Quick Hits: Competitive QB Battle, O-Line Concerns, Emotions of Country Roads + More

Rich Rodriguez recaps the Gold-Blue Spring Showcase.

West Virginia University quarterback Nicco Marchiol | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Saturday's Gold-Blue Spring Showcase put a bow on West Virginia's period of spring practice, and now, Rich Rodriguez and his coaching staff will have to make some tough decisions to trim the roster down to 105.

Shortly after the showcase, Rodriguez met with the media to discuss the event and his thoughts on spring ball as a whole.

Overall thoughts on spring and spring showcase 

“I thought the guys got better. Fundamentally we got better. Understanding the schemes, terminology - that’s all better. I was a little disappointed today in some of the penalties. Not very smart penalties at times. That hadn’t shown up too much. We’ll get that fixed. We got a couple weeks of meetings and still got time to get workouts in. Got some hard decisions to make, but it’s been a fun group to coach.”

Clay Ash getting the Tommy Nikolich award

“We talked to the coaches that were here before, and he did a great job last year on special teams, he had a good spring, so he kind of embodies what Tommy Nikolich was all about so he earned that.”

Thoughts on the quarterbacks

“I’ll probably judge that better watching film. I thought they ran pretty well. I think we need to get rid of the ball quicker. At times there were throws we missed. It’s a conscientious group. They want to be good. They’ve learned a lot in a short period of time and there’s more on their plate than anybody on the team. I think they’ve handled it pretty good, but there’s another whole step they can take. As a group, I really like their skill set and I like their commitment. I don’t worry about the competitiveness in that room.”

Emotional during the playing of Country Roads

“I told the players afterward, this is personal to me. This whole thing is. Played here, coached here. I think our guys understand that. There’s nothing better than a winning locker room and there’s nothing better than winning and playing Country Roads.”

Where the offensive line is at

“A little concerned with our depth. There’s a lot of youth there, but it’s all new guys. Five starters and three or four of the backups are all gone, so it’s starting all over again. They’ve worked really hard. We’re going to be alright, but I’ll be more comfortable when we have 8-10 that we can win with. I don’t think we’re there right now.”

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