Quick Hits: Some Good & Bad from WVU's First Scrimmage

WVU head coach Neal Brown met with the media following today's scrimmage.

RE: Today's practice

"The good news is we got three weeks to get ready for Maryland. We did some things really really well. I thought the energy was good. We had some highlights on both sides of the ball. I thought Tony Mathis was the guy that really stood out offensively. He had a couple of touchdowns -- thought he ran the ball with great balance, broke tackles. Excited for him. He's been a real bright spot at camp and that's huge for our football team. Jarret Doege continues to be sharp in fall camp. I thought he had a nice day. I thought the interior part of our offensive line did some good things. Defensively, I think we got pressure on the quarterback. I thought Akheem Mesidor continues his climb. I think he's got a chance to be special before it's all said and done. VD [VanDarius Cowan] had his best day today, he had a pressure and had a forced fumble. Lanell Carr, with the twos, had some nice one on one pass rushes where he won

RE: Status of run game

"We're better than we were a year ago and I think a lot of that is our communication. Zach Frazier being the leader up there. We've got a lot of continuity. The same seven guys probably are rotating with the ones and there's a lot of trust within that unit. We're not where we want to be. I don't know if any offensive coach a week into camp 'hey, our run game is right where we want it to be' It really takes a long time because you can't work on it in the summer. But I think we're making progress."

RE: When decisions will be made on who will play vs Maryland

"We'll go right up until the 24th. Today was kind of about exposing some bad habits, honestly. As coaches, we got on the sideline and let them play. We had some mistakes. Several procedure penalties, some defensive miscommunication, we've got to clean up our tackling but today's the first day we've tackled as well. I always tell our coaches, after the first scrimmage, that's when it starts. You get to that first scrimmage and now you know where you're really at. So, how much better can we get between right now until the 25th when we start Maryland prep."

RE: Thoughts on o-linemen Jordan White, Wyatt Milum

"Let's talk about Jordan White first. He's rotating in at guard and at center. Today was the first time that Jordan got in a scrimmage situation, and I thought he handled himself well. That's a new position for him and it's going to take some time but he's really embraced it. Then, Wyatt Milum, the thing I love about Wyatt is he plays with a motor. He plays hard, he's extremely athletic, he stays in good football position all the time The game is fast for him right now and he's getting challenged by some really good defensive linemen but I think he's up for it. He's a guy that's definitely going to contribute this year."

RE: Decisions on redshirts

"Probably on the 25th. That's when we'll start our Maryland prep so we'll give it until then. It's really more of a decision about what guys do we want to play early to see if they're ready? And what guys do we know aren't ready and let's put them in our developmental program. What they do is they start not going to position meetings and use that time to go in the weight room."

RE: How you approach the team after looking at tape of the scrimmages

"What I told them is the good news is we have three weeks. But now the clock is ticking. We have a real clear picture of what we got to get better at. Now, we've got to make that improvement with urgency. Like, we've got to get better right now. We've got to fix procedure penalties right now. We've got to tackle better right now. We've got to communicate better in the secondary right now. That's how that conversation goes and then we'll have all kinds of video evidence to show them. I always tell them, for better or for worse, your video always tells your story. If you tell me you're a disciplined guy, I shouldn't see penalties. If you tell me you're a physical player, I should turn on the video and have no doubt you're a physical player."

RE: If Jalen Thornton and Sean Martin are ready to give quality backup reps

"Yeah, so, Jalen may be one of our most improved guys so far. I'm really proud of how he's playing. Effort high level, he's defeating blocks. Sean Martin is really starting to use his length. I'll be interested in how both of them did today because they both played a lot of snaps. They're going to be factors. We need those guys. Like, I mean, you've got some guys you want them to be ready to play but we need Sean Martin and Jalen Thornton to be ready to play for us."

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