Blue Gold Sports Podcast | Previewing Roster and Penn State

welcome to the blue gold Sports podcast I'm Ryan Rody joined by Tanner mounds and Cory Moore and I'm excited to say that college football is officially back at the time of this recording Georgia Tech and Florida State are playing in Ireland and college game day is there and Pat McAfee actually just picked West Virginia to win the Big 12 gentlemen thoughts I mean I I love the pick he's is the old golden blue uh you know it's great for West Virginia to have someone like that an alumni like that in a spotlight like that that can you know promote the program and things like that because that's what West Virginia needs West Virginia needs to get back in the spotlight it's been years since that uh you know team has been in the National Spotlight and things like that so to have a guy like Pat a be hyping them up you know trying to get them to live up to their potential that that that's huge for the program yeah absolutely not all Publications and major networks are really on West Virginia side but to have a voice on ESPN on arguably the biggest stage of college game day then that's huge and so we're going to be propelled all through this season momentum will only grow as uh Pat McAfee keeps talking about us and so with that West Virginia takes on Penn State a week from today Saturday August 31st and McAfee show will be here Friday August 30th around the life signs Center another big thing for West Virginia and all I got to say is traffic is going to be bad here in Morgantown yeah it's already bad on game days and now you bring Pat if you show into it you already you now your big noon kickoff that has announced that they're gonna be here forever there's not a hotel within I I think like an hour radius of Morgan Town that is not filled up ready for this game like this place is going to be jammed packed the roads are already bad when it comes to you know traffic and things like that so now you put Pat Macy smack dab in the middle of Campus before big noon kickoff as a top 10 team comes in open up the season like that that's gonna be that's gonna be a wild time that's gonna be a wild time prices for this game were already huge and now people are gonna make a whole weekend out of it so thanks Pat McAfee for filling up Morgantown for the entire weekend here uh adding on with the Penn State hype already on top of great brand exposure it's expected to be a great game many outlets many sports media Personnel they're looking at this game and they're circling it for week one so Penn State rolls in here last year West Virginia went up to State College and things didn't go exactly their way but it was great to have West Virginia on that stage Penn State week one night game but now they're kicking off at noon and gentlemen what what's your general thoughts about this matchup I mean it's a great it's a great battle I mean this is the ultimate test like if you want to win a conference Championship you want to solidify your spot as a potential playoff team you got to go beat a playoff team and that is in Penn State you know kind of it feels similar to last year a lot of the both teams West Virginia and Penn State brought a majority of their key pieces back Drew Aller for Penn State Nicholas Singleton K TR Allen all those guys they added Julian Fleming in the transfer portal West Virginia obviously keeping basically their entire offense intact as well but now you add Jem white who didn't play in that week one because he his first ever game as a true freshman I I think it's gonna be a great batt I mean the key for West Virginia is gonna be to not let Drew Aller did what he did last year he threw 21 of 29 325 three touchdowns they should have picked them off two or three times I think you know beanie Bishop might have dropped two interceptions I think there was another one as well but you can't let him beat you because you know that rushing attack for Penn State's going to be so potent and you've seen Drew Aller struggle against other teams last season so you got to kind of Channel some of that you got to make Drew Aller struggle like other teams have because that rushing attack is so dangerous and if you add Drew all on to that that could be that could spell trouble yeah I think defensively uh West Virginia kind of developed a little bit more of a mentality and an identity of what they want throughout uh all of last season after that week one matchup uh obviously they lost a guy like beanie Bishop but for them to kind of change the secondary and everything that they're doing defensively uh for this season I think they have a very clear idea of what they want their mindset to be and like you said they can stop it uh from a situation of Drew Aller beating uh beating West Virginia by themselves I think the other thing I want to add here is that for a week one matchup I think this is a perfect time to play a team like Penn State because sure if if uh West Virginia loses to Penn State it won't drive in the force that they want uh but as we saw last year it won't kill them for the entire rest of the season because there isn't really an expectation for West Virginia who is unranked to go out and beat number eight Penn State in week one of the Season here so it's not going to kill them they're still capable of going nine and four for the season like they did last year even if that week one matchup goes poorly but if it goes well if it goes in West Virginia's favor that's going to drive all the momentum they need bring more excitement to Morgantown than is already coming in by just having the match up in general so I think it's a perfect time for it yeah I mean that's I think that's a great point there like with the expanded playoffs now you don't need to win your out of confidence games they can only help you they can't hurt you because all you have to do is win your conference like losing to Penn State is not the end of the world anymore but beating Penn State adds to that resume incredibly for West there's no risk here really right yeah I mean you get a pack Stadium like you said you can have a chance to add momentum going forward into your season and taking all that on but you know you lose everyone kind of expects you to lose and then you can maybe head in two and wanting a conference play and that's where you got to make a run then and win your conference to get into the playoffs you don't really need out of conference uh tough games or wins anymore if you can win your conference yeah and you're also going to get more education from winning or losing to a team like Penn State than you're going to for beating random schools and also week two we're playing Albany they're a pretty solid team uh like all and all they're a pretty solid team so playing those uh solid teams strong programs early on it's only going to help like you said because there's no risk for it and it's only going to give you more education more gameplay to know what's going on once you do progress to a postseason uh kind of situation and looking at West Virginia for their match up with Penn State I think one of the keys to the game is going to be quarterback Garrick green and his passing ability I've seen Penn State people talking all over social media on Twitter and whatnot and they're saying they need to make Garrick Green beat them with his arm we know about his legs he can run that's for sure but his ability as a passer kind of a question mark here going into 2024 yeah I mean you can't really blame Penn State fans or really any other fans that are kind of on the side of you do have to make Garrick Green beat you with his arm that is the weak part of his game not to say that it is weak like I think a lot of West Virginia fans want to see Improvement in that aspect and especially you know the the layups as Neil Brown likes to call the short throws the uh you know kind of intermediate throws the Deep ball has been fine but yeah you do everybody knows about gar Green's legs and his athleticism like that's no surprise you know he's gonna have a game have the chance every game a rush for well over a 100 yards you do have to make him use his arm that's the question that West Virginia fans are waiting on is did that improve in the off season because that is what's going to take West Virginia to that next level if he can uh you know expose teams with his arm if he can throw for 300 400 yards in a game if that's what defenses are giving him that's what it's going to have to take because teams know about his ISM they now know about Jem white he's no longer a secret CJ Donaldson's power is has been out there for now two seasons like the offensive line everyone knows about that it's Garrett Green's arm is the question mark and if you are Penn State that is what you have to force them to do can he throw the ball we're gonna have to find out because I think Penn State's gonna force that issue yeah and for for us being based in Morgantown it sounds easy to say Hey Garrett green nailed it at the P Manning Passing Academy this uh this summer and everything like that he's been working on it his arm is something that has improved because all that we hear is West Virginia talking about how his arm has improved so it's easy to say but on paper I mean he absolutely does not have the pedigree of a guy like uh Roco Beck elsewhere in the Big 12 or anything like that so yeah they're going to be shooting for uh making him play the passing game a lot more uh and if West Virginia news is to be believed then it's only gonna benefit uh West Virginia because Garrett green is going to have a little bit more strength uh and if he can get out to a quick start then Penn State may have to adjust and then that lets in a little bit more of a running threat lets in a little bit more offensive versatility as that goes in so if Garrett green can at least get a few really strong passes a little a little bit of a good passing game early on then the game becomes a lot more evenly matched because they don't have something that they have to Target for for the entire uh rest of the game it becomes a little bit more evenly matched West Virginia has more options yeah the words of Pat the I think everyone's fear is letting Garrett green run wild and that's kind of what it is that he is a guy that oozes confidence and when you let him get going on the field and you know improve on that confidence and really get going and let his ego start strutting and he starts feeling himself like that creates problems for teams we we saw it all last year uh when he would get going and things like that that Cincinnati game is a great example of that that's kind of everyone's fear is that you know that's that's why gar Green's kind of my exactor for this team this year that you're going to go as far as he takes him they have the pieces around him on offense the defense has been improved from last season can he get going can he be that guy they're going to need someone to do it it was hit or miss some games last year they're going to need some more consistency but one thing that never faults with him is that confidence and that strut and when he gets going when Garett green starts running wild things happen here in Morgantown and he has his own confidence and the team has just as much confidence in him like hearing Neil Brown talk about gett green is so promising if I was Garett green I would be up I would be overwhelmed by the amount of support that I'm getting within the organization and within uh within the team so I I think everything is in his cards for it to turn out well uh we'll just have to see how it happens yeah and going off of that quarterback Tyler sorry quarterback coach Tyler Allen he talked a lot about wanting gar green to play free cuz that's what makes him a special player he doesn't want him to play totally conservative he doesn't want him to be avoiding big hit going out of bounds he wants him to play free because that's what makes him a special player his legs his ability to improvise throw on the run all of that and Tanner you talked a little bit about gar Green's deep ball last season it was good it was a good deep ball he had a couple long connections downfield but I want to see Garrick green throw a little bit more over the middle you know get those medium gains and just keep pushing the sticks yeah I mean that's going to be a big factor in I think someone that West Virginia needs to utilize more to help get green out is Cole Taylor I mean he's got one of the biggest frames in all of college football one of the biggest catch radius 67 255 pounds last season against Penn State two catches for 31 yards he had a couple big games the dyu game he had a big catch and run for a touchdown there I don't think West Virginia utilized him enough especially going across the middle he's a big Target he's a guy that you can throw it up high over the linebacker you can throw it out into you know a hole in his Zone and he can reach his arms out and grab it that's the kind of guy that's that safety blanket that I think Eric green has to develop a little bit more of a relationship with to get over the middle we have the Deep guys uh you know that we've seen you know you have uh Hudson Clement obviously that that came out of nowhere from last year Preston Fox is only gonna get better tray and Ray another one like they have guys they have the Deep threats they got to get someone over the middle you know and I think Cole Taylor can be that guy that that patch radius that body that frame could be huge for West Virginia if they can utilize it exactly like you said they have the threats they have the options it's just a matter if gar green is comfortable getting to all of them and I think he was talking at a big 12 media days earlier this summer about how he has been working at on the mid uh passing specifically mid-range passing a little bit more so if he can utilize Taylor more and if he can just feel comfortable getting around spreading the field to all those different targets that he has then it's only going to be a positive thing for West Virginia because they have a deep enough offense to make everything work yeah I mean this was brought up I know Ron and you were there with me at the the most recent press conference with the football team tight end Coach bla Stewart was uh at the stand and one of the guys asked him if he knew the school record for receiving touchdowns in a season by a tight end and it was only six that I forget who it was his the name I wasn't quite familiar with way back when yeah six touchdowns by a tight end in a season is the school record like that is something that West Virginia just clearly hasn't used over its time but you have a guy like Cole Taylor that you know the coaches were praising him saying know he's a guy that can play at the next level If he if he wants to if he puts it together West Virginia's got to use that if you have a guy that has the potential to play in the NFL you got to use him a little bit more than they did last year he showed some flashes they said his blocking been getting better I think Cole Taylor could be a big piece for the offense yeah and Cole Taylor he's going to be in his second year with West Virginia he was an LSU transfer and he got hurt towards the end part of last season but this offseason while he was recovering while you never like an injury kind of helped him a bit because he got to go in the classroom with Blaine Stewart and really just fine-tune his game but something else I will say fun fact about Cole Taylor I don't know if you're just about to say you guys remember that uh LSU Florida game where the Florida player threw the shoe they got a fourth down stop and then they picked up the cleat and the cleat and it gave him a first down that cleat belonged to Cole Taylor oh really I didn't know that that was Cole that was Cole Taylor's tweet that got chucked across the field that gave LC a first down and was able to go win the game and not pour it out in playoff just a little I mean I when he came here I saw that I thought that was pretty cool yeah I gotta pull that that clip up now after uh after we we're done recording but what was I what I was goingon to say is that something that's going to be huge for West Virginia as well on the offensive side of the ball is that offensive line now last year great offensive line their rushing attack we know how good it was but Zack Frasier drafted um Doug Nester undrafted free agent he's gone so now you got still the same Foundation you got Wyatt milm at left tackle you know the Blind Side but now you got guys like Nick Malone trying to step up jaquay hubard and there's a little bit of a position battle I think at right tackle Xavier Bosley a transfer they added might get his way into there but your thoughts on the offens ofine line makeup well yeah I mean there are some pieces that are going to need to be filled but I think last season the offensive line was banged up it seemed like every game one of them was getting hurt someone them was you know come out for a couple series someone was missing a game it was multiple guys and everybody played different positions on the offensive line you saw the team have to go eight n deep in the offensive line and not miss a beat and I think that's huge for West Virginia in this year you mentioned hubard like that was one that he had to come in last season and play a little bit uh because of injuries in front of him and he didn't miss a beat the offensive line was just as great so now while you're kind of starting new guys on the offensive line it doesn't really feel like uh they're that new because they played last year they they had to spill in for a game or two they had a couple games where they had a series or they playing tackle and they get moved to guard and then Center as well there because Fraser got hurt towards the end of the year like those things happen and west Virginia did not miss a Beat It showed the depth of the offensive line that has me not worried for West Virginia about that uh position group because of how deep it was last year I think they're going to be just fine I think they're still going to be one of the best in the country you mentioned uh Wyatt M first round second round pick just like Zack Fraser is going to be again one of the best offensive linemen in the country protecting grick Green's Blind Side he didn't really get sack last year and I mean that credits a lot to Garrett Green's athleticism um but also the offensive line like you can keep dck green upright and let him have time in the pocket let him get outside do the things that he needs to do this team's going to be good that offensive line is phenomenal and I I expect them to be once again this year yeah I think offensive line is key in any team for consistency offensively and whenever you have a guy like Garett green I mean players on the offensive line have talked about how they really help each other they have a strong relationship knowing that GAR green can kind of bail them out if need be but overall West Virginia's identity for the past few seasons has been having a consistent offensive line being able to Pro uh protect uh Garrett green or whatever quarterback they have um so I don't see that changing especially since like going all the way back to the spring uh you see players like Nick Malone talking about how they think their offensive line is only going to be better and sure Brandon Yates is a is a new center as opposed to Zack Frasier uh last season but he's a red shirt senior he's been around the team for a long time and that's something that exists all across this offensive line is they have veteran players who have been around the team for a long period of time whether or not they have been in the spotlight doesn't really matter because they know exactly what the team has been going for and exactly what the identity needs to be so they have strong leaders in Yates and mym and they have overall strong experience and identity of what they need to strive for because they saw it happen last season so I think the offensive line is something that they can trust uh if anything on this team yeah one more thing about Brandon Yates yeah he's stepping in for Zack Frasier some pretty big shoes to fill but he's looking to take that leadership role and he's played every single position on the offensive line so he's a versatile Center we'll see how he does in 2024 last thing on offense we talked a little bit about Jem white and CJ Donaldson but the wide receivers I think it's a much more proven group than a year ago yeah you had a guy like Devin Carter NC State transfer but you didn't know Hudson Clement was going to be who he is and now you got wide receiver transfer Jaden Bray who people are very excited about talking about his strength as a receiver his ability to High Point the ball I think Preston Fox is going to take a big step up in 2024 what are your gentleman's thoughts on the wide receiver core in terms of pure like age the wide receivers are kind of uh conflicting of what you see in the offensive line it's a little bit of a younger team a little bit more excitement a little bit more uh little bit more Youth and General and I think the play style uh can kind of mirror that in a lot of ways we were talking earlier about how the long ball is kind of what Garrett green goes for it's because that's kind of the style of play for just these big Runners like Hudson Clement and uh Preston Fox and I don't really think that's going to change much with BR uh the only thing that happens is we have more options around the entirety of the field uh here so I think you let these guys run loose run wild a little bit more and like you said sure they're still young but they are proven now as opposed to what they had uh last season where you kind of were throwing a shot in the dark with a lot of uh these players now they're a little bit more proven we know what we're getting and they know exactly what they need to work on so these receivers are strong options yeah I mean I think everybody knows that you the main two guys are going to be hton K tray and Ray then you got Preston fox in the slot as well I mean those are the three that you kind of know what you're getting from but I I think there's somebody that he's not forgotten but isn't getting enough credit or people aren't talking about him enough and that's Rodney Gallagher he might just be the most athletic guy on the team and you know Neil Brown last year really tried to get him going in some sweeps and get him the ball as a freshman I you know he's he's gained some size I mean he still is a little bit shorter he's still listed at 510 178 he's a little smaller but it's a improvement from last season they switched his number so then he could potentially play defense as well if they need to like he he's going to be another key piece for this team it might just be on both sides of the ball but I know we're talking offense right now if they can get him going and get a fourth guy a fourth weapon on the outside that that really opens things up that's where you're really then going to see when to talk about Cole Taylor that'll really open up the middle of the field if you can get him in sweeps get him doing all sorts of different things with Ray and Clement on the outsides and fox in the slot like that'll open everything up if they can really really tap into that potential that Rodney Gallagher has with that athleticism that speed I think that could be huge for West Virginia just on the offensive side of the ball I mean he he might be playing defense as well I mean that's a whole another beast on that side but I I think offensively that that would be really big for West vir yeah bouncing off of that moving to the defensive side of the ball Neil Brown said that Rodney Gallagher is his best man-to-man Corner which I find very interesting I'm very intrigued to see how this plays out with him being a two-way player you got another two-way player in the conference now and Travis Hunter let's see if Rodney Gallagher can step to that level but looking at West Virginia's defense you know a group that received a lot of transfers this offseason you look at Northwestern teammates Jem Joseph and Garnett Hollis you look at linebacker Reed Caro defensive tackle TJ Jackson this is a new group and West Virginia's defense might have been their Achilles heel last year you know they lost a big game in Houston which I I don't know if fans want to hear about anymore but I'm excited to see how they're going to play here in 24 yeah I think a big big addition to the defense specifically on the the corner side and the coverage side Aiden gar from Duane you know he's projected to be the starting quarterback one of the starting quarterbacks uh he played here in Morgantown last year as a du Kane Duke uh didn't let Hudson Clement catch the ball he was one of the only guys on the team that didn't let uh Clement explode in that game I think he's really good he's one of the most sought after Corners in the transfer portal he he brings some size he brings some athleticism they're going to need something to replace beanie Bishop in that one-on-one potential short field which is what Beanie Bishop was last season I think that could be his role I think he could be someone that goes to the short field it's GNA get a lot of passes thrown to him because of that and if he can just stay with guys I mean I think that that that's what West Virginia needs I mean they struggled fans want to complain you know that they V up chunk plays in the air they they they let quarterbacks throw for a lot of yards and they have a reason to say all that because it's true and I think getting a guy with eight and GS boosting that secondary was really really seemed like a focus by Neil Brown and the defensive staff uh over the off season I think you know where I said earlier in the podcast that the defense got some reinforcements the defense got a little bit better that's where I think they got better and that's where they needed to get yeah I think Personnel wise you have a lot of talent coming in just from straight transfers and you were talking about having a little bit of a guy to replace uh beanie Bishop I mean obviously VI L Garn is an option but if you look at a guy like Garnett Hollis Jr who specifically said that like beanie's style of play and what they did with him last season was part of the reason that he wanted to come to West Virginia I think I think that speaks volumes because that means that uh the players on the team saw that at least for Beanie and for the team as a whole that what they did last season worked so they know how to they know what they want to emulate and they have a coaching staff and a team that wants to emulate it and knows how to so I think that's going to be huge uh defensively overall I like a little bit of a of a change in terms of the defensive secondary you talk about the cornerbacks and the safeties as well uh they have a little bit of a change of a more unified approach under shadon Brown he's not just a quarterbacks or safeties coach he's a full secondary coach and you have that being led by uh Aubrey Burks who is now going to be a spear as opposed to being at safety he's going to let Anthony Wilson uh Run free a little bit more at safety and that's going to be overall positive if you have all like five really key players on the team all running under the same unified mindset because again two of those guys are at least two of those guys in my mind are going to be those big transfers I think it's probably gonna be Garnes maybe uh maybe holl Jr maybe a crle or something like that and then you have uh more proven safeties like maybe a Josiah Jackson coming in brand new but more proven like Anthony Wilson as well and so if you have a unified approach across all that Talent there are five key guys that are going to make an impact defensively all under the same idea while as on the other sides of uh of like defensively on the other sides of it you have guys like Shawn Martin who are experienced who are going to be veterans so I think overall it's just a huge benefit uh of having multiple approaches multiple people from different perspectives and different backgrounds all coming in to a strong unified defense this year and going along with Shawn Martin on that defensive line like I said TJ Jackson he was one of the highest graded transfers defensive transfers by PFF and you got Eddie V Edward westerinen who should be fun to watch but a transfer that I also failed to mention was Ty French you look at his numbers at Gardner web they are video game numbers he's going to be playing alongside Tyron Bradley who if you don't remember he made that one-handed interception at the Duke's Mayo it's it's going to be fun to see West Virginia's pass rush this year yeah I mean you can also add to that uh the young guys Ben cutter and Trey lean lean was a starting uh linebacker last season as a red shirt freshman uh obviously had that leg injury against TCU which then had stepped a true freshman Ben cutter up and had to play the rest of the season alongside Lee cooba Le grp is gone now you get both of those young guys at the linebacker position that both have experience you're not having a guy to come in that really hasn't played much and like you said you add uh Tai web to that like or Ty FR excuse me I conf Garder web uh it changes things like this pass rush is going to be crazy it was already great last season and now you're adding guys that are pass rushers like and that's what West Virginia really hasn't had over the past couple years they've had some good run Stoppers they've had things like that they Le Coba great tackler all that now you get guys coming off the edge you have Anthony Wilson as well a safety that loves to come fly down and play in the box and load the Box up so you get a lot of guys on defense now that like to fly around and can do a lot of things specifically rush the passer that could be a problem specifically for Drew Aller who doesn't always like to get out of the pocket and have to make some plays you saw him do it last season but against West Virginia but other than that he did struggle at times when defenses had to force him out of the pocket that could be something that West Virginia tries to expose now looking a little bit more into the West Virginia pen State matchup there's two running back Duos you got KRON Allen and Nick Singleton versus Jem white and CJ Donaldson and looking further into CJ Donaldson and Jem white it is lightning and thunder Jem white good out in space he can run he's Shifty and CJ Donaldson put it simply he's a big boy you know 240 pounds he can power it right into the end zone no I mean they they are like kind of friends they come from a similar background as far as like growing up and stuff and uh I mean CJ was saying in his uh pressers during camp that he just loves Jem white he loves being able to kind of have a little bit of a friendly competition with him but overall mostly just help each other uh help each other grow and see each other grow and succeed I think if you have uh two guys like again you said lightning and thunder two guys who are helping each other in the same ways that lightning and thunder are abs absolutely necessary for each other uh I think that's going to be the same way here they're going to be able to benefit each other and benefit West Virginia because it's just going to be explosive whenever you don't know which one of those guys is ever going to come off but both of them uh have the capabilities of making a name for themselves in each and every game yeah I think another aspect that people aren't talking about enough in the rushing attack I mean they do individually when they talk about him but that's Garrett green like I mean he opens everything else up for kaheem white and CJ Donaldson because at any point he could pull it I mean I I believe Neil Brown said uh last year they heading into the pick game that about 80% of their plays are RP up like 80% of their run plays have some kind of pass option some kind of pool option for G green like there's always something that he could do and that opens everything up for Jem white because when you start exposing defenses like that making them play honest it opens up hes it gives them the advantage they're step ahead and we saw it all last season when you give Jem white a step on the defense like he is going to make them pay he's one of the most explosive most quick running backs in the entire country so like that's huge and you combine that with CJ Donaldson that can just wear a defense down you get down on the goal line you know he's going to be able to punch it in maybe he'll take his helmet off hopefully not this year but you know that like that that's huge and then you add gar Green's legs to all of that you add the speed on the wide receiver like that's what makes the running game so great not even to mention the offensive line is because how many different variables West Virginia can attack you in the rushing game whether it's sweeps whether it's read options whether it's just power football behind that offensive line there's so many different ways that they can attack you and it keeps defenses honest and keeps them a step behind and it gives West Virginia the advantage yeah and these bigger Publications that are Downing us not ESPN Not Pat mcab they don't realize how versatile our offense is because like you said there are so many different options and it's really exciting to watch every time you watch West Virginia football you you can see a different play from a different person every single time and the reason I bring this up on always college football with Greg meloy he was talking about how West Virginia should follow Michigan's path to success against Penn State as they did last year which was a heavy rushing attack so will West Virginia go that option it's it's to be determined it's to play out but um yeah I mean they could like they could do that and they probably have a successful season doing that do you beat a team like Penn State doing that probably not you be in Oklahoma State doing that probably not well keep keep you in the game yeah but at some point Garr Green's going to have to make the explosive plays he's going to have to attack the middle of the field he's going to have to complete the short passes on Third and short third and five third and four those sorts of things that he struggled with last season if they want to compete with the big dogs if they want to be a playoff team and call themselves one of the top 12 teams in the country they have to be able to do that running the ball is great running the ball is going to win you a lot of games it's going to keep you in every game but you got to have the explosive play I don't think fans want another season like last year I mean not that they're complaining about last season but the expectations a little bit higher now being a good team is great it's a great beginning point but I think West Virginia fans want one step up they want to be that playoff team you want to be one of the top teams in the country and to do that you have to do more than just run the football it's a great Foundation it's a great thing that every team needs and West Virginia is great at it but they have to have those explosive plays if they want to do something in the postseason yeah and Garrett green knows that I mean he has not been quiet about the work that he's been putting in and everybody who's seen him put in that work whether that be at the Manning Passing Academy whether that be at fall Camp everyone is saying hey he had he is improving he is great he is an amazing quarterback that we trust so he knows that these are plays that he needs to go for and neither him Neil Brown or anyone involved uh on the team is trying to move him away from like like trying to hide him from certain things they're going to allow him to improve and make those explosive plays like you said because he's only been working harder to be able to improve to those he he doesn't need any copout or anything like that he can do it if he keeps working hard which he has been yeah I know we gotta wrap it up in a couple minutes but I I just want to add you know you talked about that Michigan style last season and that is a great comparison that is something that F should look at and say okay West Virginia can do that but then go back and watch Michigan playoff games things Str I mean they ran the ball well but when they needed a big play what happened JJ McCarthy delivered whether it was that flee flicker Under Pressure he delivered the ball in a third like he made big plays and you need your quarterback to make big plays down the field Michigan didn't do it often but they got in situations despite their good running game that kept them in the game kept them competing with Alabama uh they got in those situations but then when they needed it they got that big explosive play and they're going to need West Virginia that is going to need Garrett green to make those plays and make the clutch plays because the running attack's going to be there the rushian attack's going to be great can he do that that's what it's going to take to get to that playoff level the rushing attack will make them an8 win nine win team they want to be a 10- win 11 win competing in December in the playoffs Garrett Green's going to have to be the xfactor West Virginia takes on Penn State at home expected to be a sellout crowd and that's going to do it for us today on the blue gold Sports podcast for Tanner mounts Cory Moore I'm Ryan Rody thanks for tuning in