The West Virginia Mountaineers are on the road to take on the TCU Horned Frogs Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for noon and the action will broadcast on ESPN2.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes held his weekly press conference on Tuesday and provided his point of view on the Mountaineers ahead of Saturday's matchup.
The West Virginia offense
“Number one, they're the fastest paced offense in the country. They're going to get the ball snapped faster than anybody. So, you've got to get lined up. You have to communicate. I mean, you have to be able to adapt and adjust and do things very quickly. So, they're going to put pressure on you that way.
“They've got speed at the running back and quarterback spot and receiver spot. And so, they're going to, not only stretch the field vertically, but also horizontally and with the run game as well. And so, they do a good job of running the zone play downhill - kind of knocking you off the ball.
“And then, obviously the quarterback is a really, really good runner, can make big plays.
“And then, they do a good job of getting the ball down the field, throwing a lot of shot passes. And so, it's a very difficult scheme.
“They're very good at what they do. It's different. You're going to have to play in a lot of space at the line of scrimmage. And what I mean by that is, with the quarterback run game and what they do, getting the ball on the edge with the jet sweeps and all the different things, you're going to have to play a lot more gaps than it looks like you're having to play. So, it's very different than what most people do for those reasons - really pretty unique in college football and they're just really, really good at what they do.”
The Mountaineers pace of play
“They're playing really, really fast like everybody used to, and they're really pretty simple in what they do. I mean, it's a great scheme and I mean that.
“I'm a big believer in simplicity because simplicity leads to high quality execution and that's what they do. I mean, they execute, and the guys know what to do. They're good at what they do.
“They're really smart and intentional about getting the ball to playmakers and so, when youcan execute like they do, it just puts a ton of pressure on you.”
Michael Hawkins Jr’s success and throwing for 464 yards and five total touchdowns last week
“He's a good player. He's kind of what we thought he was going to be when we saw him in high school.
“He's an athletic guy that, as I said, what they do is they force you to get a lot of people in the box to stop the run and then they throw the ball over your head and then they throw it to guys that can make you miss and create opportunities to get guys in space and you have to tackle.
“I mean, I think this is probably going to be the biggest challenge for us from just a tackling standpoint just because they do spread the field so much and they do have guys that can create after they get their hands on the ball.
“It's just like I said, it's a way different offense than what we've seen at any point this year. Just kind of they're pretty unique in what they do.”
West Virginia’s defensive struggles
“I think they're young in some spots. What they're doing too, something new kind of every week a little bit defensively. They've played some different fronts depending on what kind of teams they're going to play and so, I think they're searching a little bit defensively.
“But you turn the tape on and they're athletic up front. Love their linebackers. I mean, the guys can run and hit. They play very aggressive. I mean, it's a physical defensive team.
“I think the corners are athletic. The safeties will hit you. It's a tough kind of blue-collar defensive football team. They've given up probably some big plays and which has contributed, I think, to their stats, and they're having to play a lot of snaps, just because the offense is going so fast. It's a little bit different - a little bit more like it used to be in terms of the number of plays run per game, which obviously has an impact on the defensive stats.
“Their defense is better than their numbers, considerably better than the numbers and like I said, I like the way they play. They play physical and they play tough and they're going to be, I'm sure, incredibly aggressive against us.”
Running back Cam Cook returning to TCU
“Happy for Cam. He's been really productive. Went to Jacksonville State and did really well there and not surprised.
“He's a good football player. He's a great kid, great family. I'm happy that he's had success and not surprised.”
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