Tis true, per Corey Smith, who had ups and downs and just about nobody to go to last season for a mechanical fix that would accelerate the mental fix.

That’s old hat now that WVU has a special teams coordinator in Steve Dunlap and a kicking guru, of sorts, in Joe DeForest. Turns out that’s looking more and more like a good thing.

The highs, of course, are easy to take, but the lows really work on you.

“It’s big for your mental aspects,” Smith said. “Most of us are pretty strong mentally, but once you go through a tough stretch it gets hard. It just shows if you stay with it things will work out.”

What was making it really hard was that they were without a real special teams coach. This year Holgorsen has added Joe DeForest, something of a special teams specialist, and it has helped.

“It’s hard (not having a coach),” Smith said. “We all watch each other and know what we do, but it’s still hard for us. Coach DeForest being here has been a big help. He sees stuff that, yes, we know, but not every day we would see.”

One difference is there is much more film of their efforts in practice.

“We are able to analyze more film every day. He knows what he’s doing. He’s been very successful everywhere he’s been. I think he will be very helpful,” Smith said.