense.
Defense:
Pass rush - Uuumm...... CHECK! I wouldn't want to be an opposing QB, it just kills the ribs!
Pass defense: A lot of youth here but the rush should help the amount of time we need to hold in coverage.
Rush Defense: This is the number 1! key to the season. Teams will try to run right at us. If LSU would have run Riddley up the middle early in the game last year, I don't think we'd have been in the game. But that's the mad hatter for you and not our problem. However, we do have LSU again this year and even the hatter watches tape. Man, I wish we had Nield for another year. That guy could occupy three blockers and free up our linebackers.
We need a big year out of Najee Goode! I'm also concerned about our fundamental tackling skills. Corners and safeties are going to have to be active in pursuit. Young defenses usually struggle with missed tackles. I'm concerned with our ability to finish plays on D.
Special teams: They have got to get better. I think Bittancurt is capable. I also think our return teams will be exceptional. But kick coverage must improve. On the positive side, it can't get that much worse. Bring in the starters! This shouldn't be a youth only team. The best special teams in college football are played by defensive starters and burners.
All that being said, I have high hopes for this team and the future. I believe in Coach Holgorsen and what he brings to the table. This team may be a little over-hyped by a lot of the fans, which can be a dangerous proposition for a new coach. 9-3 would be acceptable for a first year, but I think most of us expect more. Go Mountaineers.
Greg
Greg
3 comments:
Last thing first. 9 and 3 as an acceptable regular season seems a little weak to me. My reason is the schedule. We have some tough tests out there for sure. LSU, at Maryland, at USF are all games that give me pause. I suppose sPitt is an unknown quantity and Syracuse is improved but both of those teams have huge question marks. I don't think any other team on our schedule can score with us. Of the 5 teams I have mentioned I think we beat at least 3 of them thus I see 10 and 2 being the reasonable bottom regular season record. And with that said I see WVU playing in BCS Bowl game.
The Pass Defense is not a concern for me this year. I think that the Defense will be tested daily in that department thus they shall be ready. With that said I tend to agree that the key is secondary making tackles. Low Y.A.C. is key to defense getting off the field. And to argue with you about the import of rush D would be silly. Home-run call as a key to success. Can we stuff the run? I would say that Jeff Casteel has been gifted with developing run stopping teams throughout his tenure in Morgantown. I feel secure in believing in his ability to do the same this year. That and the 3 3 5 is suited for such a task. Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller will hold the end position down but what happens in the middle? We shall see. As for our LB's I think you will see more of the same. We are known to be "Steeler-like" in our ability to plug and play at that position as well as the safety position.
As for offense. I think the HYPE being bestowed upon our QB is in line with his skill. He can do it all. He could make all of the passes last year. He wasn't called upon to do the mid-range passes enough. That won't be the case this year as the "air-raid" will showcase him and his strengths. Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey will lead arguably the most talented receiving corp we have fielded since Shawn Foreman and David Saunders. Yes I drink the Holgorsen cool-aid. I am excited by what I believe to be our deepest position in terms of talent, running back. We will have a lot of youth at this position but that youth looks to be fast and end-zone prone. More to come on the RB's in future articles on this blog... Stay tuned.
All and all I like your analysis Greg but I see no reason to temper my cool-aid drinking optimism this early in the summer.
Da Geek
Good call on the YAC stats! I expect a lot of teams will be throwing with a 3 step drop because of Miller and Irvin. That's not a problem with good solid tackling CBs.
So, hopefully Casteel has a lot of fundamental tackling drills in the lineup for this group. It was weakness on the old Nehlen teams with maybe the exception of the 1996 team.
Greg. One constant with Coach Casteel is the fact that he is fantastic at making what ever 1/2 time adjustments are necessary. As a result I am not worried about his ability to figure out the next chess piece move in a game. For that reason I think that with Dana Holgorsen's offense clicking we are going to be very difficult to keep up with this year. Track meets shall represent advantage WVU.
Da Geek
Post a Comment