MORGANTOWN —
Dana Holgorsen’s second spring football practice begins Sunday and it can’t come quickly enough for him.
He has that much to do.
“Losing a lot of star power means we have a lot of hungry kids who want to prove themselves,” he said at the annual pre-spring luncheon and press conference at the facilities building at Milan Puskar Center.
“We obviously lost a lot of productivity that we have to replace, but that’s the nature of college football,” Holgorsen continued, adding “by no means will we panic.”
In truth, this season is not far off from starting over for Holgorsen, who will be working with five new assistant coaches and without Geno Smith at quarterback, Tavon Austin at slot receiver/running back/kick returner and Stedman Bailey at wide receiver, to say nothing of his entire interior offensive line.
Obviously, the No. 1 goal is to find a quarterback to replace Smith, who figures to be the first QB selected in the NFL draft.
Holgorsen doesn’t expect to make that decision during the spring unless one of his three quarterbacks — Paul Millard, last year’s backup; Ford Childress, a redshirt freshman, or newcomer Chavas Rawlins — separates himself from the group.
“We won’t know for a while,” Holgorsen said.
Holgorsen not only has to decide on a quarterback, but who the quarterback will be throwing the ball to.
At wide receiver, auditions will be held all spring, such is the extent of the losses.
“We have a lot of guys who haven’t played,” Holgorsen admitted. “That’s exciting to me.”
The interior line lost guards Josh Jenkins and Jeff Berk along with center Joey Madsen, who also figures to be drafted by the NFL.
One of the key experiments in the spring is moving Pat Eger from tackle to center, considering that the Mountaineers are deep at offensive tackle.
New offensive line coach Ron Crook, who just signed on from Stanford, has a lot of work to do with this group.
“We’ve talked toughness,” Crook said, noting that he is in the process of learning who his players are and what they are all about. “Physical toughness, mental toughness. We want to be the dominant force on the field.”
The defense, while more experienced than the offense, may be more of a challenge, for it was among the nation’s worst last year.
Keith Patterson has taken over as defensive coordinator, actually beginning with the Pinstripe Bowl loss, and has been putting things in place since then.
He has a couple of solid linebackers in Doug Rigg and Isaiah Bruce back, along with hard-hitting safety Karl Joseph, while the line will be anchored by Will Clarke.
However, like on offense, much is uncertain and will be worked out in the spring and when the team reports back in August.
“There is no depth chart,” Holgorsen said. “There is open competition at every position.”
As for injuries, a number of players are out of spring or limited.
Wide receiver Dante Campbell had shoulder surgery and won’t be back until June or July while cornerback Terrell Chestnut is out with knee surgery after being hurt in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Linebacker Avery Williams missed last year and is down to do only non-contact drills this spring, as is linebacker Jewone Snow.
Email Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @bhertzel.
Sports
Related Photos
-
West Virginia’s Paul Millard, shown here in the 2011 spring game, is among three young quarterbacks vying for the starting job this season. PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER
Proving ground
Spots up for grabs going into WVU spring ball
- Sports
-
-
Fairmont Senior outlasts Oak Glen for regional title
On to the next round.
Fairmont Senior squeaked past Oak Glen in the regional championship game on Friday, 3-0.
In the win, the Polar Bears were led by their ace pitcher in Matt Robbins. -
FURFARI COLUMN: Chuck Howley greatest all-around WVU athlete
Chuck Howley’s greatest fame came in football at West Virginia University and then with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
However, making the Wheeling native even more distinguished is the fact he is the only five-sport letterman in WVU athletic history. -
HERTZEL COLUMN: McCartney getting his second chance
There is a familiar saying that carries much weight around the West Virginia University football program.
“If at first you don’t succeed …” -
Musgrave, errors push WVU past TCU
In its second game of pool play at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, the West Virginia University baseball team trumped TCU, 10-3, as the Horned Frogs committed a Big 12 Championship record nine errors in the contest.
-
Penguins rip Ottawa, move to conference finals
Eight playoff wins down, eight to go for Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
James Neal had a hat trick and the Penguins finished off the lifeless Ottawa Senators 6-2 on Friday night in Game 5 of the Eastern conference semifinals to take the best-of-seven series 4-1. -
Burnett a hard-luck loser; Pirates fall to Brewers
The hard luck remains for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ A.J. Burnett.
Burnett gave up just three hits and two earned runs over seven innings but took the loss as the Milwaukee Brewers held on for a 2-1 victory Friday night. -
Polar Bears vs. Golden Bears postponed to today
It’s a washout in Golden Bear country.
The Fairmont Senior-Oak Glenn Class AA regional final championship game has to wait another day.
The culprit? A toad strangler that dumped gallons of water on the field, which resulted into a muddy mess. -
HERTZEL COLUMN: Jarrod West treasures time with his family
It came along too late to do me any good, but today I want to offer a very warm thank you to Jarrod West, the one-time West Virginia University basketball hero.
-
WVU in eight-team Cancun Challenge field
West Virginia University’s basketball team will be in a field with seven other teams in the 2013 Men’s Cancun Challenge, played at the all-inclusive Aventura Palace resort near Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
-
Kansas pitcher Taylor shuts down Mountaineers
In its first game of pool play against Kansas at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, the West Virginia University baseball team was defeated, 7-2.
- More Sports Headlines
-
