By Mickey Furfari
MORGANT0WN — Coach Bill Stewart sounded mostly pleased Sunday evening in giving the media a briefing on West Virginia University’s second day of preseason football practice at Mountaineer Field/Milan Puskar Stadium.
He said he was really impressed watching the defensive line perform as it did a nice job working on twists. He singled out Scooter Berry, Zac Cooper and Pat Liebig for praise. “It was fun watching those guys and others today,” he noted.
Stewart also liked what he saw out of the veteran linebackers, even though the Mountaineers still are in shorts and so-called shells.
“Mortty Ivy, J.T. Thomas, Reed Williams, Pat Lazear, Archie Sims and others were very, very good,” he said. “They are like boxers doing their drills. It’s very, very physical and they play downhill.”
He also thought the defensive secondary performed well, including cornerbacks Ellis Lankster and Kent Richardson. Safety Quinton Andrews came up with an eye-catching pass interception while the offense was threatening to score.
Offensively, Stewart thought the veteran line enjoyed “a tremendous day.” All-America tackle Ryan Stanchek, wearing a red jersey, again did not participate. He has been ill and insisted he could practice, but the head coach wanted him to rest.
Quarterback Patrick White connected to fullback/tight end Will Johnson for a big play and generally made good reads and was on target with his passes. Johnson is working with the first team, but Stewart said other candidates for the dual position also caught his eye.
Those included Tyler Rader, Thor Merrow, Sam Morrone and Max Anderson. “Will Johnson has a chance to be very, very good,” Stewart said.
While admittedly disappointed in the search for depth at running back behind Noel Devine, the Mountaineer mentor thought Terence Kerns stepped up a little bit more. He is a 6-foot-1, 239-pound freshman from Frederick, Md.
He was a standout at Hargrave Military Academy last year after transferring from Frederick’s Thomas Johnson High. He played in eight games as a senior, gaining 1,908 yards on 103 carries and scoring 30 touchdowns rushing.
Stewart thought wide receivers Tito Gonzales and Alric Arnett came up with some good plays. But it was Dorrell Jalloh, another pass-catcher, who pleased him most. “No. 21 had a big day,” he said.
Special teams also did some good things, including kicker/picker Pat McAfee and punter Scott Kozlowski, as well as the kick returners.
NOTES: Reporters and broadcasters were permitted to see the first hour of practice, just as they had been Saturday. … All practices are closed to the general public. … There are only three days in which WVU will be allowed to practice twice.
