MORGANTOWN - On Wednesday, Dave Johnson began shuffling the players in the middle of West Virginia's offensive line. On Thursday, he shuffled some more. And by the time Saturday's final scrimmage of preseason camp rolls around, there could be even more shuffling.
MORGANTOWN - On Wednesday, Dave Johnson began shuffling the players in the middle of West Virginia's offensive line. On Thursday, he shuffled some more. And by the time Saturday's final scrimmage of preseason camp rolls around, there could be even more shuffling.
Don't read anything more into it than just that: shuffling. How the cards eventually will be dealt is still a mystery.
"Those guys are fighting to get on the field and I'm trying to find the best five,'' Johnson, West Virginia's offensive line coach, said Thursday morning. "We're trying to see what the best combinations are and who will step up.''
On Wednesday, that meant moving redshirt freshman Joe Madsen into the center spot with the No. 1 line in place of junior Eric Jobe, who has been the starter there since replacing injured Mike Dent late last season.
On Thursday, Jobe was back in the starting five, but now at right guard in place of redshirt freshman Jeff Braun.
And come Saturday, Braun may get a look at center with the first unit. He played there with the second team Thursday. Braun had been a fixture at right guard since moving into that spot midway through spring drills.
The bottom line, Johnson seemed to indicate, is that right now those three - Jobe, Madsen and Braun - are fighting for two spots at center and right guard.
"We're evaluating those guys every day,'' Johnson said. "Nothing is permanent right now.''
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The defensive star of the first two scrimmages has been Kent Richardson, who intercepted passes in each. He picked off starter Jarrett Brown while working with the No. 1 defense Saturday and intercepted backup Eugene Smith while playing with the No. 2 defense Wednesday.
"I think he's hungry,'' defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel said of the fifth-year senior. "I think he knows this is his last go-around.''
Richardson is annually in the mix for playing time at cornerback, but aside for some brief moments has generally been relegated to special teams duty. He's probably not going to be in the lineup when the Mountaineers open the season in two weeks, either. Those jobs are being held down now by Brandon Hogan and Keith Tandy.
But along with Guesly Dervil and true freshmen Pat Miller and Brodrick Jenkins, Richardson figures to get some playing time this year.
MORGANTOWN - On Wednesday, Dave Johnson began shuffling the players in the middle of West Virginia's offensive line. On Thursday, he shuffled some more. And by the time Saturday's final scrimmage of preseason camp rolls around, there could be even more shuffling.
Don't read anything more into it than just that: shuffling. How the cards eventually will be dealt is still a mystery.
"Those guys are fighting to get on the field and I'm trying to find the best five,'' Johnson, West Virginia's offensive line coach, said Thursday morning. "We're trying to see what the best combinations are and who will step up.''
On Wednesday, that meant moving redshirt freshman Joe Madsen into the center spot with the No. 1 line in place of junior Eric Jobe, who has been the starter there since replacing injured Mike Dent late last season.
On Thursday, Jobe was back in the starting five, but now at right guard in place of redshirt freshman Jeff Braun.
And come Saturday, Braun may get a look at center with the first unit. He played there with the second team Thursday. Braun had been a fixture at right guard since moving into that spot midway through spring drills.
The bottom line, Johnson seemed to indicate, is that right now those three - Jobe, Madsen and Braun - are fighting for two spots at center and right guard.
"We're evaluating those guys every day,'' Johnson said. "Nothing is permanent right now.''
nn
The defensive star of the first two scrimmages has been Kent Richardson, who intercepted passes in each. He picked off starter Jarrett Brown while working with the No. 1 defense Saturday and intercepted backup Eugene Smith while playing with the No. 2 defense Wednesday.
"I think he's hungry,'' defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel said of the fifth-year senior. "I think he knows this is his last go-around.''
Richardson is annually in the mix for playing time at cornerback, but aside for some brief moments has generally been relegated to special teams duty. He's probably not going to be in the lineup when the Mountaineers open the season in two weeks, either. Those jobs are being held down now by Brandon Hogan and Keith Tandy.
But along with Guesly Dervil and true freshmen Pat Miller and Brodrick Jenkins, Richardson figures to get some playing time this year.
"Some of the problems we had last year in some of our third-down stuff was we didn't think we had enough guys we felt we could get out on the field and play at a high level for us,'' Casteel said, referring in this instance to passing situations. "But he's stepped up. We have some depth there.''
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Speaking of the freshmen, Miller and Jenkins are joined by 6-foot-5 safety Jonathan Scott as true freshmen who could avoid a redshirt this season. But nothing is set in stone.
Casteel was asked Thursday if there was a clock on all the freshmen as far as deciding whether they can play right away.
"Yes,'' Casteel said. "But right now that clock is still ticking. We're still a way's away from the first ballgame, so those kids are all being evaluated and being coached like they're a [starter].''
The two corners seem most likely to play because of a combination of talent and need.
"They've put themselves in a position to be on the field,'' Casteel said. "We're still evaluating and they've got to do it on a consistent basis. But they've done a really good job and shown that they can probably compete at this level at this point.''
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And speaking of corners, Tandy and Hogan both were high school quarterbacks.
Now on the surface that might seem like a bit of an advantage if they can channel their inner QBs and figure out what the opposing passer is thinking. But Tandy, a sophomore who played sparingly last season until starting WVU's bowl win over North Carolina, said for him it's not that simple. He's got enough trouble thinking about what he should be doing and not wondering what the quarterback is thinking.
"Most of the time when you get out there, everything moves so fast you only have time to think about what you're supposed to do, not what the quarterback is thinking,'' Tandy said.
Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
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