MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said after last Saturday’s 27-13 loss at Oklahoma State that much of the offensive line juggled because it hit 90 degrees in Stillwater near kickoff.
Brown also said there is still some sorting out that needs to be done in the trenches up front. On Tuesday, he praised the performances of guards Chase Behrndt and Michael Brown, and left guard James Gmiter was the only lineman to consistently play through the game.
Tackle, on the other hand, is a position that is struggling to find its footing. Heading into this season, the Mountaineers knew they needed to replace veterans Kelby Wickline and Colton McKivitz, who now plays for the San Francisco 49ers.
Getting the starting tackles settled in was going to be a key for the offense early on, and so far through two games, it has been a challenge on both sides. Heading into the first game against Eastern Kentucky, redshirt-sophomore Junior Uzebu was named the starter at left tackle, but was one of 11 suspended just before kickoff, so redshirt-freshman Brandon Yates got the nod.
At right tackle, John Hughes and Briason Mays battled it out, but both were interior linemen in 2019, learning how to play outside. Hughes eventually was named the starter.
Against Oklahoma State, the youth and inexperience was evident as quarterback Jarret Doege was under pressure and hit for most of the game. Uzebu was beaten badly by OSU defensive end Trace Ford, who stripped Doege of the ball and was returned 66 yards for a touchdown.
“It was a mixed bag,” Brown said Tuesday. “With the interior three, we did some really nice things to create some movement. At tackle, we’ve got to get better. Those guys haven’t played a lot of football. We got compressed, we lost some one-on-ones.”
Behrndt said he was disgusted by how many times he turned around and saw Doege on the ground, but the line is a work in progress, especially at tackle. Offensive coordinator Gerad Parker said, though, that pass protection needs to be better moving forward, but patience is important.
“The biggest piece of this is it is a developmental program,” Parker said. “It’s development game and we coach, so those guys will continue to grow and develop, get better and own where we’re at. Did we play good enough at those spots at times? No, we didn’t, nor did we at every position. We’ll continue to build these guys, but those guys will be told to build with confidence and understand that there’s a process to becoming great, as opposed to thinking it’s one game that defines it.
“We have to assess where we’re at as coaches, and if we fail, we have to assess where we’re at at the tackle position — personnel, technique and all those things that will help us not only this week, but for the future, as well.”
Injury update
While several players left the Oklahoma State game with bumps and bruises, Brown said only linebacker VanDarius Cowan is questionable for Saturday’s Baylor game with a lower-body injury.
Cowan has struggled with injuries the last two years — he played in just two games last year before a knee injury ended his season.
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