The Charleston Gazette Wrote:QB coach strikes it rich
By Nick Scala
Staff writer
July 25, 2007

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Sports/...2007072423

BORN AND raised in Franklin in Pendleton County, with majestic mountains looming in every direction, Rod Smith grew up with an appreciation of his native state’s natural beauty and resources.

Having returned to the Mountain State after six seasons on the coaching staff at South Florida, including the past two as offensive coordinator, Smith — in his first season as West Virginia University’s quarterbacks coach — can’t help but marvel at what has become another abundant resource here.

“I don’t know of any college in the nation that has the depth at quarterback that we have right now,” Smith said Tuesday after a long day of WVU football staff meetings. “We have three guys who’ve been starters and winners in this system. I don’t know anyone in the country who has that same kind of luxury.”

By now you know the names of the quarterbacks working under Smith. Junior Patrick White is the incumbent, the team’s leader and MVP, the reigning Big East offensive player of the year. There’s backup Jarrett Brown, who accounted for 317 yards of offense, including the tying touchdown and the winning extra point, in his only start — an overtime win over Rutgers that knocked the once-beaten Scarlet Knights out of the BCS. And there’s Adam Bednarik, whose strong performance in the spring gave indications that he’s fully recovered from the shoulder injury that short-circuited his 2005 season, when Bednarik opened the year as the starter and had the ability and experience to keep the freshman White in a backup role.

That proven depth at quarterback, added to the sizable threat offered by All-American running back Steve Slaton, has put the Mountaineers in the national spotlight — and among the top 10 in every preseason poll.

Yes, as Smith discovered upon his return to the hills of West Virginia, there’s gold in them thar signal-callers.

“All three have started games for us, and won games for us, and not by default,” said Smith, who took the job held for the past seven years by Bill Stewart, who was promoted from QBs coach to associate head coach under Rich Rodriguez. “Pat’s the starter, but we consider Jarrett a starter as well, and we know what Adam’s capable of doing. Like I said, it’s a luxury.”

It’s now Smith’s job to make a great situation even greater. Make no mistake, though, he sees room for improvement — and evidence that improvement is underway.

“Any time you’re a quarterback and you’ve got another year under your belt, entrenched for another season, another semester, it makes you sharper mentally,” said Smith, a Division II All-American quarterback at Glenville State under Rodriguez in 1996. “From a mental standpoint they’re all further along than they were in the spring or last fall.”

Smith also sees physical improvements, particularly in White, the main man at QB. Smith’s assignment is to further polish the left-handed quarterback’s strong game, particularly those facets pertaining to throwing the football.

“With Pat, we’re tweaking his fundamentals and throwing mechanics while working on the mental development of his game,” Smith said. “He’s a year older, he understands the system more and more and he’s ready for that next step.

“Pat looks much better throwing the ball. I’m not sure where some people get the idea that he’s not a thrower, but Pat White can throw the football.”

Smith, 34, did a bit of throwing in his playing days. So much of it, in fact, that as a senior at Glenville State in 1996 he threw for what was then a West Virginia Conference-record of 341.7 yards per game.

“It was sandlot football — line up, spread ’em out and throw it all over the lot,” Smith said of the Glenville years. “It was a lot of fun.”

The architect of those good times, of course, was Rodriguez, whose interpretation of the spread offense was both revolutionary and successful, with an appearance in the 1993 NAIA national championship game to show for it.

The innovations Rodriguez brought to Glenville earned him coaching advancements to Tulane and Clemson as Tommy Bowden’s offensive coordinator, with the wide-open spread attack as the team’s bread and butter.

From his playing days at Glenville to accepting the keys to WVU’s quarterback engine, Smith has been joined at the hip with Rodriguez, with the spread offense as the driving force to their philosophy. Smith was twice a graduate assistant under Rodriguez, first at Clemson and then in Rodriguez’s first season as Don Nehlen’s successor at WVU in 2001.

But while the overt appearance of Rodriguez’s spread system — shotgun snap, no huddle, quickness at every position — has remained the same, the direction has changed significantly since the last time Smith and Rodriguez were on the same team. Where once the passing numbers were mind-boggling, now they’re working with an offense that runs the ball as well or better than any school in the country.

“If you told me 10 years ago that this system would be where it is now, I’d probably disagree with you,” Smith said. “But being in it, it all comes back to what kind of kids you have on your team. That determines which direction you tweak your system to.

“Everybody here would want to throw the ball more, but when you’re running successfully, why stop doing it? The reason we haven’t thrown the ball as much as people thought we might is because you do what your talent does best. Rich has a keen eye for that, that’s why he’s been so successful.”

If you hadn’t noticed, Smith is unabashed in his praise of Rodriguez.

“What we’re doing now is revolutionary,” he said. “It’s been tweaked and evolved from a passing attack into what it’s become, what we do now, which is running the football better than just about anyone.

“He’s done a great job of revolutionizing offensive football. Defenses evolve as well, but Rich has done a tremendous job of staying ahead of the curve.”

The curves in the road from Morgantown to his native Franklin, a 21/2-hour trek, are numerous for Smith. It’s in Franklin that he finds the other reason he left sunny Florida. It’s in Franklin where he finds his parents, his grandparents, his sister and his nieces and nephews.

“When I was in Florida for six years, I saw them maybe two times a year — if I was lucky,” Smith said. “Now it’s just a trip down the road.”

With the distance from his loved ones shortened, Smith concentrates on another road — the one that could lead to a national championship. With the high preseason ranking, loads of talent and, let’s face it, a favorable schedule, Smith isn’t afraid to voice his thoughts on that lofty goal.

“I know Mountaineer fans have high hopes for us, but I don’t think anyone has bigger expectations than the guys in this football program,” Smith said. “We expect to win the Big East, get to the BCS and win the national championship. Our kids think we’re gonna do it, and it’s what drives them.”

To contact staff writer Nick Scala, call (304) 348-7947 or send e-mail to nscala@wvgazette.com.

I wonder how many other schools would love to have one of WVU's backup QBs?

I can think of a few...