I actually snapped this picture upon leaving so I wouldn’t be breaking any of the rules of decorum at football practice, but this is where we were standing, some of us for 10 or so minutes, before we were allowed inside the gates and on the field for the first practice of the Dana Holgorsen Era. Or Holgormania. Whatever.

As you tell, you can see the field and the players and everything they’re doing. The fence is totally transparent, though possibly wired with an electric current. I couldn’t get Jack Bogaczyk to check. But you’re not allowed on the field or to take any pictures or audio or video except when in a specific window. Today it was 5:30-6 p.m. And at 5:26, they let us inside. We weren’t even asked to leave until slightly after 6 o’clock. Good day.

Within the window, I did note a few things worth passing along. For starters, there’s loud and urban music playing as the Mountaineers do their warmup stretches. All I’m saying is you never saw Yung Joc cameo on George Lopez. Change: It’s going down! And warmups matter. They re-started the 10 jumping jacks that end the warmup and precede the pre-practice huddle/mob because they were substandard jumping jacks. Details!

Nevertheless, the MVP of the camp might be this musical machination:

Alex Hammond is in charge of the music. “They were a little worried,” he said and he joked, I think, he might have been fired for the wrong selection. I said he should have pressed his luck to see where he stood and gone with Mozart, in the spirit of George Costanza and  “I fear no reprisal.” He agreed and countered with “Le nozze di Figaro,” a la Andy Dufresne. I really hope they don’t fire Alex Hammond …

As for real stuff, let the record show and let all those interested in the supposed tug ‘o war between offense and defense know that WVU’s first several periods were devoted to special teams. After the stretching, that’s all we got to see, really, apart from the players and groups who weren’t involved in special teams going through position-specific drills on the side.

PAT and field goals were up first and you’ll remember those weren’t very good in the spring. Tyler Bitancurt and Corey Smith and their cohorts got plenty of work right away. The next two periods were devoted to punting — specifically the snapping, protecting and covering. This is the first day, remember. Holgorsen said they’ll keep doing this until he’s content.

Candidates for the toughest guys on the team: Linebacker Tyler Anderson and running back B — fullbacks or bigger backs, take your pick — Matt Lindamood and Ricky Kovatch. Why do I say this? They were the first-team wall between the snapper and the punter who have to step forward and block the punt rush.

For the curious, second-team was linebackers Steve Paskorz and Jewone Snow and tight end slot inside receiver Tyler Urban. Third-string — Yeah, I wrote it down. So? — was freshman linebacker Jared Barber and B backs Shawne Alston and Ryan Clarke.

Also interesting to note was the line that protects and covers: cornerbacks Brodrick Jenkins and Keith Tandy, linebacker Josh Francis, long snapper Cody Nutter, linebacker Najee Goode and safeties Terence Garvin and Travis Bell. Those are starters or regulars. I sense a theme there. The second-team was cornerbacks Avery Williams and Pat Miller, safety Mike Dorsey, long snapper Trent Lusk, linebackers Casey Vance and Troy Gloster and safety Wes Tonkery. Some good players there, too. Combinations of those guys and a few others — cornerbacks Brantwon Bowser and Lawrence Smith, safety Matt Moro to name a few — were the outside gunners.

Other innocent and noteworthy observations: Jorge Wright was back and in uniform and doing drills grouped with Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller. … Shaq Rowell is a large person, but seems to move smoothly when he’s low to the ground. … WVU has two quarterbacks in camps — Eu and Paul Millard. I expect this has to change so no one’s arm gets worn out in camp. … No one was in anything but a blue or white jersey, which means Brad Starks, Don Barclay and Jeff Braun were good to go from the start and no one else is nicked or dinged or suffering from a twinge at the start. … Moro looks like a big hitter. He’s listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 poinds. … No player wore any protective padding or equipment — helmets don’t count — and there was a compliance department employee in attendance. … I didn’t have, or allow myself, time to look around and check, but I did ask and was told no player, as far as that person knew, failed to report.

9:47 p.m. update, after Dana Holgorsen press conference

Not a good day when the head coach begins by saying, “I hope you’ve got good questions. I don’t have anything good to say.” Dana Holgorsen was, for the first day, not impressed and left a little worried. What seems to be following him more than anythig is his quarterback situation. He’s never had a camp with fewer than four quarterbacks. He’s never had a starter suffer a significant injury. “Never, 20-for-20,” he said, before hurrying to knock on wood.

Brian Athey might not seem like a big loss, but right not, and for the forseeable future, it is. Eu and Paul Millard won’t throw as many passeas as normal — we’re talking hundreds here — because their arms have to be preserved. That limits work to be done in a variety of other drills and, no offense to the credentials of Shannon Dawson and Jake Spavital, but Holgorsen doesn’t like the idea of relying on them.

So what does he do? Better question: What can he do? His hands are really tied here. Brad Starks isn’t right physically and he and Coley White are part of the thin group of receivers that can’t afford to lose one or two bodies to assuage the quarterback situation. Holgorsen laughs, but he might have to encourage a walk-on to come along with the sole condition of doing hard work with no rewards. Whoever the third or fourth or fifth guys are, they’re not going to play unless Eu and Millard are hurt … and history shows that might nothappen here.

Also, Millard is telling people he’s going to beat out Eu for the starting job. I don’t like it. I love it.

As stated earlier, there were no surprise absences when the freshman reported yesterday. Linebacker Shaq Petteway made it and  offensive lineman Justin Johnson and defensive lineman Ben Bradley did not. No surprises, though.

Holgorsen said receiver Devon Brown, the Wake Forest transfer, “physicall looked good.” Brown was with Tavon Austin catching punts in the open part of practice. In addition to leading the Demon Deacons in receiving the past two years and carrying the ball a lot for a receiver, he was the top punt returner in 2010 and returned kickoffs in 2010 and 2009. I’m also told his nickname is Y’Lou. More on that later, I’m certain.

Holgorsen also said Keith Tandy looked “spectacular.” I didn’t get to ask if he was real, too.

Back at it tomorrow. Tell your friends!