WVU finding the right fit on special teams units
Special teams have been a focus of the West Virginia coaching staff with the message a clear one.
Kickoff and punt teams are the first play of defense so the Mountaineers coaching staff has been integrating more starters and key players into the personnel packages on those units.
A total of around 30-percent of the personnel in all phases has been switched from the start of the season after the units struggled with starters on both defense and offense seeing reps.
Redshirt freshman David Long has been a key contributor on kickoff return team, while redshirt senior Justin Arndt, a one-time special teams option but now starting SAM linebacker, has also assumed his role on the punt coverage team. And those are just a few of the examples.
“If those guys see that guys that are key players on offense and defense are out there doing that then there is no reason that they can’t,” said Mark Scott, special teams coordinator.
Scott has been tasked with filling out the special teams units and has integrated key players across the board after the Mountaineers struggled mightily in that department against BYU. When it comes to kickoff and punt coverage units, the goal is for Scott to identify those players that are used to getting off blocks and making tackles which means more defensive players.
Players like Long, redshirt junior wide receiver Shelton Gibson, senior safety Jeremy Tyler and redshirt junior safety Marvin Gross have all seen time on that unit.
“We’ve made a bunch of personnel changes but the biggest thing is those guys are buying in. Whether it be starters or guys that are playing a ton of reps,” Scott said.
While the return teams are about blocking and holding up the outside which has led to more offensive players getting the call such as redshirt junior Elijah Wellman and redshirt sophomore Michael Ferns.
“That’s what they do,” Scott said.
When it comes to playing starters on special teams, there is also a balance that must be met with making sure you manage those reps and ensure that they are fresh for their normal jobs.
That means making sure a plan is in place for a defensive player that has been on the field for an extended period of time and not serve on an ensuing kickoff or punt return.
Arndt has been working with the punt team since the BYU game and has tried to set an example for the younger players on the roster that the earliest pathway to playing time comes on those units. Regardless of your role on the team, it’s a chance to make an impact on the field.
“It’s another defensive rep you’re getting and special teams is just as much a part of the outcome of the game as defense or offense. So you want your best players out there,” he said.
Scott believes that the attitude of buying in across the board is paramount for success moving forward and for West Virginia to take the next step it is about reaching a level of consistency that has escaped them at times over the course of the season.
“I’m going to try to get them riled up and pissed off but I don’t have to because we have those leaders on those units,” Scott said.