WVSports – West Virginia offensive line looks to be a position of strength

One of the strengths of this West Virginia football team is expected to be the offensive line.

And it makes sense, considering the Mountaineers return almost the entire unit from a season ago with 3,500 snaps returning from last season alone on the projected starting five.

“I feel good about these guys and where they are from a snaps standpoint, from a mentality standpoint. We’ve got to keep pushing them. We’ve got to continue to get better but I feel good where we’re at right now,” offensive line coach Matt Moore said.

The biggest advantage that comes with experience is in the sense that the offensive line isn’t necessarily starting with a level 100-class and are operating from around a level 300 instead.

That is important because instead of identifying who is the MIKE, the focus is on things such as linebacker leverage, defensive line stances and having a heavy shade or light shade for example.

“That’s the benefit you can get more advanced in your schemes and your teaching,” Moore said.

The fifth-year offensive line coach believes he is in a much different spot than when he was when first came to Morgantown. That’s because he had to essentially build things up over time to put his group in the position to be considered one of the strengths of the roster.

It’s definitely a different place and Moore isn’t bashful about his thoughts on his group.

“My opinion is we’re as good as anybody in the country. I’d put them up against anybody. The mentality, the athleticism, the length, the size. Now we’ve got to go do it,” Moore said.

The three most experienced pieces are all West Virginia natives that understand the program and what it means to the people within its borders. Center Zach Frazier, guard Doug Nester and tackle Wyatt Milum are leaders for their position room and their backgrounds help to play a role in keeping them in Morgantown despite potential suitors lurking for their services.

“Really, really good players that love the state and love the people of this state and aren’t just looking to jump on the next bus or the highest bidder,” Moore said. “It’s nice to have those guys. They’re a tight knit group and they care for each other. You build that and you hold each other accountable.”

Still, each has got to show improvements as well. Nester has length and athleticism which makes him an interesting fit at various spots, but he is slated to play this season at right tackle. Milum has gotten much better with his hands and his striking in pass protection and the run game. He has good footwork, explosion and power in his lower half but must continue to work on the upper one.

As for Frazier, he has to start knocking people backwards and getting vertical movement off the ball while also handling one-on-one pass protection versus a nose guard by himself.

Tomas Rimac and Ja’Quay Hubbard are holding down the guard spots and each bring exciting elements of the table at their positions. A sixth man would be Brandon Yates, who has the versatility to play several different roles including center if he is needed.

Moore doesn’t shy away from calling his group a brotherhood that is going to play hard together and fight on the field but spend time together away from it as well.

“That’s what I’ve been working to build here over the last four years and last year we were above average and this year we have a chance to be great,” Moore said.

But with the extra attention that the offensive line is receiving come elevated expectations. That means movement and doing things the right way to win one-on-one battles. The coaching staff expects all five of them to win one-on-one battles, which is a long way from when Moore first arrived.

And things are going to be put to the test initially with West Virginia set to travel to Penn State against a very high-quality defense for the Nittany Lions.

“We’ve got answers we can move people around. For a while I played with four o-linemen several times, it’s definitely getting to where we want to be,” Moore said.