Wasn’t going to do this today. Working on a project piece and some football stories and then hitting the road seemed the proper path to take, but we only get 52 Fridays a year and five during the football season are gobbled up by travel. We’re in the preseason limbo (Note to self: Initiate Preseason Limbo next fall) and I want to fill in the gap for you and for me.

Let’s dive in with both feel. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, look alive.

Shoot4Show said:

I won’t venture a caption, but that pic has to make the fake-or-not-fake goofy sideline play call picture board, right?

If that happens, I really don’t have much left to accomplish. Certainly, nothing to top this photo on that display.

Gordo said:

Obvious statement I know, but this isn’t a good start for a season that, by all intents and purposes, is a make or break season for DH. I don’t believe that any of the things happening are necessarily his fault, but in the end he’s THE guy. Injuries, arrests, players leaving the program are all things that make people talk. All I’m saying is, he better win some games.

Brandon Lawless wasn’t going to be eligible. I’m not sure he would have played much if at all — he was behind because he showed up when camp started — so perhaps he was better off going back west. He had four years to play three seasons. Maybe he plays, maybe he redshirts so he’s three-for-three if he comes back here or goes to another school next year. The injuries hurt but ought not reflect on coaching. Adam Pankey’s arrest isn’t a great look, though. 

NotFooled said:

Great, now no “Between Two Ferns” this year. Figured that would become a thing that Coyle would do…
Hopefully it is isn’t too bad. Redshirt??

He’ll redshirt. And I’m showing this to Coyle.

Mack said:

If WVU was Alabama, then the injuries would be major issues. With WVU, they’re probably catastrophic.

Apocalyptic.

The 25314 said:

These injuries wouldn’t be major issues for Alabama, because Alabama and Notre Dame don’t have injuries, thanks to their superior S&C staff. I read it on the internet.

Must be true.

I Love You, Doug! said:

Askew-Henry is a tough loss because he was a starter and an anchor. I don’t feel as bad about Ferns (though I feel badly *for* him) because I just view guys like that as an occasional gift when we manage to land a top recruit. Christian was always the No. 2 and that’s a No. 2 that WVU always has and I’m sure he’s fine. If we had a four-star as a backup, like Ferns, then all the better. But I don’t think Christian/Ferns is the difference between a 7- and 10-win season, especially in a season where Howard is the QB and exceptional things are not expected.

I’d agree with a lot of this, except that I think you get guys like that to play them and to to reap the rewards. You’re right. It’s not something that happens at WVU. But when WVU gets one, you want to enjoy it. Also, I just don’t think Christian is the new backup. Can’t see that happening.

Clarence Oveur said:

I’m going to play devil’s advocate to ILYD:

Those losses hurt even more so this season where – in my opinion – WVU needs every break it can get just to be competitive in the conference. Like he said, a lot of what we do will rest on Skyler’s ability to run the offense. Our defense is obviously not what it was last season, and even then we had difficulties that we probably wouldn’t have experienced if Karl Joseph was healthy. This season, the defense needs all the help it can get. Losing a starting free safety and what looked to be a good backup at LB further hinders what was already a suspect defense even with Askew-Henry and Ferns.

Does WVU have the depth to cover the losses? We’ll soon find out, but I have my doubts. I agree that these losses probably don’t have the kind of impact where it means the difference between a 7-win and 10-win season, but I’m sure it will matter in terms of one or two games. In a season where Holgorsen’s job likely hangs on that thin of a margin for error, everything matters. Losing DAH and Ferns matters.

I’d agree with a lot of this, too. I think I’ve said this before, but everything matters. I’m also wary of trusting the offense to do what it takes to cover for the defense.

Berznope said:

On the plus side, the offense should now be more productive in scrimmages.

Bang.

Sammy said:

My two takeaways from the scrimmage are:

1. Tony Gibson is still pretty good! Now, that doesn’t mean the defense will be great because, unfortunately…

2. Skyler Howard is still Skyler Howard. He’s a year older, is doing his run checks and all of that, but he’s not going to be a 70% passer throwing strikes on 5-15 yard passes like Geno or Mark Brunell. We’re going to have to hope for some big plays on screens, a few deep bombs per game and pray we don’t turn the ball over so much.

Maybe that’s why Carrier seems more focused on having the receivers learn how to break up potential interceptions. It might be their most important job this year.

Honestly, I think the plan found within No. 2 is probably accurate. 

Oklahoma Mountaineer said:

One scrimmage does not define a football team, but……….it really doesn’t give you a warm fuzzy when the most experienced group gets handled like they did on Saturday, does it?

Counterpoint: The defense knows everything the offense is running. It’s a bit of an equalizer. 

Down South said:

Such a big difference between 19 and 22. Especially when you consider that the three intervening years are spent with a college strength coach and nutritionist. I think the first group will be really solid. That second group scares the bejeezus out of me.

It feels like some of those old Big East defenses. Great front line and some questions marks right behind it. Also, “a big difference between 19 and 22” accurately describes WVU’s first two-deep and the most recent version.

rickinpa said:

See that Kyle Rose took an injury settlement from the Cleveland Browns. Mike, any idea what his injury is?

They usually keep that quiet. But it wasn’t an ACL!

Clarence Oveur said:

Nana Kyeremeh: “It’s not a situation where Maurice and Antonio showed better at camp than me, it’s more like they stood out more.”

Is this a Thing?

tomsirk said:

Re: William Crest — I have been reviewing Crest’s WVU career(?) – based on those facts, it is hard to see how he was evaluated so highly coming in. I know we all occasionally have rose colored glasses – was his HS competition weaker than assumed? It does not appear to be lack of work ethic –any feedback?

You have to remember, Crest’s throwing shoulder betrayed him during his freshman year. I’m not sure he’s ever been right since then. His high school, Dunbar, is the dominant program, but it plays small school football. The schools are small. It’s 1A. Dave Hickman went to see Dunbar play in 2013 and … well, read this.

Dunbar plays good football. Really good football. The Poets are nine-time state champions in Maryland. Tavon Austin came from there. Dunbar has athletes and size and skill and coaching.

Reginald F. Lewis High? Not so much.

“You could call it a workout,” Crest said. “We call these types of games practice.”

Well, it wasn’t much of a workout for Crest. He played perhaps half the offensive snaps in the first half, none in the second. There were times – many times – when Smith sent his offense on the field without a quarterback. He would line up a running back who would take a direct snap. It wasn’t even the same running back from one series to the next.

The favorite play out of that set was something that looked like a jet sweep option, where the tailback would take the snap, immediately hand off to the motioning receiver or keep.The only time it didn’t work was when Dunbar would commit a penalty orperhaps drop the ball. That happened once and Dunbar wound up with a third-and-9.

So then Crest trotted on and threw a 39-yard touchdown pass. Problem solved. He could just as easily have run for the first down, but why?

Sheil Ybuti said:

So Orlosky’s up for “major awards,” eh? That leg lamp is going to look sweet in the trophy case.

Ha. Someone got that.

Thatwasgraphic said:

Have any of the other true freshman linebackers shown any sign of being able to contribute this season?

Not especially.

cahaslep said:

Serious question….does this do away with the possibility of the aforementioned 3-1-7 with Henry and Ferns out do you think?

Ferns wouldn’t affect it. There are probably four linebackers WVU would have used before him. Askew-Henry definitely does affect it, though. I’d say Gibson doesn’t have the same level of confidence in it now.

TLS62PA said:

You have 5 years to play 4. He’ll only be using a regular redshirt. Jaleel Fields would be eligible for a medical redshirt. Same with Dravon since he still has a redshirt available. The way that works is he’ll still come back as a redshirt junior next year, but he can petition for the extra year during his senior year.

Fields already used his redshirt. He’d have to apply for a sixth year, and the NCAA, though more consistent now, is difficult to predict.

Kenny Powers said:

2020 Olympic Committee says to keep Ginny Thrasher away from our field turf.

They do.

Kevin said:

Off topic, but I just finished watching Last Chance U on Netflix. The show is about a junior college football program in Mississippi. It was interesting in and of itself, but it had a little WVU flavor as Clint Trickett is one of the assistant coaches, Crawford was an opposing running back in one of the games and WVU was recruiting a couple of the players…

Thought I would mention it to you folks while we wait on football season to arrive.

I talked to Clint over the summer for a story about Will Grier. Trickett talked about Crawford for a while, and I’m mad at myself for not writing all of it down for a story that would have been so providential.

BobbyHeenan said:

Hearing some grumbling about us signing/recruiting three years in a row some “undersized” PG’s (Beetle, Napper, and now McCabe).

Sure, maybe they won’t have length for pressing, but believe it or not Huggs is flexible in the way he has the team running offense/defense with regard to strategy and X’s and O’s. THe constant is he demands effort, but I think his strategy is just to go after the best guys and then plan to be a little flexible and figure out what to do with the roster you have…

– we made a final 4 with no press and with length on the defensive end by switching every screen and having 4 guys out there that could guard pretty much any position on the floor at once
– we then make another tourney run years later running press
– he’s shown he’s willing to go zone (point drop or 1-3-1) and is open to this when needed.

With these smaller PG’s the press may suffer (especially if we have to play two on the floor at once), but I have faith in Huggs that we’ll adjust and get the most out of them. McCabe brings that handle, pass first mentality and skill set that we haven’t seen here – if the wings can shoot it and the inside guys can finish they’ll get open looks from him. Plus, he’s not just a dribble penetration and pass guy and he’s a good enough shooter that you can’t ignore him or pack line him/sagging man to man on him because he’ll hit it from outside.

You know, I’m on board with all of this, and then I get to “if the wings can shoot it and the inside guys can finish,” and I remember WVU has had so much trouble with that. I’m not ready to project anything for him with regard to how he plays, and especially with how he shoots, but he has two years to prepare. And he’s got a pretty good base.

Clarence Oveur said:

Well what do you expect him to say?

“Nah, we’re not in a good place. We’re [forked].”

Tony Gibson would say that if it were true. Not in so many words, but he’d cop to it.

JAL said:

Does deeper just mean more quantity or more quality quantity

Only one way to find out.

Loopy Hoopy said:

TCU lost like 75% of their defense last year to injuries and still won 11 games. If the depth is there from recruiting, should be able to overcome.

I’m not ready to compare TCU’s recruiting success and talent on defense to WVU’s.

Oklahoma Mountaineer said:

Just something else for opposing OCs to plan for — is there anybody besides me that didn’t see Gibby as a great innovator???? I thought his calling card on a staff was being a top recruiter.

Remember when we had to stop and ask before the 2014 season, “What if he’s good?” A lot of people thought he was a recruiter and an errand boy and only where he was because of his association with The Product or Jeff Casteel or Todd Graham. He’s flipped that on his head.

The 25314 said:

Can he explain that 12-1-07?

Enjoy the weekend!