West Virginia developing depth at spur
West Virginia has two proven pass-rushing options at the spur spot but how about behind them?
Seniors Tyrin Bradley and Ty French give the Mountaineers a nice one-two punch at the position as both are very experienced players that have played a lot of snaps over their careers.
Bradley had success at the FCS level before transferring to West Virginia last season and recorded 22 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception while French was dominant at Gardner-Webb 239 tackles, 61 tackles for loss, 34.5 sacks and an interception but now is making the transition to power four football.
Those two will be critical at the position, but who else can West Virginia depend on there for snaps. Depth is always a battle, but position coach Victor Cabral believes there are certainly options available.
Taurus Simmons has moved full-time with the spurs after spending the first four years of his career bouncing back between the defensive line and an edge rusher. But since the move, he’s earned the trust of not only his teammates but the coaching staff with how he has handled the adjustment.
“I’m really excited about him and the way he’s progressed,” Cabral said. “He’s been here a while and he’s shown some things that he hasn’t shown before and really excited about him moving forward into this season. He’s going to be able to get us a bunch of reps.”
Still, there is a learning curve due to the different mentality and how you must adjust from always going forward all the time to understanding the big picture and playing more in space. But Cabral has been encouraged by the way that Simmons has asked the right questions and taken good notes in meetings.
A second option for depth would be true freshman Obinna Onwuka who certainly looks the part but is still developing on the mental side of what it takes to play the position.
“He’s got a great motor. He’s got a great skill set, he just has to go through the learning curves of being a freshman,” Cabral said.
The third in Oryend Fisher is still recovering from an injury but is making his way back. Ideally, the Mountaineers want to have five players who are able to play in that room, but the difficulty comes not only in being able to rush the pass but understanding the coverage responsibilities and run fits.
When it comes to coverage, the spur is responsible for the outside half of the field, the flat, the curl flat and at times the hook. The Mountaineers want to use that spot in passing situations, but it can’t be done every down and requires more flexibility than perhaps some other spots that get after the quarterback.
“And I think how that also plays into the pass rush and run fit is how you can disguise those certain looks into your benefit and those guys have really done a ton of hard work on that in not lining up the same exact way every single time but showing a little bit of deception and I think that’s going to pay off,” Cabral said.
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