2010 Statistics

QUARTERBACK  
Returning starter Geno Smith was able to practice and play this spring and that was great news considering he was questionable with another off-season foot surgery. Why was that important? Brand new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Dana Holgorsen is implementing a completely new system. Getting reps and grasping this playbook is a necessary springboard for August. Mission accomplished as Smith finished 26-of-37 for 388 yards and four touchdowns in the spring game finale, albeit against the second team defense. Smith was able to make his cuts with both feet and showed no ill effects from his foot surgery. But Smith won't be running with the ball in this offense. The days of quarterbacks being at the top of the rushing statistics are over. Last season Smith was criticized at times for his poor decisions and badly timed turnovers. But much of that blame was also directed at inept coaching, henceforth opening the door for the WVU administration to chase after Holgorsen. Look for Geno Smith to thrive in this system. He shows good form, a quick release and should excel in this offense throwing the ball. The back ups however are both true freshmen who enrolled early and that's not a good sign at all should Smith go down at some point. Texas hurler Paul Millard came out on top this spring after leading the nation in passing as a high school senior. Also in the mix is Brian Athey from Minnesota, the grandson of WVU commentator Dwight Wallace. He is likely in line for a redshirt season barring injuries at this position.

OFFENSIVE LINE  
This front wall is the biggest offensive question mark heading into the season once again. These same linemen crippled the offense on many occasions last year while failing to open holes for a once proud ground game. University of Arizona line coach and co-offensive coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh has been hired to resurrect this unit. His efforts were not made any easier when starting tackles Don Barclay and Jeff Braun sat out the spring with off-season shoulder surgery. The only silver lining was that young bull elephants Quentin Spain and Pat Eger got a chance to run with the first group while building the depth factor. It would not be surprising to see one of these mammoths wind up being the starter before 2011 comes to a close. Spain has a great upside after losing weight this winter while finding a dedication in the weight room. All-Big East senior Don Barclay has played in 39 career games, starting 27 and is the veteran of the group while Braun led the offensive line with 48 knockdowns and five thunderbolt blocks last year. Parkersburg product Josh Jenkins was once considered the number one high school player coming out of the state of West Virginia. He needs to rise up and perform like a college senior for this line to take an extensive step forward. Four starters are back and there is no reason for the continued sub par results. It might take a while for this group to get comfortable in the new system, which could slow down the early progress.

DEFENSIVE LINE  
This defensive line did its job last year, that's for sure. Those hefty numbers don’t lie. They helped lead a defense that ranked second nationally against the rush and second nationally at producing sacks. Two key clogs have departed in Scooter Berry and Chris Neild. The pass rush will still continue to rank with the best of them though, as defensive end Bruce Irvin should be the star of the defense. Irvin was a pass rushing specialist who emerged on the scene last fall as a first year JUCO transfer by recording 14 sacks while playing primarily on third downs. He has been working extremely hard to make the transition of being an every down player. After adding six pounds to his size while hitting the weight room, the senior is sure to garner double team attention from opposing teams. That leaves fellow senior Julian Miller on the other side to wreak havoc. Miller is actually the only returning starter on this line. He posted nine sacks in each of the past two seasons but has been moved from end to tackle in this 3-man defensive alignment. This will give Irvin more opportunities on the outside. Miller may weigh in a little light on the scale to play tackle but his quickness should be an advantage. Will Clarke showed promise at the beginning of last season before being slowed by a high ankle sprain. He will back up Irvin and with continued success can find time in certain packages. The battle to replace the wide-bodied (and NFL bound) bulldog Neild won't be as simple. Jorge Wright and Josh Taylor have appeared in a combined 44 games. Wright made a move this spring to take over but his efforts got derailed after being suspended indefinitely for an arrest on May 3. Taylor has performed in more games and seen more starts. This line will be lighter in 2011, but it will also be quicker. It's shaping up to continue being the best pass rush in the Big East. Continued achievement at stopping the run could be another story.

LINEBACKER  
As with many positions on defense WVU will be looking for some new faces to step in at linebacker. No other unit will go through this much of a rebuilding effort with familiar names such as J.T. Thomas, Pat Lazear and Anthony Leonard graduating. The experience level is desperately slim. Holding down the fort will be fifth-year senior Najee Goode who luckily can play all three spots. The question is where does he fit best? Ironically, the official WVU spring depth chart has Goode starting at both the strong side and the weak side. While that scenario is comically impossible, it does demonstrate the need for someone else to step up. If Goode starts on the strong side that opens the door for Josh Francis, who just participated in his first spring here, on the weak side. Francis came from Lackawanna Jr. College in Scranton, PA where he was tabbed a First Team JUCO All-American. Francis emerging as a dependable starter would provide a huge boost. Currently operating with the first group on this side is senior walk-on Casey Vance. Another option is for two sophomores to start the opener in Branko Busick and Doug Rigg. The middle dons the least experience where Busick finished with three tackles on the season. His backup Jewone Snow redshirted. Between the two of them they registered fewer tackles than receiver J.D. Woods. At least Rigg saw some action last year and could be an option on the strong side. The New Jersey prepster played in all 13 games a year ago as a back up. Defensive Coordinator Jeff Casteel has proven he can produce more with less. This bunch has its shortcomings and Casteel will need to do his best work yet to make sure this group doesn't spell disaster, especially early in the season.

DEFENSIVE BACK  
Jeff Casteel will continue to implement the 3-3-5 stack defense, which equates to a need for quality defensive backs and plenty of them. Maintaining the numbers despite the loss of three key performers does not appear to be a problem with a young pipeline filling the gaps. Talent seems to be sufficient but experience does not. Rivals.com named Keith Tandy a Third Team All-American last December after leading the Big East with six interceptions. He will be the leader in this secondary. The departure of Brandon Hogan at the other cornerback spot won't be easy to replace. Pat Miller is the front-runner after posting two starts a year ago. The speedy junior from Hoover High in Birmingham, AL was primarily used on third down situations so he knows what it takes to be in crucial situations. Washington DC product Avery Williams enrolled early as a true freshman this January and is making strides every day. He could wind up as part of this rotation. Spur safety Terence Garvin could be the best player in this secondary. After leading the team in tackles in 2011 as just a sophomore, Garvin is an imposing figure that has a great future. At free safety is Eain Smith who sat out the spring with injury. Smith has a reputation for being in the coaches’ doghouse, which means the door for talented youngster Travis Bell is wide open. Bell played in all 13 games as a true freshman. He is the tallest safety and can reportedly launch off the synthetic turf. The lack of experience is immediately felt at bandit safety where Darwin Cook was used solely as a back up last year. Pushing him is Wes Tonkery who redshirted. Overall, this unit cannot be expected to maintain the same type of production compared to a year ago. Nor will it meet the same potential as what could have been if Robert Sands had stayed in school. The cupboard is not bare by any means however and is far ahead of where this unit was just two seasons ago when Coach Lockwood took over.