Unlike some sports, football is what West Virginia head coach Neal Brown refers to as a practice sport.
Baseball and basketball for example play a significant number of games, but football is limited to at most 16-games per season but often around 12-13 while practice is part of the daily routine.
And as part of that, practice becomes critical in the development of individual players and teams. It also allows those involved to use the sessions to square off against one another on a daily basis to raise their level of play against their talented teammates across the ball.
That has certainly happened with the Mountaineers in fall camp. In fact, perhaps the marquee matchup on the field has been between a pair of sophomores in the trenches.
“(Akheem) Mesidor and (Zach) Frazier has been really fun to watch,” said defensive line coach Andrew Jackson, coaching his first year at WVU. “I won’t say one person has won that battle in practice more than two periods or two practices in a row, it’s a play-to-play deal. They are both good, young talent and the improvement with those kids is that they challenge each other every single day.”
Both players started as true freshmen a season ago with Frazier seeing 628 snaps across 10 games and Mesidor 243 across his appearances on the schedule.
On the offensive side, Frazier started nine of those games at left guard last year but has since made the move inside where he routinely squares off against Mesidor who also made the move primarily inside to nose tackle this off-season to fill a role.
The key to both of their developments is the fact that each understand that the other is making them better on the field when they match up. That’s always a good thing but especially when you’re dealing with young players that are truly only scratching the surface of what they could eventually become.
“They love to practice; they love to compete, and they battle. They appreciate each other and I think that’s important. If you come in here and ask Akheem Mesidor, he knows Zach Frazier is making him better,” Brown said. “Zach Frazier really values that Akheem Mesidor is making him better and that’s not always the case. Those two guys are really high-level players.”
But that isn’t the only battle in that mold.
Cornerback Jackie Matthews, who’s competing for a corner spot, has been primarily squaring off with redshirt junior wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton and it’s a battle that has gone both ways. Matthews saw limited action a season ago, but Ford-Wheaton led the receivers in snaps and is looking to make that next step from a consistency standpoint this fall.
Like the battle on the line, the important part is that each have learned that the competition is a way for them to make significantly strides in their individual games on the field.
“They’re both making each other better. Not just in the one-on-one and man-to-man coverage but in the run game as well,” Brown said. “Jackie has improved Bryce’s ability to block.”
The final battle that Brown has enjoyed watching unfold has been between two veterans in running back Leddie Brown and starting MIKE linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo. Those two have a mutual respect for one another and have continued to push back-and-forth despite the fact that they’re roles are cemented on this West Virginia football team.
That is exactly what Brown wants and is a reflection of just how effective practices can be.
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