West Virginia challenging team to get their best
Head coach Neal Brown understands that this West Virginia football team is one that needs to be consistently challenged. And for good reason.
The coaching staff has been clear about why that aspect is important and why the Mountaineers have had a clear-cut focus on being physical in camp while doing as much 11-on-11 and good on good than perhaps any other point since Brown has taken over the program in 2019.
“The reason is that because we’ve got to be significantly better than we were in the first game a year ago to give ourselves a chance,” he said.
And it’s not just the opener with Penn State either. The Mountaineers are set to square off against an extremely physical schedule with games against Pittsburgh on the road and then opportunities against a number of Big 12 teams littered across the schedule.
“You look at the teams we play, not just the teams, but how they play, what’s the style they play. And we have to prepare for this. Fall camp is about preparing for the season and so we’ve got to continue to consistently challenge this group,” Brown said.
The good news is that West Virginia believes that they have significantly evolved the way that they approach fall camp and the science behind it. And that physical element comes in a variety of ways depending on the position on the field.
It’s easy to try to boil down physicality to blocking and tackling, but there’s much more to it.
“It starts with your offensive line and it’s really how you use your hands. Are you striking people with your hands? In football these are legal weapons, your hands, and you better be able to strike with them and that’s something we spend a lot of time on,” Brown said.
On top of that, how players finish blocks with extreme pad level and having their hands inside is critical on the offensive line, while much of the same is true at tight end. When it comes to wide receivers, the focus is on being physical at the top of their routes and taking the attack to the defensive back.
“And then blocking on the perimeter and it goes back to striking with your hands keeping your elbows inside,” Brown said.
On the flip side, defensive tackling is indeed critical, but another element is block deconstruction. That comes with taking on a blocker and displacing them inside or on the perimeter with a defensive back.
Physicality is critical for this team and that goes far beyond the basics.
“There’s a lot to it,” Brown said.
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