Energetic play teeters between energy and weak point for WVU’s Greene

MORGANTOWN — It doesn’t take that lengthy after tuning right into a WVU soccer sport to note the hearth that burns inside quarterback Garrett Greene.

Greene, the Mountaineers’ junior signal-caller, performs the sport like each snap is an important of the sport, if not his life.

“He’s a ball of power,” head coach Neal Brown mentioned Monday. “That’s his best energy, he does a very good job of being that power man on a regular basis.”

That urgency helps hold the Mountaineers’ offense shifting ahead, even when issues aren’t going their method. When WVU receivers dropped three passes early on Saturday in opposition to Duquesne — two would-be touchdowns and a primary down — Greene wasn’t affected.

“He dealt with it higher than I did,” Brown admitted. “He’s in all probability dealt with that nearly as good or higher than any quarterback I’ve ever had. … We had 4 legit drops within the sport but it surely didn’t section him one bit. Completely unsolicited, he’s over there speaking to the blokes who didn’t make the catches. He didn’t let it have an effect on him.”

Greene began the sport simply 2-of-7 passing however completed 10-of-18 with 240 yards and 4 touchdowns.

“The most important factor was simply me getting on web page with the wideouts,” Greene mentioned Saturday. “We had a few drops early, a few missed throws, but it surely all comes again to me. I’ve obtained to get the blokes going, I’ve obtained to get them began sooner.”

“He did an exceptional job of dealing with that,” offensive coordinator Chad Scott mentioned. “He didn’t sulk, he didn’t cling his head, he got here on the sideline and advised these guys, ‘We’ll get the subsequent one.’ I assumed that was an ideal response by him.”

Nonetheless, the power Greene performs with, his best energy in line with Brown, can be his largest weak point.

“That in all probability works in opposition to him just a little bit firstly of video games as a result of he’s so amped up,” Brown mentioned. “We’ve obtained to determine a method as a workers — all the pieces from our sports activities psychology folks to energy and sports activities science — to get him to settle down just a little bit the place he can execute just a little bit greater.”

Greene had a equally sluggish begin in WVU’s opener in opposition to Penn State, the place he began 5-of-11 passing and completed 16-of-27.

“When he will get actually excited, that ball comes out (of his hand) scorching and people balls are onerous to catch generally,” Brown mentioned. “He is aware of this and he’s acutely aware of it, but it surely hurts him just a little bit early within the sport. He’ll get higher at it — it’s simply dealing with these feelings.”

It impacts Greene’s capability to make the “layup” throws, as Brown calls them. Via two video games, Greene is 14-for-18 on passes inside 5 yards of the road of scrimmage. Brown thinks he needs to be good on such throws.

“I feel it’s not taking them with no consideration,” Greene mentioned. “A five-yard cross actually shouldn’t be too tough, however whenever you get lazy and your mechanics get out of whack, they will turn into tough throws. Actually, I feel it’s simply consideration to particulars and focus extra so than something.”

Greene has achieved an ideal job of settling into each video games this season. After the sluggish begins, Greene has accomplished 70.4% of his passes (19-of-27). With the ability to get him into that groove earlier on has turn into a spotlight for WVU’s coaches.

“One of the best ways to do it’s to get him concerned early, whether or not that’s a quarterback-called run play or him having the chance to scramble and get himself hit,” Scott mentioned. “We’ve obtained to discover a technique to get him a simple completion, a quarterback-called run simply to knock the jitters out of him.

“We’re going to wish him to have that very same power and hold that power.”

This might additionally simply be a byproduct of inexperience for Greene. Regardless of being in his fourth season with WVU, Greene might be making simply his fifth profession begin this Saturday in opposition to Pitt (7:30 p.m., ABC). As he logs increasingly more enjoying time, Greene would possibly be capable of higher handle his power early in video games.

“(Saturday) was actually the primary sport the place, off the bat, I felt snug within the pocket. Hopefully, I can proceed that for subsequent week,” Greene mentioned. “If we put together like we now have been, I feel we’re in for an excellent one on Saturday. Nevertheless it all comes all the way down to me getting the blokes going and getting the blokes began quick on offense.”

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