MORGANTOWN -
If the old football adage that it all starts up front is to be believed,
then West Virginia's offensive staff must feel far more confident in its
operation this season than it did 12 months ago.
An offensive line that was short on depth while learning a new scheme in
2011 now boasts more experience in the two-deep and a wider range of bodies
that can be plugged in when need be.
At times in his first season at WVU, Dana Holgorsen made it clear that if
the line could accomplish all it needed to at the line of scrimmage, more of
the offense could be run effectively. In year two, that is exactly what
offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh sees developing.
"We're running the ball better, we're protecting better, we're
doing everything better," says Bedenbaugh. "[The offense] opens up and Dana
probably feels comfortable calling some of the plays that he probably didn't
feel comfortable calling last year."
Much of that comfort is drawn from the starting five with
Quinton Spain, Josh Jenkins, Joe Madsen, Jeff Braun and Pat Eger lining up from
left to right. The progression of No. 6 through 10 in that rotation is the next
step toward where the unit wants to be as a whole.
Should either guard go down, Spain and Eger would simply
move one spot inside and backups Curtis Feigt and Nick Kindler would slide into
the tackle positions.
One player absent from the top 10 in the most recent depth
chart released by the staff is Mark Glowinski, a JUCO transfer who comes to
Morgantown with plenty of expectations, many of which Bedenbaugh himself placed
on the junior.
Back in the spring, Bedenbaugh essentially said that if
Glowinski was not competing for a starting position, there would be problems.
Now, with his prized transfer still learning proper technique to be able to run
the offense at the highest level, others are ahead of him in practice.
Rather than be concerned about whatever problems he may have
foreseen in the spring, Bedenbaugh sees the growth of his other students as a
positive to take from Glowinski's absence on the two-deep.
He is also pleased by the early successes both freshmen Adam
Pankey and Tyler Orlosky have had, though he is downright giddy that he does
not have to put either of them on the field in their first year.
"I think if you're talking about last year, Pankey and Orlosky are
playing for us. There's no doubt if you're talking about last year," says
Bedenbaugh. "If they had come in last year, we'd have to get them ready to
play. Right now, we have the luxury of giving those guys reps and understanding
that hopefully we can redshirt them."
Pankey, WVU's second-heaviest lineman behind Spain, feels
that he was physically ready when he got to campus, but he has had to work on
the technical side of the game that didn't exist in high school. Back then, he
simply pushed kids around.
As he works on his body composition and the intricacies of
his game, he is excited about what the future could hold on an offense that is
ready to graduate all three of its starting interior linemen.
"I know that we do have seniors up there and I really need to take this
camp in and focus and learn as much as I can because I know that I might be
expected to come in and do some things next year, so I want to be as prepared
as possible," says Pankey.
Those younger players who are currently counted on for depth will need to
grow into the reliable starters. Bedenbaugh knows they are not there yet, but
he is far more pleased with what he has to work with this season than he was in
his first with the Mountaineers.
"At least we're allowing with that second group to have some
semblance of an offense to where our receivers can work, our running backs can
work," says Bedenbaugh. "Does is always look pretty? No. Is it always
technically right? No. But with true freshmen, that's to be expected and the
reps that they're getting now are going to pay off down the road."
His group is building for the future, which begins on Sept.
1.
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