Published: March 30, 2008 10:40 pm      

WVU gridders get back to work

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia University football practice resumes Monday afternoon following a 12-day layoff for Easter and spring break.

With four days of work already behind them, the Mountaineers now will have 10 practice sessions spaced out non-stop. Those lead up to the annual Gold-Blue intrasquad game on Saturday, April 19, at Mountaineer Field/Milan Puskar Stadium.

Coach Bill Stewart and his assistants have studied tapes of the four earlier practices and plan to go over those with the players when they reassemble. Pending results of those sessions, Stewart said March 19 that he was pleased with the progress.  

At least two officiated, full-scale scrimmages are planned before the spring game.

While the defense outshone the offense in the first day of drills in full pads, veteran quarterback Patrick White thinks the ball-moving brigade is doing well in what he continues to call “a new offense” installed by coordinator Jeff Mullen.

“We’ve only worked in it four days, but it seems like we’ve been in it for a while,” the two-time Big East Offensive Player of the Year said before leaving for spring break. “There’s been a few mistakes here and there. But, for the most part, everybody knows what they’re doing and that’s pretty good.”

He noted that there is a lot of newly developed spirit generally among the players this spring. “I guess everybody can relax and play - coaches to coach and players to play,” he said.

White was limited in his last practice as a precautionary move. He strained a back muscle slightly, but didn’t think it was a muscle pull. Redshirt freshmen Bradley Starks and Charlie Russell have received a lot of work, with backup quarterback Jarrett Brown with the basketball squad when spring practice began.

“Those two young guys have gotten a lot of reps,” White acknowledged, “and they’re getting a lot better.” 

Two starters on the offensive line, center Mike Dent and left guard Greg Isdaner, are sitting out spring practice after offseason shoulder operations. Reserve linemen Derek Hayes and Jon Walko also are recovering from injuries.

“It’s tough on the new guys, but it gives others opportunities to improve,”  Dent said. “Even some of the second-and third-string guys have showed improvement over last fall. We’re going to have a lot of depth. They’re learning what to do.”   

Dent said Dave Johnson, the new offensive line coach, did a fine job in the four previous practice days.

“He’s kind of laid back a bit off the field. But when he’s on the field, you can tell he loves to be out there. And I think that rubs off on the players.”

Johnson is a former WVU tight end and offensive center who also served two years here as a graduate assistant. He returned in January after seven years at Georgia. He also has coached at Marshall, Indiana (Pa.) and Shippensburg.