Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which gets right down to business. Guess where we were a year ago! Breaking down a loss to Texas and wondering whether it’d carry over into the following game! (Spoiler: It did.) (Reminder: That Texas game featured some shaky red zone play, too.)

A year ago, WVU bombed during a road game at Kansas and said the Texas loss happened twice. A year later, it’s the TCU loss that’s happened twice after the Mountaineers half-bombed on the road at Texas. This open week precedes a Thursday night home game against equally salty Kansas State, which was controlled by TCU from start to finish. Your squad returns to practice tomorrow, and the final two games of this season will write what has yet to be written about the 2014 team. Are they any good? I think we’ll find out. Perhaps more intriguing: Where is this headed? I wrote about it Wednesday. You asked vetted it this week. We’ll talk about it today.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, don’t bury the lede.

Sammy said: 

Mike — It Ain’t Hard to Tell that I will be a fan of yours forever for how to kicked off TFGD

Felt good when it left my hand.

Dirty Frank said:

Mike – quick question:

I noticed in the box score that Tyree Owens and Marvin Gross were listed as having participated – and this would be their first action of the year. Is it really possible that we burned 2 redshirts in game 10?

The box score also says Millard played, so I understand that a grain of salt is appropriate (I assume that’s really Ricky Rumph, who also wears #14).

I saw that, too, but I don’t think they played. Those participation charts aren’t very accurate because no one cares to make them accurate. Marcel Lazard clearly came into the game when Adam Pankey’s head flew off. It says Lazard didn’t play.

I love you, Doug! said: 

7:01.

I guess I can’t understand how an O-line that gave Trickett enough time to throw against Alabama and Oklahoma can no longer give him three seconds against anybody, in the 10th game of the season. Hence those infuriating lateral-pass screens and curl-back passes that require the receiver to start from a standstill or run backward into negative territory.

Holgo is all but saying he doesn’t have confidence that his O-line can pass-block for anything longer than a five-yard pass.

EXCEPT, for some reasons, when they think the O-line can sufficiently block for Trickett to take a deep drop IN HIS OWN END ZONE.

Riddle me that, Batman.

 I’d debate you on whether he had time against Oklahoma. The edge guys got assailed that game, too, but the offense operated much better, yes. There isn’t a part of the team that must improve more in the offseason than the offensive line. Two pieces are gone, and those are the strong spots. Three-fifths of the group is back, but those tackles must be better next season or this will happen again. I also think you explain part of the explanation, too. It’s the 10th game, with the last six coming without interruption and the last one being the worst. Attrition matters. Bad habits matter. Scouting reports matter. The end zone play was bold as hell. I like it and dislike it, but there’s a gamble involved: “Does Bedford think I’m crazy enough to go double-move on the outside for a deep ball? Is he blitzing? Let’s find out!” Didn’t work. 

abpriddy: 

I miss calm rational Buddha Dana from the Alabama game. The return of Impetuous Dana isn’t entirely welcome. Like if you’re going to be a team that plays it close to the vest and runs the ball a lot then be that team, but that means you don’t kick 53 yard field goals into the wind in lieu of punting from your opponent’s 36 yard line. However it probably does mean that you kick one on 4th and 7 from that opponent’s 8 yard line. One of these days he’s going to appreciate how demoralizing it is to come away from a possession inside an opponent’s 10 yard line without point.

All this to say one of my biggest concerns with HCDH is that I don’t feel like he has some set of unifying principals he uses to make these decisions. Like when to go on 4th, when to go for two, when to call timeout, when to do a lot of things. A lot of coaches are pretty predictable in how they approach these situations. Like they never chance not getting points, or they never chase points before the 4th quarter, or they almost always go in 4th and short. With Dana I feel like he’s just making it up as he goes along and that can be dangerous when you’re in the middle of an emotional game. You need to have already made some of those decisions with cool detachment as opposed to in the heat of the moment. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for emotional playcalling – there’s a lot to be said for a team believing that you believe in them – but not every time.

On an unrelated note Dreamius has set a new mark for longest run from scrimmage in each of the last 3 games. 40, 50, 62. He’s also scored a touchdown in each of the last 4 games. He’s averaging 10 carries per game in these 4 games.

I’ve no qualms with any of that. Generally, I’m not a fan of making the “We can’t stop them/We can’t drive on them” decisions in the third quarter that lead to fourth down and field goal decisions at subsequent and significant moments later in the game. That failed fourth down conversion at the start of a second half in which the defense totally dominated what was truly a shaky Texas offense that had a surprisingly good first half was problematic. True, that’s easy to say now, but 24-6 is so much different that 24-3 several minutes later when the situation is a little more dramatic. 

Foul Shot said:

Not sure on the point about Alford.
The guy has played well.
He did not seem to be one of the guys who was dropping them vs Bama.
Scored a TD in the TCU game on a nice pass if memory serves me correctly.
Kickoff return in the Bama game was a thing of beauty.
If anything, let’s figure out how to get it to him more.

My how the bandwagon empties during a two game losing streak.
The team has a chance to flip its record from last year to 8-4.

I think the point on Alford, as made by Mack and discussed by others, is he is who is he, and who he is is who he was at the start of this season and probably even the end of last season. He’s not limited or one-dimensional, but I think if there were more to him than a vertical route here or there or a deep post when the opportunity avails itself, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. He’s a good player who’s a great player when something happens to create that distinction. He doesn’t have those things or make those things happen enough. He’s not a player who can talk a defense out of doubling White. And yet he’s good enough that he’s not coming off the field for a Shelton Gibson or Vernon Davis cameo. I have no idea who the wide receivers are next season, but that’s something that’s either on the roster now or is coming in via recruiting, and neither is particularly exciting … unless there’s a can’t-miss prospect (I need to see Jovon Durante on campus … there’s a bad scene at Miramar and he’s in the middle of it.) or a Kevin White-like leap in the offseason.

JP said: 

This team is going nowhere unless Trickett gets his act together. WVU has to stretch the field to make the run game work, and #9 has not been making those throws lately.

It’s not entirely on him. White’s been corralled. Alford’s been ordinary to a little above ordinary. The offensive line is not getting a lot of respect and not giving Trickett much time. But let’s not bypass his arm. I’m curious to see what his arm is like after this break. I also wonder what happened when Crest was lost for the season. Was he going to have a package of plays? Does the red zone offense improve? Is Trickett’s health better? A couple What If? scenarios stand out this season. That’s but one.

JC said:

Me thinks Trickett is banged up…..more so than the typical bumps and bruises through this point in the season. Could be a reason for the “change” in play calling and stretching the field too……

You have eyes. His ankle was a mess. He had the flu. He’s still around 180 pounds. It’s not merely the shoulder that’s of concern. And WVU’s change to “Hey! We’re a running team!” came right about the time Trickett dipped a little bit. 

Sammy said:

I won’t say that Freemius has great vision — as he usually likes to bounce it outside — but on several of these big runs he is able to find a hole that’s not there in the normal design of the play and make a big play. In that last clip the guard is pulling to the left side and Freemius cuts back to the right which is wide open. I don’t see our other backs doing anything like that. Smallwood and Buie run really hard and when he gets a head of steam going Shell can lay the wood, but in an offense like Dana’s there are creases and sometimes you have to find them. Charles Sims should’ve broken more big plays but that guy was really good at finding the creases (and there weren’t many last year).

Here’s a possible explanation: JaJuan Seider likes Shell at the goal line because he sees it fast and goes. He likes Smallwood at the goal line because he hits the target harder and faster than anyone else. I never really got a read on where Smith was in that conversation, but what you may like on three plays may be something Seider has a distaste for on so many other plays. It might be Smith has gambled a few times and won and Seider wants his backs to trust the play. That’s pretty common for a coach.

Mock said:

“That has to drive Dana Holgorsen absolutely berznope he’s patting Davis on the helmet.”

And this is why I read Casazza.

This is why I write.

ThirdCoaster said:

Does WVU teach the backs to hit the cutback? Because Dreamius is the only one who does it and then breaks a long run. Buie and Smallwood have both lacked the patience to wait for it. I watched the TCU game again last week and the cutback was there often, but only Dreamius looks for it. He hit it for 62 yards against Texas. I wish the coaches would adhere to their own, “We ride the hot hand at RB” principle and ride Dreamius in the 4th quarter every week. Who wants to tackle that beast late in the game?

Here’s a novel idea for a score zone play, when the CB is 1 on 1 with the WR and bailing out in anticpation of the back corner fade: back shoulder the ball to the front pylon. Execution of the back shoulder throw will either force the defense to roll a safety and bracket cover 1 or play true 1 on 1 and respect the back shoulder throw.

Speaking of score zone plays where is the Eli Wellman or Cody Clay pass to the flat play out of the diamond formation. They ran it in the spring game and in the Bama game and I think they shelved it after it failed in Game 1.

Is the Smallwood streaking down the sideline pass play covered because that one hasn’t been run since the Maryland game?

The WR screens have been getting blown up because the defenders out number the blockers and the Olinemen are falling down before they affect the defender. Watch Oregon run their staple WR screen, they use a trips formation to set up an alley for the receiver to run through and don’t wait for a lineman to clear a safety. The RB screens are getting blown up because the defense is reading the flow, so I would misdirection and throw to the backside back sometimes to slow the play side pursuit.

I had to let that out..thanks

Feel better? I feel like the next wave of offensive ingenuity is going to be creativity on goal line passes. I like back-shoulder stuff because it’s hard to defend. I think the slant-and-fade or the fade-and-slant or anything where you play off a cornerback’s instinct is feasible, too. WVU needs to get that right because getting touchdowns down close has been far to difficult for a while now. Dana’s “I think you’ll see a team that’s even better next season” comment this week was alarming because 1) he’s not often that provocative and 2) five starters on that offense are gone and others honestly may need to be replaced.

Drew said:

So I’m not the only one who thinks Smith > Smallwood? I get Smallwood has versatility, but I question how much that is actually taken advantage of. It’s not like he’s catching a ton of passes.

Smallwood’s season was derailed when Shell got hurt and Smallwood went from being The Chess Piece to The Guy and carried the ball a lot and is now, according go his coach, visibly spent. We’re making a meal out of #Freemius, but what if the coaches simply swapped Shell and Smith and let Smallwood continue to be part receiver and part running back? To me, that’s probably the great What If? topic of the season. I mean, what was the purpose of having Smallwood specialize in versatility and boasting a list of running backs? Why take the  guy who can do a bunch of things and make him the guy who does one thing while the others on the list loiter?

Mack said:

I don’t know what they see, but I can tell you what I see.

Dreamius is neither an impressive runner on the speed end or the physical end. He’s not bad at either, but he’s not great at either.

Shell is impressive in how he delivers contact to a defender. Even Smallwood, to an extent. Smith appears to be bigger than both, so he can be a bigger load to bring down even if he doesn’t bring the power like Shell.

The one thing that I think Smith may do better than the other running backs is that he appears to be the only one that runs to a spot, stops, and then reverses field to the open part of the field. It seems like the big runs are being broken this way.

Shell and Smallwood (and Buie) seem to be downhill runners that hit the hole fast but don’t necessarily reverse field and try to break one open.

Well, he’s not a speed back, but I’d like to see who’s faster than him at that position. I’d bet Smallwood, and that it’s probably somewhat close. I think he does more within the play after the play, if that makes sense. It’s sort of what you’re saying. Something happens and then something else happens. The other guys are a little more robotic, which is fine, but Smith does more Second Phase stuff. Shell seems like Smith with more wiggle and Smallwood seems like Smith with more speed and you haven’t seen either of those guys on that second level very often. I think all three of those guys, when they want to, can lower a shoulder, but Shell, obviously, does it more often. One thing we don’t know: What Smith does with, say, 18 carries. We’ve seen Smallwood and Shell top 100 with a large number of touches.

Sammy said:

I do think sometimes when a hole isn’t there Dreamius has a tendency to tipetoe to the line and get tackled rather than power though. It happened several times late against Baylor and in some other games as well. But Shell does that too, and the one thing Dreamius is doing is passing the Casazza test: When the line gets him past the initial wave of defenders, he’s not letting that safety tackle him by making him miss or running away from them and getting big plays.

Here’s where I confuse you. Smith does Second Phase stuff, but I feel like the First Phase gobbles him up more often that it does the others. Seider really seems to like immediacy, and probably even consistent immediacy. In the open field, though, Smith find angles and gets by or through defenders. The others really haven’t gotten that chance very often.

I love you, Doug! said:

This is the difference between being “loaded at running back,” as we were told WVU was prior to the season, and “having several competent backs.”

Yeah, folks on this beat seems to get into The Narrative very early. Happens in basketball, too. Me? I like to have a meal before I critique it. And you’ve got to develop the backs, too, and there’s something to be said — and they are starting to say it now — about a large rotation and not One guy.

Rugger said:

If you know you only have 5 O linemen who can play, why not consider backing off of the 90 play per game pace. Did it not occur that they might get tired at some point?

Run some clock and let your defense do their job. Like real football.

Actually, I’ve thought they were slowing down up until the Texas game, where they snapped it 90 times because they had a bunch of second-half possessions and had to play with a little more urgency. And I think the slowed tempo has slowed the swagger, too. But when it’s a struggle to get that first first down, you’re cautious.

Mack said:

Regarding next year . . .

Running backs: Essentially the same.
Defense: Should be even better.
Offensive line: Assuming it should have more depth but will be younger.
Kicker/Punter: Same.
Punt Returns: Can’t be any worse.
Kick Returns: Probably about the same…

So, with all of the above, we’re talking about a new quarterback and new outside receivers. This is a big change, but the new players can get their feet wet against Liberty, Georgia Southern, and Maryland, all at home. I think most would agree that we don’t know what we’re getting with Crest, but he has a higher ceiling than Trickett.

That’s not a dreary picture at all, is it? The offensive line is a worry and Hyman and Riddick are two bodies on a defensive line that doesn’t have too many. We’re going to talk about that a lot in the spring because there are a bunch of freshmen, either available now or sitting out, waiting to play there. Someone asked me for a 2015 depth chart, and I thought about it and messed with it and, honestly, I don’t want anyone taking it and holding it against me in the future. I think there could be changes on offense and I don’t know where the depth is on defense. The answers are there on both sides, but they might not be here yet or I might have them identified yet. Give me some time, though, (Also, that Georgia Southern game will be a headache for Tony Gibson. Zero practical value playing that offense in the non-conference schedule.)

Down South said:

No. I’m in a seminar. Speakers are droning on and on. And on. I was counting on the chat to tet me through this. This is not good. Not good at all.

When can we expect to hear something about Crest’s redshirt? Any vibe from tbe team about whether they expect it to be granted?

They seem confident. I guess all that could derail it is if the NCAA thought it was B.S. and a tale to preserve a kid’s freshman season.

50yrfan said:

Mike, what is the Crest situation? Is it serious problem or something that should be alright for next year? This qb drama is getting old.

I have no idea how serious it is. Sudden seems like the better word. It wasn’t serious in August when he was practicing and getting bragged on, and it wasn’t serious when he played against Towson. We’re told it was preexisting and he had to be cooled off in August and then after Towson. So we’ll go on that line and assume it’s fatigue or mechanics or something structural and, again, trust the message and see if he’ll be able to go in bowl prep or in spring ball.

netbros said:

If Crest is indeed injured enough to receive a medical redshirt, it also means he has probably been injured enough not to practice. So except for film study, he really isn’t learning anything by repetition.

You can learn a lot standing around at practice, though. Look at me. It’s not a waste of his time or of WVU’s time.

Joe Dryler said:

Are you actually duck hunting? It is second season this week in WV.

Almost closed with this today … then I realized it wasn’t a joke and you were being serious because no one knows about my hobbies. I was actually at a funeral. 

pknocker40 said:

Will there be a chat next Thursday even though that’s a game day?

TBA. We’ll have one, but I’m not sure when.

WVU football said:

Relax. We beat one team that’s headed into the playoff and lost to the other one by 1 point.

Enjoy the weekend!