The New Offense at WVU
Now that the awkward transition from Coach Bill Stewart to Coach Dana Holgorsen has passed, it is time to get down to football. Holgorsen was going to be the offensive coordinator in 2011 and the head coach in 2012, but the West Virginia brass opted to just move forward and promote Holgorsen to the head job for 2011. Thus, the new offense was going to be in place either way, but now it should be an all-out attack through the air.
Since 2005 Holgorsen has been the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech, Houston and Oklahoma State. Those names alone should give one a great indication of what will happen at West Virginia this year. Quarterback Geno Smith is going to throw…a lot. Smith proved last year to be a solid passer with great decision making ability. He will have to make quick decisions this year and a lot of decisions. Without Smith, this process may not work immediately since it is quite a drastic change from the usual Big East football. However, Smith is one of the few quarterbacks who could relatively easily make this change.
Having some quality receivers will help too. Tavon Austin had a superb sophomore season and is a consistent pass catcher. Brad Starks, at 6-3, will be the deep threat and Tyler Urban and Stedman Bailey will see a huge increase in production. Some receiver, most likely Austin will flirt with the 100 reception plateau, as is the tradition under Holgorsen.
As long as the line can hold for a little while and a running back emerges to replace Noel Devine, this should be one of the most dynamic offenses in the country. And if you think a running back is not important, look back at Holgorsen’s previous stops and remember some of the big seasons running backs have had in this offense. The pass certainly opens up the run, but players like Kendall Hunter from OSU were very important pieces to the offense.
Read the in-depth football preview for this team
