Spring ball is largely about experimentation and improvement. That will be no different at West Virginia, where the coaching staff has outlined a number of issues that must improve heading into 2021.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 6-4 campaign with a Liberty Bowl win over Army, but there are certainly areas that have to take steps forward this coming fall.
On the general side of things, West Virginia has to continue to get stronger in the trenches and become a more disciplined team.
“Detail things especially when adversity hits. And mental toughness. Really the most important thing being out best when our best is required,” head coach Neal Brown said.
Those are common items that every team needs to improve annually, but what about each phase?
Defensively, West Virginia returns the bulk of the production and starters from a unit that finished No. 4 nationally in total defense allowing only 291 yards per contest. The group was No. 20 nationally in scoring defense permitting just over 20-points per game across the ten-game schedule.
Of that unit the Mountaineers will need to replace three starters in outgoing seniors nose guard Darius Stills and linebacker Tony Fields as well as cornerback Dreshun Miller, who transferred to Auburn. While figuring out their replacements are at the top of the list, that’s a lot of talent back on that side.
So, with plenty of experience returning, the major focus for the unit is figuring out a way to be more flexible with the personnel that they have and getting the best players on the field at all times. To accomplish that, the coaching staff plans to cross-train players to fill multiple roles.
“Akheem Mesidor had a really good freshman year but we really need to get him to where he can play inside and outside. Josh Chandler needs to be able to play both linebacker spots. Tykee Smith, who played at a high level, we want to get him some experience playing the deep safety as well,” Brown said.
That is especially true in the backend at safety where West Virginia has multiple players that could play several positions, so the plan is to get them all acclimated across the board to take advantage of having their best players on the field. Even if that means some unconventional looks.
“Use the spring not only to play one position but learn multiple positions in the secondary. We’ve got to have some flexibility where we can play four defensive backs as well,” Brown said.
Seeing how emerging players are ready to step into roles also will be key such as those that were largely in the developmental program last year like bandit linebackers Lanell Carr and Taurus Simmons, defensive end Sean Martin and linebacker James Thomas. The same can be said at cornerback where replacing Miller could come down to a combination of Jackie Matthews and Daryl Porter.
“Excited to see those guys perform,” Brown said.
West Virginia tackled better than Brown initially thought but he believes that generating more of a pass rush and creating advantages in one-on-one situations up front is paramount to success on defense.
The offensive side of the ball also returns the bulk of the production from a season ago, but unlike the defensive side of the ball they did not make the same jumps. The unit finished 50th nationally at 412 yards per game but only 82nd in scoring at just over 26-points per game. Ball security wise everything checked out, but the Mountaineers still need to make significant strides.
That means taking the next step, which is going to be to continue to make leaps in the run game and generating more explosive plays up and down the roster. While the Mountaineers improved in the red zone, Brown also would like to see things get better outside of that area of the field.
Simply catching the ball is at the top of the list for the wide receiver group as PFF charted 31 drops by the position on catchable throws during the 2020 campaign.
“We want to catch the ball at a higher percentage. It’s a fundamental issue, not a lock of ability or anything,” Brown said. “We have to improve our fundamentals in that regard.”
The same concern arises in the passing game as well when it comes to creating more explosive plays and finding a way to not only make contested catches but make defenders miss in space.
“The quarterback has to do a better job getting it in the proper spots but that’s a point of emphasis. The other piece of explosiveness is being able to break tackles or winning one-on-one in space,” Brown said.
Among the players that Brown is excited about on the side of the ball includes transfer Doug Nester, freshman offensive lineman Jordan White, wide receiver Sam Brown and the young running backs both Tony Mathis and A’Varius Sparrow.
On special teams, Brown was pleased with how his team handled blocking on kickoff returns but believes that his specialists have to improve. That will include a battle at long snapper between JP Hadley and Austin Brinkman, as well as battles at kicker and more consistency at punter.
The spring also will used as a way to build a menu of those players that can appear on the various special teams’ units once the season rolls around.
There’s a lot of work to be done before the Mountaineers open the season in Maryland this September and spring ball will be the first step in accomplishing that.
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