Special teams coming into focus for WVU

Special teams have been the difference in the past two meetings with Kansas State.

A punt return for a touchdown by Tyler Lockett in 2014 followed by a 97-yard kickoff return by Morgan Burns that put the Wildcats ahead for good 24-23 have both proven to be daggers.

Redshirt senior linebacker Justin Arndt was a member of the kickoff team last year on the Burns return and points the finger at the unit for the reason that the Mountaineers have yet to defeat the Wildcats.

“We didn’t do our job,” he said.

Just how important is improving in the third phase of the game to head coach Dana Holgorsen?

“We may make 90-percent of our practice time here in the next couple days and just focus on special teams,” Holgorsen said at his weekly press conference.

The Mountaineers were solid in that department the first two games making strides on the punt team, field goal team and even punt return but in the BYU game the Mountaineers struggled in several areas. Kickoff and kickoff return were the most glaring issues as West Virginia started with bad field position throughout the game and afforded the Cougars starting points near mid-field.

“We put our defense in bad situations by not being able to cover kicks the appropriate way,” Holgorsen said. “Sean Snyder is as good as anybody in the country at it. I think we may obsess over it a little bit.”

Kansas State is a team that relies on discipline and not shooting itself in the foot especially in the area of special teams which means the Mountaineers are looking at every aspect of the third phase of the game. The Wildcats are known as one of the best special teams units in the nation on an annual basis.

“Every year their special teams are good. It’s not scheme, it’s just discipline and sometimes them playing harder. They want it more and we have to change that,” Arndt said.

Changing that means possible personnel changes and even looking at the schemes.

“We’re going to change some people. There are some guys out there who weren’t ready to play yet,” Holgorsen said. “…We looked at that and if it takes putting starters on there then we will.”

The goal is to avoid a repeat of the past two years and not letting special teams decide the outcome of the game. Once again the Wildcats feature dynamic return men in sophomores Byron Pringle and Dominque Heath following in the footsteps of other former standouts.

“Might have something to do with their scheme. Sean Snyder is as good as there is. We have to be on guard, and we have to work hard this week, countering what he’s going to be able to do,” he said.

West Virginia also will be aided with the return of redshirt senior kicker Josh Lambert, who missed the first three games of the season due to a suspension. He will return and while his role has yet to be defined he will help push kicker Mike Molina as well as give his leg a break.

“What exactly Josh does, we’ll work hard this week to see how we divvy it up, and what we end up doing this week may change the next week,” Holgorsen said.