West Virginia defensive coordinator Zac Alley could see the progress his group made throughout spring practice, but he knows there is still room for improvement going forward.
"We got better from practice one to today. I saw the culture, the mindset, the shift that we’re looking for. I think we got a lot of guys bought into what that looks like, playing with a hard edge, a relentless mentality and I’m proud of that because we’re going to have to get there. We 100% buy into that if we want to be as successful as we can be," Alley said.
Alley has had to rebuild WVU's defense so far this winter and spring, a group that was one of the worst in the Big 12 last season. Alley had the opportunity to oversee 15 practices, this spring, and knows there is a lot to do as the Mountaineers head into the summer months and into fall camp.
"I think the number one thing we were trying to do was see who would play hard and play physical for the entirety of the game, trying to create that toughness and that mindset. And we saw some of it was good and some guys it wasn't. So we'll fix that from film and continue to get better from it heading into the summer," Alley said.
One of the areas Alley wants to see key improvement is being able to force turnovers. Alley's bunch had a goal of at least three per practice this spring, falling short a handful of times, including in the spring showcase on Saturday.
"I think we forced a fumble down the field, I think on the second or third series out there. And there were like eight of us around the ball and nobody got the ball. So we're still working on that, pushing through when it's hard, and making sure that when the game's on the line in the fourth quarter, we're standing up stronger than the opponent is. And so we're still working through that kind of mindset. It's better, certainly, than when we started. But we're not where we need to be yet," Alley said.
One of the things he thought has been good is the communication on defense, but was still focused on the bad compared to the good.
"I thought our communication was really good. We've emphasized that throughout the spring. Just communicating, talking, getting lined up. A quiet defense is a dead defense, you can't win that way. And so I thought our communication was done well. Unfortunately, we got off the field three or four times and jumped offside and fourth down. So we've got to work on that. But overall, I was pleased with just the overall communication of the defense and the execution of the calls," Alley said.
Overall, it's about the work ahead for West Virginia and Alley and he knows it's the little things that are going to continue to add up as the offseason progresses.
"We have a lot of work to do. Just teaching the game, understanding situational football, football intelligence is what I call it. That why we're calling what we're calling, when it's happening, and what's going on within the situations of the game that create anticipation from the preparation on the field. So we're working through both of those things, and we gotta get everybody caught up as fast as possible," Alley said.
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