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No spring fling at WVU
Coming off an 11-1 season and a Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia, he expects opposing defenses to load up against his ground-breaking rushers next season.
Starting Sept. 2 against Marshall, Rodriguez anticipates opponents will try to "load the box" and bring extra defenders up to the line of scrimmage to stop slashing running back Steve Slaton, while also forcing sophomore quarterback Pat White to pass the ball.
"Shoot, people will figure us out," Rodriguez said. "You study enough tape, you know how people do it.
"Execution is the key," he said. "I think schemes are way overrated on both offense and defense."
What worries Rodriguez is the Mountaineers have lacked rhythm - and execution - in the passing game for most of spring drills.
White completed 9 of 18 pass attempts for 64 yards -- and threw a pair of interceptions -- in an officiated scrimmage dominated by the Mountaineers' defense Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Junior wideout Darius Reynaud led all receivers with three catches for 35 yards despite playing with a pulled muscle. Senior Brandon Myles also caught three passes for 12 yards.
Rodriguez said he still needs impact receivers who can run, catch and block on the perimeter, if the Mountaineers hope to force opponents to back off the line of scrimmage.
"We're still looking for some guys to elevate their play, because we're a little thin as far as having five or six guys ready," Rodriguez said. "Brandon Myles has done some things, (Dorrell) Jalloh has done a few things, and Darius Reynaud has been getting a little better."
Late last season, Pitt, South Florida and Georgia moved extra defenders up near the line to slow down Slaton and force White's passing arm.
"If you have enough wrinkles and you have enough answers for the way they defend you, that's what's important," Rodriguez said. "That's why we've tried to expand our package. We have enough in our package to have all the answers. It's just a matter of execution."
With former backup quarterback Adam Bednarik sidelined indefinitely with a chronic shoulder problem, Rodriguez needs a new backup. However, redshirt freshman quarterback Nate Sowers was held out of Saturday's scrimmage due to a sore shoulder.
"Nate's done some good things," Rodriguez said. "He's very athletic, but his throwing has been hindered by his sore shoulder. And he's swimming mentally, as are all the freshman quarterbacks.
"It's important for them to study it and get better in these final practices, and then pick up again in the fall."
Rodriguez admits he's not convinced quarterback is the right role for Sowers, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound former running back and West Virginia player of the year from Martinsburg.
"Convinced is too strong a word," Rodriguez said. "I'm optimistic. I feel encouraged that he can play that position. The thing with Nate is we've got to make a decision which position will get him on the field quicker. He does enough things from a physical standpoint we think he can play somewhere for us."
Rodriguez said he saw plenty of room for improvement after the Mountaineers committed eight penalties and turned the ball over seven times in the scrimmage.
"Our guys will understand the value of the ball, or they won't play. That's always been the case," Rodriguez said. "We're still making a lot of mistakes."
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Top returning wideouts
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Here's a look at how West Virginia's returning receivers performed last season:
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Name
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Class
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Catches
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Yds.
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TD
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Brandon Myles
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Sr.
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34
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536
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3
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Darius Reynaud
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Jr.
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30
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297
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5
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Rayshawn Bolden
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Sr.
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3
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76
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0
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Dorrell Jalloh
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Soph.
|
3
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66
|
1
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