The benefits of a big first game
When asked if he would prefer a game before the opener against Virginia Tech, Dana Holgorsen didn't hold back.
“I like a big first game,” he said.
The reasons are aplenty that marquee neutral site openers are his thing.
For one, it doesn’t take a lot to keep your team focused through the grueling summer months and even-more challenging aspects of the tail end of fall camp when players can focus on a top end opponent.
“Every time I start to see tired faces or whatever when we start our meetings and all that, I remind them of what that first game is going to be,” Holgorsen said.
West Virginia will open this season in the renewal of the Black Diamond Trophy rivalry game inside Fed-Ex Field, home of the Washington Redskins. It will be in a prime time Sunday night slot on ABC pitting the two teams that have squared off 51 times, with the Mountaineers winning 28 of those meetings.
But it isn’t the first time that the Mountaineers have opened against a big-named opponent under the seventh-year head coach.
Just a few short years ago, West Virginia started the season in another neutral site game against Alabama in Atlanta for the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game.
It’s the only opener that the Mountaineers have lost under Holgorsen, a narrow 33-23 decision to the No. 2 ranked Crimson Tide, but was performance itself was something that helped springboard the team moving forward.
“I felt like it gave us the confidence going into game two or three,” Holgorsen said.
That doesn’t happen against many lower level opponents.
It’s also an attractive deal for the fan base both with interest in the game and those traveling to it. So much so that West Virginia already is set to play Tennessee in Charlotte for the opener next year, while the Mountaineers will match up against Florida State in Atlanta during the 2020 campaign.
But while the focus is for now on improving his own team, soon the things will shift to preparing for the Hokies and that means familiarizing his team with one they are unfamiliar with. West Virginia last met Virginia Tech during the 2005 season, the freshmen years of Pat White and Steve Slaton, so needless to say that for most of the players on the roster the flames of the rivalry will need some careful stoking.
“We’re starting to give them nuggets here and there about what to expect when it comes to that,” Holgorsen said. “The closer we get the more information we’re going to give them.”
It isn’t quite time just yet, but the focus of the coaches will be to make sure they understand the significance and history of the opponent. But there has to be a balance in order not to overkill it and run the risk of burning players out on the game before it actually arrives.
It’s a balance that Holgorsen has worked to the tune of 5-1 in previous season openers and this year is no different as he plans on making sure the West Virginia players understand what they’ll be up against.
“They will know exactly what to expect. I think we have a good handle on that,” Holgorsen said.