Monday Morning Q&A: Sweet with some heat

0:00Welcome back welcome in its country roads confidential at earsports.com. It's Paramount podcast. I'm Mike Kassaz of that's Chris Anderson Monday Virginia week Chris feel like the season actually starts In a weird way, there's no preseason really in college football kind of Coaches complaining about oh, which we had an exhibition game. Whatever. Yeah Definitely next year, but certainly this are kind of feels like a non-conference play is just Two exhibition games so to speak and then now the real one starts Saturday prime time Charlotte Virginia Cavaliers. Yeah, it feels kind of weird Even though it's normal and normal. I say normal. That's what everybody does everybody does an FCS and everybody does a group of five and then there's one Decent to very difficult Non-conference game. That's how it goes. That's how it usually breaks down. It's just it's weird for West Virginia fans because Don't get the

1:00Anti-Neil Brown people going on the message board, but That's just not what was happening for the entirety of Neil Brown's time there, right? Like it was always two Tough ones. I mean as There's a part of what I was thinking when I think you mentioned a this the first time 2.0 since 2018, right and It's like yeah, well The only other time they played a FCS and a group of five to start the season was last year and last year they Couldn't beat the group of five schools, so it's tough. Go. Yeah. Do you have an arrangement ideally for Non-conference? I kind of like ramp it up to the third game But man, I like having that first game be something you look forward to all summer to Competitively. Yeah, that's a bummer unless you win. What you're allowed to do by the way. Yeah, you can beat that FBS team at the beginning of the season I checked the rulebook you can win that game, but I certainly see the logic here But it's group of five FCS or FCS group of five and then your big game there and that makes sense. I just for fans

2:03For players for coaches, that's a heck of a carrot to dangle the entire off season saying hey, man We got Alabama. We got Missouri like whoever they've had in the first game for so long That's the thing that that can really I guess Missouri was week two for Brown, but That week one opponent Maryland tech Penn State Penn State That was great for fans all summer and I've been players you figured that'd be plugged into they want to have that makes those lifts and those runs up The hill a little bit easier. I know is there a right way to do it you think or better way? Yeah, I mean heck I'm one of my favorites wasn't that was Tennessee that opened the season in Charlotte to earn Dana's was that 17 or 18 18 that was their last two and a year yeah So that was and that was fun. I mean that was legitimately fun Maybe it's because Tennessee fans are insane and like everything that was said was just like oh my god like our guys that Ran the Tennessee site at the time like had me on and I would I wouldn't even say anything like Controversial like I wouldn't even I wasn't even saying I thought West Virginia would win and

3:06I had people in my Twitter mentions for weeks I think I quoted Dana one time saying like yeah, we're gonna have a bunch of ores just like Tennessee will in the depth chart something about the depth chart and have an Or on there and I think they said something about like Tennessee doing the same thing you would have thought like he besmirched Rocky top and Dolly Parton all at once and like the way top like Tennessee fans went nuts and I mean it was crazy But that's what's fun like about some of the lead up to it of just like okay. This is this is a good time to be had right here Tennessee famously had a roster with no heights and weights the entire offseason That's what got Tennessee would Dana mad that offseason if I remember correctly He was like when I look in at here how big is how big is this guy who's making a whole bunch plays in the edge? I don't know Yeah, so they had to go back and look at players and on the film and all that Chris last time three and no in non-conference play 2016 and I think I blew your mind on this one yesterday

4:06Yes, so the end let's listen to the end people could think about this right now because the answer is out there I wrote about it. You can go and look at it if you want to but the last time that West Virginia won a regular season game against a ranked team Away from home, which is what Saturday is to regular season game non-conference play Ranked opponent not in Morgantown Think of the last time the West Virginia left Morgantown in non-conference play to play a ranked team in one If it makes anybody feeling better, I was only off by like two decades. Yeah, four coaches And now let's get out of the mail back here Chris. I don't want to spend any more time that we did Then we had to on Saturday. Thank God. We didn't get a web to delay I had to hang around the stadium longer than we did 52 seven Everybody but two quarterbacks play on offense defense I would say the pen is still on the page and they haven't finished writing what they want to write in non-conference play here But that's probably gonna be a lot of our questions. So yeah, why delay?

5:10All right, oh wait hold on. I'm sorry. I was gonna go in order But I forgot the first one has a graphic that comes with it So I'm gonna come back to the first one because I don't have the graphic right in front of me We'll go to Bryson Harvey and the second most upvoted question close to it Who has exceeded expectations most in the first two games who has disappointed the most don't wrap it into position or a group keep it to an individual? I like the preemptive don't cop out. Yeah requests. I got a couple offense special teams ready The special teams has to be Cassidy. Yes, okay fine Defense I've been like surprisingly noting the play of Of like Ashen Woods only because and again, he was on his way last year But the entire offseason was you're doing your linebackers You're talking about four or five guys in addition to him and he's been good I mean, he's forced turnovers of both games I believe has a sack. He's look good offensively give me West King

6:12That's a guy moving over from guard to center and he's been as far as I can tell flawless Sure, it's not the right word, but as far as I can tell to the eye haven't had any bad snaps no penalties the offense has been on time I believe false starts were by the tackles in the first game But really nothing really weird for God never played center before what about you? So offense I'm going Hawkins like I know yeah great cool You picked a quarterback that they paid you know, however Dollar amount to bring into town, but it was all still theoretical everything with him was theoretical like it was like Hey, did you see that one time two years ago where he came in as a spot start and was Decent at Oklahoma that's still all you had to go on and so so far through two games He's been explosive. He has he has been the guy that has helped change kind of that offense and bring that threat You know retry regus is favorite thing of defending all 11 people and and with Hawkins you have to and I think that's what helps make this offense good so Is he doing what I expect him to do? He's doing what I thought he could do

7:16But it's still surprising that it's just bang. It's just hit the ground running figuratively and literally at that spot defense I'm at linebacker two, but I'm thinking Patterson We talked about it in the post game help now he's leading the team in tackles after two weeks and even the first week only played like 20 snaps and had five tackles Week two he led the team in tackles. It's weird because like can I technically say him? If I've already admitted that I hardly noticed him yet He's already leading the team in tackles. So like I guess that's surprising that you could just come in and make such a difference um, and then I'm with you on Cassidy like I don't know how long I've been pounding the table for the please just kick it out of the dag on in zone and coaches keep saying they're going to do it and then not doing it and They recruit guys to do it and then they still don't do it and then I was really worried when You know, I put the stats out there. I think it was Last year the guy that brought in Ethan had only got 15% kickoff Touchbacks and so then they put in a flower in there and he was at 45%

8:18But it really needed to be like 65 like two out of three 66 67 percent But then Cassidy wasn't listed as the starter of the depth chart still isn't I don't know what that's all about On the depth chart for him not listed as a starter kickoff. Obviously he is. He's the only one that thought him And he has booted every single one out of the in zone that is makes me his Happy as a clamp Mike. Okay. Uh, I have a hard time with disappointments because it's two games And you just haven't seen a lot like you could reel off a bunch of people who just statistically haven't performed You need to be disappointed not in but In the player, but this one you haven't seen print strong I think given the fact that he made one play last year literally one playing he got hurt in the play and he haven't played since And he was hurting obviously didn't hurt again. That's disappointing I just think from production. I want to see more from jaden braither two games Just because I had I had a thought he could do this or I thought I had a thought he could do that But that just might be a mic thing But it's hard because in drop-out has been okay And I think it's been coy on purpose defensively you have a longer list, but like where's Malachi had been

9:20That's the name that they they were excited about and I think people thought that's a good veteran of college football play to Illinois Which has had good defenses, but haven't seen him do very much yet Andrew Powell Drail Again, but miss miss some of the preseason. So how rusty is he how familiar is he is he really a high safety Or is he nickel? What are they trying to do there? Easier on defense and offense. I feel guilty in offense because offense has been good and then again some of the disappointments made just be my My view defensively. It's just a harder one and the special teams. I don't know Disappointed that no one's tried to return a kick like me they try a little bit But like man, I want to see I want to see somebody because again I met this with my first game if you watch Jason hall run down on kickoffs Guys are running out of his way in the second game like they knew they were gonna be touchbacks And they were not gonna have contact with this guy too. So maybe disappointment for me on special teams is the other team watches film It just stayed out of the way Jason hall Now I'm with you same boat on offense. It's like who whom I really disappointed in because They essentially had like one you know fcs like who cares? Whatever like I'm not really gonna be

10:23blown away by what you do or don't do in an fcs game and then in the first game It was a good first half and then they admittedly shut it down Went cheese pizza offense and you know, I'm kind of saying like if you didn't contribute in that first half Like there weren't any opportunities for you after that So that's where like I'm in the same boat like jaden bra probably would be my pick, but it's also like Come back come back and ask me about my disappointments after the uva game on Saturday I think that's three weeks with a real opponent sprinkled in there That's what I can tell you who I'm like all right who hasn't showed up like At this point if you haven't shown up Then it's starting to become a concern Okay All right, I got my graphic now so I'm ready for the next question That's from bnw72 I also had to like wait like two minutes because I think like google and youtube like make sure that you don't say certain words in the first like four minutes Um, and I'm pretty sure the hot piss meter is on that list of what you can and can't say in the first five minutes So it's from bnw72 he says using this menu

11:26Pulled off of google which for those that don't have the menu in front of you It is the buffalo wild wings signature sauces menu and from spicy to extra spicy What level is the hot piss meter where are you at Mike? Do you have the graphic in front of you? Yeah I just I'm not gonna empathize people here because my I just I'm not it's hard for me to answer because this is a definite fan question, right? Yeah I'm also like not I'm not really alarmed in a way that I wasn't like I thought that I thought their defense is gonna have a hard time pulling all the pieces together quickly and Trying to figure out who goes where or whatever offensive. I really think they've been okay second half of coastal carolina's an outlier than that if If you drag them out there made them do it again and the hey, you've got to run the real plays this time They would have probably beaten coast of Carolina comfortably So just I just not not too far it up there, but I don't want the crowd turning on me So give me like spicy garlic because it's in the middle, but it has the word spicy in it

12:26It's not that bad. You had it. It's tolerable. I mean that was hot before and then they just started to get like really creative And now it's like the middle of the pack, but maybe maybe when I was younger and that was a hotter temperature Now I'm older and wiser and it just seemed like it's it's okay right now. It's not too hot It's not like sweet barbecue either though, right? It's funny. He said does I was gonna say spicy garlic in part because it's like yeah, maybe like a little spicy for the the offense And kind of garlicky on the defense of like I this I don't know entirely what's going on over here It's not really spicy. It's not really whatever, but Something on the defense with the garlicky because I'm in a similar boat as you and this is probably I'll try not to repeat myself since there are a lot of questions about the defense But I said in the preseason when people were asking about things and we were just in general talking on the podcast Her stories and I said but big concern here is that As far as trying to pick what the record would be this year was I think the offense is going to be a lot better than it was last year But I thought the defense would be worse this year than last year people. Whoa worse than last year. That's a problem and

13:33You're so far here you are and you kind of see it or at least the potential for it to be worse than last year. So Okay Yep, no, we're gonna do that. Oh, oh another meter. Let's go ahead and get all the meters out of the way Yeah, West VA 2A panic meter here. We go. We got three of them Give me one to 10 10 being most panicked LBs in past coverage Mike I mean if you're if you're put in like Ben Cutter and Tyler Stoski out there for 60 snaps for the rest of the year Probably like an eight, but I don't think that's gonna be what you see I think you're gonna see a lot of like woods and patterns and tourbore and guys who are maybe more more suited to do that As this develops and goes along so like and they're not the best I understand but like there's a Concept and then there's like execution You're gonna actually ask the best players to execute the concept when the time comes to really matter I just don't know they're gonna put bad guys in bad spots and part of that is feeling it out right now So checking out here, but like six. Okay. I'm in the same zone as the six. I guess well guys

14:34There aren't a lot of linebackers that are good in past coverage. Also cross college football like that's not What's supposed to be their strong suit Yes, there are guys that are better than others. Yes, there are guys on West Virginia's roster that are better than other guys And West Virginia's roster, but I am with Mike. I think you know as time goes on and as time gets put in guys get put into conflict like this more They'll they'll change up some personnel. You'll see certain guys more in past coverage at that position than others You know, hot me up to a seven because I think there's I think there's a chance that that I think there's a chance that Some people are not where maybe fans or media want them to be yet and it maybe they don't get there Maybe they don't maybe they don't do enough to surpass a player who can't cover So that's a possibility and I just think that they trust like a band cut or to know the defense and do stuff Always not the best of this. Yeah, but he's the best linebacker overall might be the argument there You can see him log a lot of snaps and perhaps he's covering people you don't want it to but you've looked at Stolzki again to pull his name out

15:3420 snaps into games that's They probably have a beeline him right now too. So they know a little bit more than they knew when they first got it That's okay. That's part of the process secondary Man like a six again the corners have been fine Mm-hmm kind of get tested for sure, but like for two games. That's fine. Uh, I will again Concern because I don't know how to nigg Taylor will find out but played 15 16 snaps and didn't see him for most of that game Didn't hear anything about it after the game, but who knows, but he's been okay. John better second game in the first game um Robinson Robinson they haven't gotten the junior college out there that's concerning But if that's because the other guys are better than them or they're not ready to play yet That's not really a negative on the position and the state these have been All right, no problem. I haven't seen like crazy pass plays yet, but they're gonna get tested. So yeah six seven again All right defense as a whole Probably probably around a uh Probably around a seven ish there. Mm-hmm. I think they'll be better the next year

16:35I think they're gonna I think because Chris when you Go on the road you can't bring as many players with you. You can't take everything That you might take from your apartment to the stadium, you know, you got to you got to slim it down when you get in the plane You know, you can't have 115 players at the so Zach Alley everybody call on plays running stuff. It's gonna be slimmer this week I think you're gonna see better versions and stuff. I just I don't believe that the team that tried and flailed And maybe failed with so many different things so many different players is gonna do the same thing in their biggest game It didn't work so expect naturally pair things down focus on your strengths. Don't experiment in this game That's the first few games before I think they'll be better But yeah, like they're the first two games are concerning the first half Saturday was concerning even though they didn't give a point And they're playing a ranked team away from home. It's gonna be different I don't know how they'll react nor do they so yeah, I would say like a healthy level of concern. They're like a seven eight Yeah, it's probably the number I met as well Seguing into several questions here about

17:40The defense and the play calling etc Mount near 2022 did rich muzzle Alley for the second half against UT Martin I mean we kind of talked about that right what did I say? I said they did he rip out 20 pages from the defensive callbook and left him with two And I think you said he might have told him here's a base defense. Don't get out of it kind of thing Yeah, they had they had to get momentum out of that game They had to do something they could not play that second half against coast Carolina The first half against UT Martin and not have something good that would be terrible. So One way or another it just didn't see like one they didn't have to do as much and they get fortunate if you will By emptying the bench because then you're playing really simple football with your bench because I haven't been in for a whole bunch of Situation of stuff. You're not seeing the exotic sub packages, you know third and third and tenth is probably gonna be like a cover three Instead of some exotic blitz zone half and half coverage at your top 20 players know how to do not your bottom 40 so Naturally, I think the play calling is more vanilla because the way the game went

18:43Couldn't I get the first two drives like happened so fast Forcing the interception the interception was like on a pretty Zach alley kind of a play with like pressure people moving linebacker and spot knocked back to him to be that worked so Maybe half and half there Yamavatt resort and casino at San Manuel is bringing hip hop and rnb legends to the stage Experience the queen of neo sole Erica Badu September 28 catch rock and roll hall of famous Wu Tang clan October first And don't miss multi Grammy award-winning nally October 15 Tickets on sale now at Yamavatt theater dot com only a Yamavatt now celebrating its 40th anniversary You in must be 21 to enter Philip Smith 12 can this defense look competent against p4 competition Yeah, I think so I do I just again, you're not gonna be playing 30 players You're probably gonna be playing like 18 20 and and that's counting like getting Jason Hall in on pass rush

19:46And probably not regular downed distances that's gonna be getting extra defensive backs in the field Only because it's third and 12 You're not gonna see that guy maybe playing you know second two in the red zone So you'll see extra players, but I think because of specialization, but they're gonna have a better idea before too long Maybe not as soon as that or day, but before too long they'll have an idea Who their guys are what their rotations are Because at some point why are we giving this guy five snaps when we could split his five snaps up between the first and second strings That just becomes a better way to do things. So I do think that they'll they'll be better be when they just start to narrow things down which is every team every year You do a lot of stuff early You cross stuff out you might add stuff on because this could work It's not that much different than what we already do whatever But you're gonna see different versions that are slim right thinking that that probably shouldn't be too long It probably shouldn't be It probably should be as close to this weekend as you can So they go and then they try exotic stuff and they they bomb series and they give up you know

20:46They give up a big play or a big conversion because they're trying something they can't do or having been able to do or haven't done yet That's that's a bad sign that's bad football and I just don't think you you recklessly go into the game like this doing that All right, this is gonna lead into something here because I think this is a interesting question and Well, I'll talk about a second, but three or four says thoughts on alley potential Just trying a lot of things against inferior competition to see what his guys can handle before playing power fours Or is this just what we should expect the whole year Yeah, I mean, I think that's the super positive way to look at it That's if I were Zach alley or if I were coached to be able to get of course that's what we've been doing Whether it's true or not might be like yeah, of course that was playing all along But Do I know the answer to that definitively? No But that sounds pretty smart like that's not a bad thing to do to try guys out put them in Put them in situations to see what they can do really press them against teams that you Know you should beat um and so if that's what they're doing great smart keep but I just

21:53Part of me doesn't believe that just because of the reaction of Rich Ron reggae's like if that were the plan If that were the plan of like it's Zach guy's like hey rich Like you're gonna see some weird stuff from my guys my side of the ball these first two weeks Just because you guys are gonna score plenty points and we're gonna win. I just want to see what we could do So I'm gonna try some things out if he does that Rich Rodriguez isn't in the huddle screaming at guys in the first half He's not talking about the defense after both games. He's not calling a coaches meeting after the first game within an hour of the game ending so I liked the idea it makes sense But I don't believe that's what's happened right here I looked at the numbers, but but there were so many pressures in the first game PFF had in north of 30 alley had in north of 40 and there were like 60 something dropback. So that's like 60 percent let's say just combine some other dropbacks or his pressure didn't have to but really didn't do that last game Didn't blitz a whole lot but didn't have to but also didn't if your desk kitchens

22:59And you're looking at West Virginia the first two games you've seen a lot of stuff um I'm not sure the first two games like how can we fool deskitchens? I don't think that was it right right that said the collateral damage Here is that this guy's gonna sit down be like show me every third and medium And it's gonna be like a ten minute clip Because everything that West Virginia done is different. So how do you predict that hey when they're in the goal line? Shumla happened well geez there's four different person L packages for like third and goal line you have second goal line It could be difficult for a team to have a beat on West Virginia right now too What's probably your bigger concern is that when it comes to simple stuff which is like Put those two linebackers in the a gap and haven't dropped back show blitz dropback It's hard for those linebackers to throw in reverse relocate and then play zone defense or play like a A coverage that you're supposed to do and that's why maybe passing numbers in the middle of been healthy You can disguise that every way you want but if If the mechanism is your linebackers are looking like they're blitzing and they're dropping back in the coverage

24:03And they're getting beat on hooks or they're not in the right spot in the zone Over and over and over well then now you got you got an idea like pay if we need if they think they're blitzing They don't or if the ball's gonna come out fast these spots are gonna be up because the linebackers can't get there Where the safety's on the right spot Whatever like there's certain things like that you can do so there can be this this Parade of flavors that they're throwing at you on defense, but If the core is just kind of flawed everywhere you can pick on that too. So I would say it was concerned for the execution stuff Because you can do a lot of different things You can do a lot of things the same way too and I wonder if like the same way Has been the problem and they tried to do it differently and it is not good enough to do the stuff that they want to do and they're dressing it up or Are they not good at the stuff they want to do because they tried it so many different ways? It's a convoluted conversation. It's confusing me a little bit just having it right now, but um Tantula question. Thank you. I think that they try a lot of stuff first game. You don't know what you have

25:06You don't know your face and so you go with a big play call sheet and a big idea And you've practiced a million things during the summer like that's what you heard a bunching camp I go we're complex we're doing so many things and the head coach says maybe we should do fewer Which we pinned right and then you go in the second game like well we can do a lot more today because this should be 52 to 7 and it was so I think there's some validity to that yes Um, let's see Mid-Beya is the same question. Do you think Rich is going to insist that Ali simplify the paybook? Do you think there's some of that conversation around we talked about that? Um section 304 is it a talent issue on defense or scheme issue? I don't think we know I think it's 10 new starter issue. Yeah, we're 11 new starter issue right how many starters? Who's returning starter on defense anybody 40 southern according to rich hot rigas Cutters this returning starter and that's pretty much it right and cutter only played like 300 snaps last year like he didn't even play What we would what I have in the past and when you look at at snaps like I think it's like I usually put the minimum at 400

26:06For like you're up to be a quote-unquote starter. He hasn't reached that so yep even him So you don't have starters from p4 schools You don't have all conference players from from group of five or group of six schools across the board Like you got a seek Durham Campbell all conference player in the Sunbelt good You have a guy who knows the defense and cutter. Okay. You've got a long corner who fits your parameters and champs giant who Started half the season but wasn't a start of the end of the year last year you have Kamari Wilson who Was talented enough to go to Florida play right away and then has been on a big 12 championship team And has been a starter for a good Memphis team So this talent in spots there's questions there's projections and others I just think it's the fact that it's so much new and you're not You're not jumping into this is a lot like the defense I played when I was at ex school No like alley isn't like that unless you played for him last year and like honestly their change They change so much sometimes for a week to week that it's hard to say that last year's alley defense is a lot like this Here's alley defense too. So probably principally a lot of the same stuff

27:06But who benefits in that hard and anybody Gabriel McIntyre cutter Robinson guys So you've seen in the field which is good But there's not a whole lot of people who have that that experience and that continuity So could it be more talented sure? Could they spend more money sure? I think they wanted to do both they wanted to get more talented players I think they want to spend more money. They couldn't so At some time you just got to like wait for the hands and the clock to spin your guys to get better and has it happen fast enough Will it happen? subjective answers to good questions Crotown here. I don't know if it's a subjective question Is the time to start putting together a hot board for a new defensive coordinator in 2027 Mike get it ready I mean technically Contracts up after this year so you gotta be prepared Mike No, he's three years right. Oh is it three years? Okay All right fine. Don't have to get one ready W. You footballed Why are Patterson and Woods not starting?

28:07Because they're not playing a game today Like they may start side or day they might Woods Would just been the rest of my back or maybe they're best defensive players so far Had a great game, but if you look at a starts game he wouldn't great in the first game Nobody was but he got better in the second game Patterson don't know I've been I've been driving the train but Does it matter if you're starting those two play a lot of snaps together if they're on the field because they're the good past defenders If you have them in the The high-leveraged situations and they're playing good football when it matters most that's what they want If those guys are in roles that keeps them separated but they play Their roles really well and it helps the plan that's fine like Patterson And in woods probably I mean yeah, they've been the most active linebackers for sure But is it because the situations are in? You know they come in a good spot some packages are comfortable with don't know could they play Starter share snaps would be this good We'll probably find out soon Um looking at it's yeah, and it's hard to tell like is there already a

29:08You know Trend towards the change in snaps for these guys started to tell through two games especially when the second game such a blowout But I mean Stolzki's only played 10 snaps both games So I think You know when he got added as a transfer the guy this guy is a full-time starter who racked up a bunch of tackles back at FAU pencil him in He might be pencil him in his 13 like as your fifth linebacker at this point if he's only getting 10 snaps of game So I do wonder Which way it goes I mean like you mentioned like woods is already start which is already starting so the question of why is he not starting He is starting so Good work woods and patterns in there, right? Yeah woods and patterns and I guess uh, but I don't know again to your point earlier about cutter already knows this defense or at least parts or most of it So maybe he's the most experienced maybe you get him out there for the first few reps because it's not like cutters bad Um, and then you can you know blend Patterson in more and more and more looking at the stats from or the snaps from

30:14Saturday's game and A lot of the starters were around that 40 snap mark 35 40 snap mark and and cutter was down at 29 so it was Torvor So I think they feel I think to me it's like again, I just said how do you really tell from these first few games But that tells me they feel comfortable with number three and number four of Or four guys basically with Patterson getting in there and with woods in there and Torvor in there and cutter in there So I think that's more of a sign of it. I I feel like and maybe I'll go check here in just a minute um Because he used to be Like in the olden times like three years ago That Like that Mike Glimbacher or whoever was your you know Middle your defense your captain your defense played like 90% of the snaps on defense I Feel like and I'm trying to check it before I just say that and then I end up being totally wrong like

31:16That didn't happen last year right like I think there was a little bit more rotation at linebacker than Maybe there were previous years Looking here. I've had a guide that's been there for a long time like to say yeah I was gonna say everybody was new new ish last year because Wilson Caracod Cutter three you know 300 snaps those guys ran Ben Bogal 250 snaps Woods was over 100 some snaps where he got hurt so he was in that rotation for the first few games the year before he got hurt so It's okay Um next question WV Blue streak I think we're off the defensive questions for the day Mike so Don't worry. I mean these are good questions. I just think that You probably don't want to have the answers to them right now because if these are the answers that that you have That's not good. Yeah, but if they're if they're not better after three or four weeks that they're doing the same stuff the same quantity with the same quality

32:17That's a problem Um WV Blue streak. What is the benefit of the pre-snap formation shift on PATs Well If they never if they do something Tricky once they're gonna flail out and go for a quick two point play so some of that is just trying to Trying to see if they're gonna guard you which teams don't really do but like if they if they run out because you're spread out like a swinging gate And you jump back in to be deal but if you run out and they don't cover you throw it out there easy to play it But they don't even really do that. They just kind of do like muddy huddle and go from there Then it's just like let's There's because they get down so fast like they Are spread out Q bang lined up ball snap and kick But you don't have a lot of time to line up diagnose and go so it's There's a possibility of like planning a seed for a trick play a quick two point play something like that

33:19Possibly but also it happens fast like that's what this note doesn't really have like they are Jumbled and then all of a sudden they line up. They're down the ball snap and they go It just makes it very hard for the deep ends the special teams on the other side to match up get down Where's the soft spot and go because people spend a lot of time looking at your your field goal PAT block and what's the soft spot? You know can we get through whatever end? It just makes it hard to do that if you're going so quick with them being able to sit down diagnosed Oh, let's find that gap we saw on tape if you're not give them any time they can't do that Yeah, there were three reasons and I think you might have touched on all three at least two of them because The first is like you said like just a little probe to see if anybody's gonna go cover that because it's like If you see that nobody's covering the guy that goes out wide a little bit and like you noted They don't really go out as wide as maybe you see in some of these kind of things you can just toss it out there for a quick two The second one you just talked about there was the um Don't get set up and give them a lot of film to look at you kind of come in get snatched snap done move on

34:22Third is maybe you roll them to sleep with this if you're just if you do this every single time Then here we go here we go we go out we come in kick go out come in kick The one time you want to get one time you want a two-point conversion when you need it You're trying to catch them off guard do some sneaky Uh, we go out up. Oh boom play to you know two points and Because if you all the sudden do something different They're gonna know something's up But if you start the same way every single time maybe you'll go and sleep maybe you get them like that So As long as your kicker is focused especially because that kick is so short and so easy in college like I don't see why Why you wouldn't try to just get a little bit of an advantage there Yeah, the one thing about that that crowded huddle they have is it's hard for the sideline And it's hard for like the cap and the special teams to count to 11 if you're in a crowd It's hard to find 11 helmets and if you have 10 and one guy's Not a counter for these things out you can get you can you can still a point there or two points there

35:22Um strange duck this may be our last question. It may not uh strange duck How much NIL money was spent on offense versus defense Not even we know this okay Yeah, I was saying I don't know if I don't know if we need to do the exact like a four million and three million But what percentage out of a hundred percent like is it 60 40 70 30 Well, how about this let's do your You have the portal in front of you I can what do you think let's let's go like let's rank the top 10 the 2026 transfer commitments. Yeah, I think because I think we kind of alluded to this before like on a previous podcast Like if you took the top 10 transfer additions eight of them are office All right, so let's see Hawkins cook do we agree that's one and two Oh, yeah, I hope so Hawkins for sure. Yeah All right

36:24Wide receivers we think any of the wide receivers are top 10 I hope not I don't think so offensive lineman there we go How many six of them? Oh, man like I would I wonder if like bosses in the top 10 mm-hmm Um, but yeah a couple and we're gonna be in there for sure king Maybe Cassidy Grayson. I don't think Miller was Um, but yeah, I mean you see we're getting out here like this not a room and then but who from that defensive group is gonna be in the conversation There is widely probably is a runner You know, yeah Turum Campbell. Yeah, Wilson. Oh, women was I'm not sure how I'm I'm sure how I'm a little bit want latin roots just like can I play with my brother? Yeah um, that sig is probably Yeah, well if we're gonna include high school kids like Kevin Brown. You don't get him brown in there too

37:24Yeah, so here's your point like if you yeah, they spent more on offense than defense. So I don't I don't Know what the question is like trying to evoke a response and and provoke The people who are responding, but like you knew this already Yeah, and did they spend too much in the offensive line? I'm not doing that again But that's why people ask like hey, would you rather have blank? To solve a problem filigap answer question on defense or would you rather have Not to pick on him, but like Devin boss coming in is right tackle too and Is your offensive line as good because you don't have that daily competition between your ones and twos maybe maybe not I still had to think you could find five or six up there That could play But is the defense is concerning if they have one more player that's the other question Chris like Okay, we shouldn't assign this blank on offense because we already had this is the defense so much better because that money went to the position of need I don't I don't know that to be true. All right So then it's like when and how is this team going to win with its offense?

38:26So maybe you were right to spend on offense and to make sure that To make sure if the plan is to outscore the other team which is a bad idea I know that but like make sure that you have all the utilities you need to do that So maybe it was smart to do that to answer the question don't know 50 50 nope 60 40 I would say it's in the margin of error there probably Could it be 63 37 could it be 57 43 I think in the it's in the margin of error there probably but yeah, I would say On the transfer portals spent more because of the quantity of players like just brought in a lot of players And also like where they eat up like you're gonna pay a lot for offensive lineman You're gonna pay a heck of a lot for quarterback You're gonna pay a heck of a lot for running back they brought in multiple receivers like what are your splash expenses on defense? Even where they made them like on the defensive line they went to junior college route, which is typically a little bit cheaper I am gonna add in two more quick quick questions here and again I'm not trying to rush us through this podcast, but one

39:26Because it was an FCS blowout there aren't as many questions this time around And two we got another segment with Andrew coming up that we're gonna put on Right after commercial break here in a few minutes talking about basketball recruiting so Podcast will not be over when Mike and I are done But I do need to save something so that I can do a written mail back later in a week Have to do that um, but I got two short ones here Mike because well it's a panic meter And an over under oh one the third one. There's another question does Mike do hot boards for defensive coordinators from Lager? Yes, he does um This one's terrible from KP 55, but it was the second most upvoted because all of you guys on the message board are terrible Is there a hot board for an assistant running back coach? Is it terrible? Oh, what that's a tough one. That is a tough one statement went out last night from RetroDrigas you can read it on the board two last two questions

40:27In 117 and I think I think I put it this on you last week Maybe is the Georgia player playing this week? Jacquery Thomas is he playing again? I mean no, I know He will have passed through the acolymic tiesation period But is he gonna play make a prediction now? No, okay, I'm actually an agreement on that he can travel though He can travel he doesn't because there's no cap. Yeah, but Defense I say no Could he run down and make a tackle on special teams maybe but I wouldn't even have to do that right now because one I mean having a kickoff game to swing and get out there and run around a bit because they're not returning to kick but But I would say defense for him yet actually. I think that's how I phrased it to you is over under 0.5 defensive snaps And I think we both went under yeah last week. So I'm I still feel the same way as well One more panic meter. I didn't want to let this slip by From Preston County panic meter offensive line

41:28Like a like a three Has a little bit has him in the same boat, but what what what's what's giving you the little bit What is it that's I just I just think it's a it's a chemistry experiment that Has just has not succeeded before right so Has what you witnessed the first two games been like they got it. No, he's gonna be fine. No No, and again, like I don't I don't think that was the expectation either you're putting all these new ingredients together Left tackles of freshman left guard was left tackle Center never played before right guard new system right tackle new to this level although he was a right tackle before I think I misspoke a couple weeks ago, and I said that So yeah, just takes time. They're gonna get have to get used to each other um But they've they've pushed them on the goal line They've pops in big plays and offense. They generally protect the quarterback well save a play here there, but I just think that there's a big picture chance and they see really good competition that it might not be overwhelmingly Positive too, so but I don't again, I don't know what the expectation was where we're expecting that there be no panic

42:30Not with all these ingredients in the volatility of that position Yeah, I think there's still some answers to fine. I think I probably would be enough Like I think you said three. I guess I'm a through men's boring. I just keep picking the same answers you Used to go first, sorry, um, but the reason being You take out Mike. I know there's me. Oh, I hate when people do this, but take out Michael Hawkins's runs And that's designed like one or two designed quarterback runs some scramble's Like but your traditional handed off to the running back and run runs It's like four yards per carry against an FCS team. That's nothing to write. I don't like that's nothing to be like yep Problem solved fixed it done put up what was that thing that George Bush did on the boat mission accomplished banner. Put it over my head right here. Oh like you know Rick trick. It's not doing that right now like I don't think I think he knows it You know, he certainly knows that it's not completely fixed. It's trending in the right direction. There's positive Just looks way better than last year, but Averaging four yards per Gary per carry on like your traditional running back runs against an FCS opponent

43:36That's not fixed. So I think there's still some kinks to work out for sure A lot of wrap it up here that will well I'll wrap it up for you You get to leave and then I come back and talk with Andrew like a bright and early tomorrow Podcast Rem Baker have you listened to it yet? Uh, no, I'm gonna listen to it right as soon as we get off here because I'm gonna I'm gonna do everybody's favorite thing and cut up some videos for everybody to watch Oh, I didn't like that Yeah, right What I say about our board earlier they're they're finicky finicky starts out a little bit of like scheduling stuff about you know what happened the Alabama series ends up with him talking about what happened during the Interim season coaching search a lot of stuff in between facilities spending Not a lot of specific how's the season one of the expectations Kind of went outside the outside of lines for a bit which he was more than willing to do in a pretty busy time For him, so thank for he did that and then regular stuff here got three things I think three things I know up text from game bill be out later than we're rolling up into UBA week

44:38Big plans for you in the UBA week here. Yeah, we're gonna be a lot of coverage I say we're gonna have to stay busy on Saturday I mean Richard Rodriguez says he hates it when he has to sit around and do nothing about I'm not nothing But sit around and wait for the game all day Makes us do more work Mike because that means we have to fill the gaps during the day Leading up to the game and then the game doesn't until Midnight or post game doesn't until midnight or later and then all of a sudden We're sitting here writing stories and doing podcasts till two o'clock in the morning, so Yeah, I'm at the final spot up in the stadium after the game. Aren't I? The I told you you should have found a spot to go ahead and record last week's podcast a Saturday's podcast In the third quarter of the UT Martin. Yeah, yeah We're gonna miss that Max Anderson highlight though. Yeah Are you did you write a sternly alert worded letter to pff for Making when I'm actually interested but savior Anderson for being ranking him so low What the heck also I did not get those two on the field together. I thought that had been uh

45:40I don't know how you do that like he was one pass play. I think right yeah He got zero grade And then Devon boss will be sending some letters to pff 2 I think yeah, that's a tough grade was a five five point nine On pass blocking. Yeah. Yeah, I think it's gotta like it's it's like when you're doing um grades and college you drop the low one drop the high one with the stress. I think you gotta do that So that one doesn't kind of I guess anything else. No, that's it. All right, that'll do it for me I'll use my exit line some other time, but be back after this with Andrew anchoress And welcome back to the country roads confidential podcast It's still me. It's no longer Mike. We have replaced Mike with Andrew fallen up and finishing the podcast today talking more wvman's basketball there was uh some positive feedback to Andrew's appearance last week. So we'll let him we'll let him go again Let me give him another 10 or 15 minutes. We'll to use the basketball analogy

46:41Clear some space and let him go. We'll do that in just a minute But first Andrew we're gonna talk Recruiting Today for the wvman's basketball team in Ross Hodge You and I right before we hopped on here we talked about the roster the numbers and I think we came to the conclusion that There's really nobody gone except for the guys that may not even be there. Is that right? Yeah, the only two players that are out of eligibility are the guys that we don't even know have eligibility right now So that's that's javon Buchanan that's Brennan lorian Those guys are in lawsuit a couple weeks from now. Maybe we'll get an answer on that or some sort of Answer that will be Pushed back on by the NCAA a week later. So we'll see but um as far as things go on numbers with this roster 15 so that would be 13 without those two guys and Really it could be west Virginia could have as few

47:42Or as many spots as they want in this class. I mean, that's just how things work in the transfer portal. So minimum number of two Could have as many as ten who who knows these days, but in your opinion 14 months out from the start of the next season without having even seen what any of these guys are gonna do this year What do you think the biggest needs gonna be for this team in 2027 2028? Uh, it's safe to say I have no idea, but That's not the right answer. We got to give answers around here. Well, I yeah the um I can I can take a guess based off what the staff is doing in recruiting because they're prioritizing two positions more than anything else Point guard and center Okay, that's that's that's it everyone else. They're sending out some offers But I haven't really seen anything serious outside of maybe one or two guys Everything else they're focusing on the five spot and the one spot Which really makes you wonder what they feel about miles sadness future after 2026 because

48:47The this isn't a source saying this. I don't know this But I get the feeling that they think he's going to the NBA after one year Wanted done huh? The at least they're very ready for the possibility because they're recruiting the point guard spot heavily More than anything else out of high school right now. So I say those two spots are the ones to keep an eye on All right, well keeping those two spots in mind and even you know beyond that Who were some of the guys that this coaching staff has really put a focus on Obviously very early well. I mean, I say very early, but what we're two months from early signing and we're getting through it Yeah, so two months from early signing period for for men's basketball who were a handful of the top targets Starting at point guard the guy everyone's been talking about is jv on 10 day. Oh he's miles sad There's cousin he played him in the high school national championship game I've talked a lot about him on the board and articles and stuff But from my understanding is that West Virginia for one reason or another

49:47I don't know which side it's on it's things are cooling off on 10 Dale And it could be that they're pivoting to a different prospect and in it if that's the case You have to keep an eye on mecha Gordon He's five foot ten another short point guard, but he has been playing lights out this summer I guess it's all over now, but he was absolutely dominant on the end peach jam I mean, he went toe-to-toe with Beckham black. I believe that was in session four He put up monster numbers. He can shoot it. He can drive it He's he's hovering around the top 35 range nationally as a five foot ten guard I mean, that's that's not that far off a mile sander now I wouldn't I wouldn't put him in that category not yet But he still has a senior season to play and he transferred to a prep school where he's gonna have a really big chance to Let you know get the national spotlight after what he did in peach jam and West Virginia they've got him on an official visit for later this month But there's a lot of top dogs fighting for him So I think if he makes that visit because he's scheduled about eight of them So you know, he's got the full spread lined up and if he actually makes it on campus

50:49I would really keep an eye on him because that could be a big deal I think that's the guy they're pivoting to there because Another target committed to Murray State just in Freisen out of Tennessee He was a guy that had a really good circuit this summer But he's out and they had a visit scheduled with him and then 10-dails fading So there must be pivoting and right now it looks like a mecha Gordon is the guy there to pivot to And real quick on Gordon you mentioned those visits. We're recording this On a Friday. It's gonna go up on a Monday. He's visiting craten this weekend So hopefully by the time we talk about this he hasn't already committed to the blue jays And then Auburn and then West Virginia unless those dates have changed that's the current plant He's already been to VCU. He's already been to Tennessee Plans to visit Yukon UCLA and Providence as well. Yeah, and I think Yukon just took a guy above him So I'm not sure if he's visiting it anymore. I might have read that But still a lot of top programs that might be okay too because I think that was One of those like midweek visits where he was just gonna leave straight from Morgan down right to stores which would have been

51:55I never enjoyed those playing West Virginia's favor. Yeah um And you mentioned he transferred to spire academy Elite boarding a school out in Ohio at about two and a half three hours drive from Morgantown He's not from there, but Could be around there nearby people that he knows and trusts that that could prove to be helpful. So Wouldn't be such a bad thing Who's the next guy on the list? Let's let's swap to center. Let's go down low I think most people watching who care about basketball recruiting are gonna know who I'm gonna say Paul O'Sarui Played with Miles Sadler at CIA of L.A. Vista last year He played with Miles Sadler on the YBL circuit last summer. Of course, Miles Sadler didn't play this summer And he's from the Toronto area has really tight connections with Yusuf Ali the West Virginia assistant coach He has been the top target at center For a long time now and West Virginia has been very consistent in his recruitment

52:56There's a lot of big dogs in him and I mean big dogs, you know coach cow North Carolina etc But West Virginia has the strongest connections of anybody And they are working him as the top clear top target at center. Nothing is a lock I'm not gonna go anywhere near that But I will say he is the top guy on West Virginia's board and I actually want to talk about this a little bit more because There was some discourse on Twitter about West Virginia when he lost his fifth star I don't know if you saw that but 24-7 sports dropped his fifth star Right around the same time that West Virginia was getting momentum Based off some people's reports You know, there's no conspiracy through I just feel like I have to get that out there. He had a very poor summer circuit Um, the the national scouts at 24-7 talked about it I had a conversation with them on the board like a month ago about it He was not very good on the glass in his offensive game when it was a lot less structured of an environment No mile sad there's summer circuit, you know, it's a lot more free a lot more open

53:59Then the winter circuit and he just really struggled So I think it was deserving that he lost his fifth star But he's still got so much athletic tools that his upside still so high that he's not gonna drop much further But it there was no conspiracy there he has struggled this summer But he still would be one of the highest rated cruzant program history Were he to commit here and he is the top target. Yeah, as I say he's I liked your point about it's it's happened now that he doesn't have miles sadlet around and sometimes that happens Like if you're a big man and you've been playing with like a certain point guard For for a while and you're accustomed to playing with him and it you just kind of gel with him and you could feed off him You're he he helps hide your weaknesses and you he helps accentuate your strengths one that's a You know props to the point guard on that which is positive news for West Virginia But you know now maybe some of that stuff also really he's got to like kind of Build on on his game and this is gonna give him an opportunity to do that He's got to go down before he comes back up and hey the good news is for West Virginia fans if he commits the WVU

55:01He'll be back with that point guard that made him look like a five star. So Hopefully good workout on the other future. Yeah, and who else uh who else we got Um, if you go as you want one more name at the center. It would be Tyrone Frazier He West Virginia offered him during peach jam. So got involved pretty late in the process Relative to the other targets because West Virginia's been on these other guys for you know almost a year now But they just get got in on Tyrone Frazier once they saw him in person at peach jam He's six foot ten pretty wirey and thin but very athletic and what he handles the ball More like a wing and I think that's the thing that's guarding a lot of high major attention because he didn't put up monster numbers on the circuit We're talking eight points three rebounds as a six foot ten guy You know, he but he was a key role player. He was very efficient during peach jam for his teams run and But it's just the upside the way he can handle the ball He he looks he moves like a guard out there at times and I think that's really intriguing

56:02To uh West Virginia and other programs He's got to visit schedule with the mountaineers. We'll see if he takes it for jignatech and I believe Missouri or the other two teams on his schedule Which is pretty notable because West Virginia got involved very late in the process And they still got one of just three visits on his current schedule. So they're probably making a push there That'd be a good pick up. I think Phil Fortes lead on that one Might have some connections from some of his prior stops. I believe he made his way through St. Louis right which is where the prep school that um Frazier is currently attending Sorry now there's three guys want you know well four technically if we count tindale Who you mentioned at the very beginning with point guard? Although you know things may be pivving there but two point cards two centers. We'll see maybe four top targets there at two key positions of need I think that's gonna wrap it up today We're gonna get just a brief one in here because it is still football season but

57:02Like you mentioned earlier only two months two months Until the early signing period for West Virginia and Over under I'm gonna put you on the spot right here Andrew over under 1.5 signies during the early Only during the early signing period for West Virginia Early so I'll go under because The class I don't think is gonna be very big because West Virginia can return so many guys now some of those guys are gonna portal We know that we don't know who we don't know how many but I still don't think there's gonna be a ton of spots for high school guys When it's all said and done when the dust settles So I'm gonna go under on one and a half for the early signing period I think the class may end up around two or three Got it. That's my great guess. I think I think I need to think about it till we start talking about you know who got screwed No, this is the 2027 football and basketball recruits like oh, yeah all these guys getting to fifth year and now I've said in all these classes Should be smaller. I would think um oh, yeah, and there's a trickle down effect that started with the transfer portal

58:06Where guys of pink programs are prioritizing the older players and that was already pushing top 100 recruits to go to more mid majors Yeah, and now it's even more so I mean 10-dayl 10-dayl is looking at loyal to Chicago is one of his top teams right now. He's a top six year group So I mean we'll see but yeah, that's my I'll go under on that Okay, well that's gonna wrap it up for us today. Uh, Andrew will probably be back next week I don't know maybe we'll still do some basketball maybe we'll get into football or who knows what else but uh This will wrap up Mondays pod be sure to tune in tomorrow morning Mike's already previewed it on the board. We got a special guest athletic director ren baker popping on for the full podcast Um, be sure to check that out Always be sure to subscribe tag us that way you can follow along a country roads confidential at all time Whether it's on YouTube at your sports on YouTube or country roads confidential on all of your streaming platforms Until next time I'm Chris Anderson and that's Andrew Corbett talk to you then