Dana Holgorsen said Monday the true freshman still just shy of what would be his senior prom at Dunbar High, in Washington, D.C., had improved the most over the previous week.

When Shawne Alston was out Monday after injuring his neck in Saturday’s scrimmage — and right on cue! — it was Roberts who seemed to take those vacated handoffs more than anyone else.

Wednesday wasn’t much different.

– After receiving high praise on Monday, true freshman Vernard Roberts got the majority of the first-team reps and showed a quick first step to hit the hole and get going up field. In goal line drills, Roberts found the end zone twice, one coming after he spun away from two tackle attempts along his way.

(More good stuff in there, including more field-goal woes).

This is a big development in the fraternal battle between Vernard and Vance.

Technically speaking, Vance was the player held in higher regard by recruiting services, and part of that is because he is a pretty good cornerback.

Good enough to play this season? Well, that was the idea when the twins decided to enroll early, but time will tell at that position, which is quite difficult for a first-year player to tackle.

Another and perhaps bigger part is because Vernard had no senior season at Dunbar. He was curiously found to have exhausted his eligibility before the start of that final season because he played a game at the varsity level in eighth grade.

It counted toward one of his four years and there naturally wasn’t a whole lot of attention directed his way.

Still, the twins were and are inseparable and always planned on going to the same school. The committed to WVU before anyone else in the 2011 recruiting class and stayed on board through the coaching change that ultimately claimed Chris Beatty, who recruited them both.

Through the years, they’ve learned to not only live with one another — they remain roommates — but to prosper. They understand theirs is a unique and useful bond that’s helped get them here.

It’s worth noting Vernard’s sudden surge has him in the lead at long last.

They’ve been competitors and collaborators from the beginning. Vance won the first battle and was born a minute earlier. He’s careful to remember and remind Vernard.

“All the time,” said Vance, a true freshman cornerback.

Vernard doesn’t mind. In fact, he enjoys the motivation.

“He always tries to beat me up with stuff like that,” he said. “He’s a minute older than me and my parents know stuff like that gets to me, so they say stuff like, ‘He’s your big brother. Let your big brother go.’ And I’m always like, ‘He’s not my big brother.'”

Vernard is actually listed one inch taller and three pounds heavier than his 5-foot-8, 179-pound older brother.

“Stuff like that is normal,” Vernard said. “It’s second nature to me. We’re both used to it.”