MORGANTOWN — With one scrimmage under their belts, and one week to go before their Friday night season opener at home against John Marshall, the University football team scrimmaged Laurel Highlands (Pa.) last night at Mylan Pharmaceutical Stadium had several goals in place.
No. 1: Stay healthy.
No. 2: Simulate some game-time situations.
No. 3: Progress in the running game.
According to Hawks head coach John Kelley, consider the boxes checked, checked and checked.
“No injuries,” Kelley said after the two-hour session, “which is always the most important thing. And I thought we handled the two 12-minute quarters with the clock and down markers and full game situations in place very well. And I thought we did a whole lot right out there, and not a whole lot wrong, so overall I was very pleased.”
The UHS defense forced a turnover on the WPIAL Class AAAA Mustangs’ first possession, which was quickly followed up with a pretty 23-yard flag route TD connection from quarterback Chase Edwards to 6-foot-five wide receiver Sage Clawges. The Hawks then cranked up the ground attack after stopping LH on fourth down at midfield. The featured back was burly senior Colin McBee, who took every carry and eventually found his way into the end zone from 8 yards out.
“We struggled in the running game last week against Keyser,” new offensive coordinator Eric Snyder said, “so we really wanted to emphasize it tonight. We thought the line did a nice job, Colin used his vision and power well, and we looked pretty effective on that drive.”
The Hawks defense looked stout, especially against the Mustangs’ talented Power 5 recruited quarterback Rodney Gallagher.
“That kid will probably be the most elusive quarterback we’ll face all year,” Kelley said, “and other than one really long scramble against us, I thought we did a nice job of containing him. We set the edge pretty well, kept him in the pocket and were very aggressive. The line was especially dominant.”
In the second quarter, back-up quarterback Luke Hudson and Clawges hooked up on a 72-yard catch and run score that was simply a smart, instinctual offensive football play. Flushed out of the pocket, Hudson flowed left toward the sideline, kept his head up, then saw the speedy, massive target break his short route off and sprint past the cover corner. Hudson hit him in stride, and the junior outraced the safety for the splash score.
“We thought our quarterbacks made some nice decisions,” Snyder said, “and to have the mental part of the game improve so much from last week– especially with the new offensive system we’ve thrown at everyone – was good to see. We lined up correctly, had good stances and all that fundamental stuff show up much better, and we just need to work on our offensive rhythm and timing. The kids are improving, and that what you want.”
Of course, there’s still more to be learned from Saturday’s workout, as the film breakdown get reviewed and scrutinized, but Kelley and his staff definitely like what they see.
“It was certainly a big jump up from last week,” Kelley concluded, “and we’re really seeing our playmakers and experience and depth starting to show up. This was definitely a positive step forward, and we’re very excited for the season to start, to see what we can do and who we can become as a team.”
TWEET @dompostsports
