West Virginia looks for touchdowns and improvement in the red zone
West Virginia has placed an emphasis on improving in the red zone this coming season.
The Mountaineers were able to score last season, but too often had to settle for field goals instead of being able to get the ball in the end zone. Last year, the offense had 58 trips into the red zone but only turned that into 35 touchdowns leaving plenty of potential points on the field.
“That’s really a point of emphasis for us. Offensively did a lot of good things but got to score more touchdowns down there,” head coach Neal Brown said.
West Virginia is again going to rely on a veteran offensive line to run the football in that area with four seniors and a junior comprising the expected first-team unit. Each of those has seen plenty of action on the field and while you don’t simply replace options like Zach Frazier and Doug Nester that experience will be key.
To have success up front in the red zone, it requires a lot given all the moving pieces with blitzes that an opposing defense will throw at them when things get tight. And it’s up to the offensive line to pick up on that and be able to counter what is happening.
“You’ve got to have your eyes up for certain alignments to tell us when certain blitzes are coming,” offensive line coach Matt Moore said. “That’s when we use our pre-snap alignment rules.”
However, there is also a focus on being more efficient when throwing the football in that area of the field. The coaching staff placed an emphasis on finding more size and length on the outside to try to win those contested catch situations. Both Justin Robinson and Jaden Bray stand at least 6-foot-2 and were transfer additions that were priorities for the Mountaineers to try to see better results down there.
That was an intentional decision to add that size, and both have shown that ability in fall camp.
“Robinson does a better job holding his line and does a great job holding onto the quarterback and getting the ball over his outside shoulder where Bray, had a play like this, he just went up and got it. Explosive athlete,” offensive coordinator Chad Scott said.
And that doesn’t even include tight end Kole Taylor who stands 6-foot-7 and has really placed an emphasis on becoming more of a viable weapon in that part of the field due to his size. That means understanding his role within the offense and asserting himself to make those contested catches and high-ball situations.
“I think we’ve got a better red zone plan moving forward and hopefully we can come out with a lot more touchdowns,” Taylor said. “We still have one of the best o-lines, if not the best o-line in the country, so we’re going to still try to run the ball in the red zone as well.”
West Virginia is hoping that those efforts and attention to detail lead to more touchdowns this fall.
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