Months after destroying Clemson in the Orange Bowl, the Mountaineers have been hard at work preparing for the new season. This Saturday, players will compete against each other in the annual Gold-Blue Game to showcase to fans what to expect this year.
This upcoming season will be a true test for the Mountaineers as they will be heading into a new conference, where the competition is much fiercer for football. Teams like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas to name a few are some of the Big 12’s most feared teams to play. The Mountaineers still have a long way to go until the beginning of the season and this game will show how far they have come with some new and old faces on the team.
What to Expect:
One thing fans can expect to see is a lot of scoring. The way the teams score points for this
game is ridiculous, at least it was last year. For example, a first down is worth a couple of points and this continues for four quarters. Fans will definitely see a high scoring game on Saturday.
Fans should also be looking at how the newcomers adjust to the offense and defense. College football is a lot different from high school and the new players must be fast learners if they want to impress Holgorsen, the fans and to show that they can step in when the seniors this year leave.
Fans in attendance can be sure to see many former Mountaineers at the game such as Major Harris, Owen Schmitt and Rasheed Marshall. These players and many more will be in attendance and will be on the field during the game. Some of these players will also participate in the Old Timer’s game where players from the past and present matchup against each other.
There will also be special coaches for the game. One of them is former West Virginia head coach Don Nehlen who coached at WVU for 20 years before retiring in 2001. As the head coach Nehlen went 149-93-4 with the Mountaineers. The other guest coach will be Donnie Young, who used to coach the Mountaineers’ defense and now assists Holgorsen. In 1996 Young’s defense was ranked first in total defense, second in rushing defense, fourth in scoring defense and fifth in pass efficiency defense. During his time at West Virginia Young was also the; recruiting coordinator and was an assistant coach for 10 years.
Who to Look Forward to:
Ford Childress-Quarterback: Childress will more than likely be the successor after Geno Smith graduates this year and this game will show if he is ready to handle the pressure of being a starting quarterback in college. In his senior year he threw for 3,171 yards, 41 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. If he can mirror this when his time comes, he will be a great QB. Childress was also rated 139th on ESPN's 150 Top Recruits list.
Garrett Hope-Linebacker: Hope was one of the Houston Chronicle's Top 100 recruits and he will definitely have his work cut out for him. He has a lot of competition and will have to give it his all if wants to get some serious playing time. Hope was not recruited heavily, but giving the chance he can be a dominant player.
Nana Kyeremeh-Cornerback: The Mountaineers' secondary struggled many times last year; getting burned for big yardage, getting behind the player they were supposed to guard, were just a few of the problems. However, Kyeremeh may be the answer to their prayers. He is incredibly fast, running the 40 yard dash in 4.4 seconds. This is definitely a trait that will benefit him as his college career goes on.
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