Behind Enemy Lines: Delaware State
A popular feature on WVSports.com, we Go Behind Enemy Lines by catching up with Delaware State News writer Tim Mastro for an on-the-ground look at West Virginia's matchup with Delaware State Saturday and some of the developments within the Hornets program leading up to kickoff.
1. Obviously the biggest concern with FCS teams against FBS opponents typically comes with depth. How are the Hornets in that regard and what is your take on the first two games of the season and the prognosis for this team moving forward?
The Hornets are definitely deeper than they were last season when they lost to Missouri 79-0 in a game where both teams agreed to shorten the second half to 10-minute quarters. Coach Kenny Carter is in his third year and has tried to rebuild the program through recruiting. There is only one senior who starts on offense or defense and just seven on the roster.
The biggest improvement in depth has been on the defensive line. That unit received a boost with the addition of Towson transfer Caleb Hebron and when they moved Jacob Jones from the offensive line to the defensive line. The Hornets now have the players to rotate in and out to keep everyone fresh. There was one point in the season opener against Delaware when they had three freshmen playing on the defensive line and they forced a three-and-out.
While the defense has looked better the offense has struggled to score with just one touchdown in the first two games. I think based on the first two games the Hornets are headed in the right direction after a winless 2016 season and they should finish somewhere in the middle of the MEAC.
2. What can the West Virginia defense expect when Delaware State has the ball? What type of scheme do they use and how does this team want to attack to move the football? Standout players on that side of the ball?
The Hornets have a true freshman starting at QB and three running backs who could start for most MEAC teams so the playcalling has been conservative to start the season. Most of the offense is centered around the playmaking ability of junior running back Brycen Alleyne. He is 5-foot-6 but incredibly shifty. He can line up in the backfield or in the slot and the staff likes to get him running to the outside on handoffs or look for him on flares and screens coming out of the backfield. Mike Waters and Nyfease West are the power backs though West is more than capable of hurting opposing defenses in the passing game.
Jack McDaniels won the starting job at QB in the final week of preseason camp. For a program which has had five different quarterbacks start games in the last three seasons, DelState thinks McDaniels should finally provide some stability at the position. McDaniels scored his first career TD last week against Hampton on a QB sneak and has thrown for an average of 160.5 yards in the opening two games. He has only thrown one interception which came on a desperation throw late in the fourth quarter against Delaware when the game was already decided.
3. Same for the defensive side, what scheme do they use? How does this unit want to attack the Mountaineers offense and who are the play makers to watch?
The Hornets run a 3-4 scheme defensively. As I mentioned earlier the defensive line has noticeably improved which has lessened the load on the linebackers. Senior linebacker Malik Harris has consistently been one of the MEAC’s leading tacklers over the last few years while sophomore Brian Cavicante had a breakout season as a freshman in 2016 and already has 3.5 tackles for loss in 2017.
The defense struggled to force many turnovers last season. It took the Hornets until Week Nine to have an interception. This year, Keyjuan Selby, who is a junior which makes him the oldest defensive back, snagged an interception in the first game of the season. While there’s a lot of youth in the secondary, sophomores Brock Nichols and Devin Smith along with Selby have gotten off to strong starts this season.
4. Special teams has been an adventure for West Virginia at times, what do the Hornets have there? Is it considered a strength?
When Kenny Carter was hired his primary focus was to fix the special teams units who were dreadful in 2014. To his credit he has done that. Punter Fidel Romo-Martinez is an All-MEAC performer who has averaged 45.1 yards a punt this year with a long of 61. Kicker Wisdom Nzidee was on the Preseason All-MEAC team and is a perfect 3-of-3 on field goals so far although he hasn’t been tested from distance yet (his long is 26 yards this year).
The Hornets have been aggressive about blocking punts and field goals under Carter. They blocked five a season ago and got another on a punt last week which set up their lone touchdown against Hampton.
5. What are the keys for Delaware State to have success in this game on either side of the ball? How do you see it playing out and a prediction?
If Delaware State wants to prevent a repeat of the Missouri embarrassment it needs to protect the football and sustain drives to give its defense some rest. In the opener against Delaware the Hornets didn’t record a first down until there was less than a minute to go in the first half. Then they ended up outplaying Delaware for most of the third quarter before fumbling twice in UD territory which cost them a chance at a potential comeback.
Against Hampton, the Hornets were winning 12-7 in the second quarter but only picked up one first down in the game’s final 30 minutes. So they have yet to put a complete game together offensively.
The defense needs to continue its improvement and not give up big plays. It did a nice job of that against Delaware, buckling down in the red zone and forcing UD into four field goal attempts. Against Hampton though the defense gave up touchdowns of 78 and 48 yards.
I don’t see this game going well for the Hornets but it likely won’t be as bad as 79-0. If they can leave Morgantown with no injuries and an encouraging performance by McDaniels at QB I think it would be a success. If I had to make a prediction I would say a 56-3 WVU victory.
