Morgantown, West Virginia – On a perfect, beautiful, sunny 80 degree day in Morgantown, the West Virginia Mountaineers competed in the annual Gold and Blue Spring Game in front of a sparse crowd.
The Gold team defeated the Blue team 22-21 in the full four quarter scrimmage game. Here are a few of the things that stood out during the game:
Offense
New offensive coordinator Graham Harrell is going to make a huge difference this season. His offense is clearly an upgrade to the “Vanilla Raid” offense that Neal Brown has run for the past three seasons.
There’s a real sense of urgency in moving the ball and scoring touchdowns, and although it’s a bit early to call Harrell’s offense “explosive”, it appeared to fit that bill.
Preston Fox
A redshirt sophomore wide receiver from Morgantown, West Virginia, Fox caught everything thrown his way. And apparently this isn’t something new. Brown has said multiple times that Fox just knows how to catch passes and if a ball is thrown his way, he will find a way to catch it.
Although West Virginia has several talented, experienced receivers, Brown must find a way to get Fox on the field and get the ball in his hands.
Fox had five receptions for a game-high 117 yards.
This catch by @P_fox21 😲 #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/kTKu7GC5iS
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) April 23, 2022
Quarterback Competition
It’s pretty clear that Will “Goose” Crowder was the best, most effective quarterback today. He was very accurate throwing the ball downfield and seems the most ready of the three young quarterbacks at this time.
Nicco Marchiol will certainly be very special, but needs a bit more time to develop and catch up to the speed of college football.
Garrett Greene looked the part, but struggled with his accuracy throughout the day. Having said that, he’s reportedly been the best of the three throughout spring practice.
Will Crowder: 14-24, 199 yards, 0 touchdowns
Nicco Marchiol: 10-19, 98 yards, 1 rushing touchdown
Garrett Greene: 5-10, 132 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interceptions
Poor crowd showing
It was an absolutely perfect day for football today in Morgantown and it was a bit disappointing to see so few fans in the stands. Although it’s just a scrimmage game, major programs typically have great attendance for their Spring games.
If West Virginia wants to win national championships and compete with the very best programs in the country, the fans need to support the football program on days like today.
