A few concerns lurk through the hills of Morgantown this summer. Will the defense mature enough to win games? Will the O-Line become stable enough to give Geno Smith time in the pocket? Also one portion of the game that is overlooked, will the special teams get better?

As for the defense WVU lost a major part of the highly ranked defense last season. Many new faces will line up this season on defense for the Mountaineers. However how many stops do they truly have to make? In theory opposing teams will have to air it out to score with the new offense. I firmly believe that the defense will have to force turnovers and get off the field quickly. The defense has potential to be on the field longer than the offense this season. Which can cause problems fatigue might be our backbone. However I feel Casteel will have the defense ready to go all season long. The combination of Casteel and Holgorsen is already putting fear in a lot of eyes across the Big East.

Offensive line. The O-Line has always been a problem for WVU football. One of the most inconsistent group of guys I have ever witnessed play the game. Can they give Geno enough time to throw? I can only hope we will air it out around 50 times per game if not more. Geno needs all the time he can get. Geno is a little injury prone since he can be a mobile QB. However Holgorsen likes to run the ball just as much as he likes to pick apart defenses. If the line can create a running game early in the season it will help a ton with the pass blocking schemes. To open up the pass the line must put create holes for the running game.

Special teams. If you want to talk about pathetic lets talk special teams. Last season we were one of the worst kickoff coverages teams in the country. That will have to be fixed before fall comes around. Our kickers generally kick the ball to the ten yard line which is not good enough! You cant expect good coverage when the returner is catching the ball on the run at the ten. Its sad, awful can anyone in Morgantown kick the ball to the end zone? Special teams are so over looked its not even funny. When the opposing team is starting drives around the forty you cant expect them not to get any point. You give up three first downs they are looking at least for a field goal. Hopefully the Eers can turn it around and become a solid special teams unit this season. We will need them to step it up.

If the Mountaineers can seal up the young defense, a inconsistent OLine and make special teams look routine, it will be a great season for WVU. A few concerns but nothing that cant be done. I am very optimistic about this season. Anything less than 10 wins and a BCS bowl is a wasted season in my eyes.

In Holgorsen we trust.

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The arrival of new offensive coordinator and head coach in waiting Dana Holgorsen sure has made for a lot of hype this summer in Morgantown. The MountainAir offense as some locals are calling it has put WVU back in the national spotlight for the first time in a little while. With Dana calling the shots replacing the boring former OC WVU has a chance to run through the typical Big East with a good bit of ease. On offense the Mountaineers return quarterback Geno Smith who is coming off a stellar season, Smith has a chance to put up major numbers in the new offense. Holgorsen has a amazing track record of taking QB’s from unknowns to first team all Americans. The Mountaineers also return one of the best pass rushers in all of college football Bruce Irvin, who was second in the county in sacks last season. Teams will have to throw to beat WVU which should allow Bruce Irvin to have a amazing season of causing chaos in the back field. The first real test of the year will be when LSU comes to Morgantown September 24th for what should be a potentially college game day game. LSU opens with Oregon and could make the trip north ranked in the top 3 if not number 1. Say WVU beats LSU in Holgorsen fashion which is score 45 points and win by 20+ the Mountaineers could be on a outside clash for the National Championship game. However a lot of this will depend on the relationship between Head Coach Bill Stewart and Dana Holgorsen. How well will they gel together as Stewart knows this is his farewell tour as the Head Coach at WVU. The sky is the limit this year for the Mountaineers with play makers all over the offensive side of the ball and the genius calling plays from the field. The first time in many years people in Morgantown have something to talk about all summer leading up the opener with Marshall on a Sunday afternoon. As the autumn leaves begin to change this fall will the hills of West Virginia be in a national uproar and match the mountains? That has yet to be determined but I know the Mountaineer Faithful are really excited about the potential of this team.

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