West Virginia State's offseason head coaching change didn't cause too many changes on offense. New coach John Pennington moved over from offensive coordinator to the top job while continuing to call plays for the team.
On defense, however, things have been much different. New defensive coordinator George Shehl joined the program and switched the Yellow Jackets to a 3-3-5 defense to begin a rebuilding phase for that unit.
Despite some early bumps in the road, Pennington has been happy with the progress he's seen the defense make.
"One thing I'll say that I love about this group we have on defense is that they play with fire and they never stop believing in what we're doing here," Pennington said. "George has had a great impact on our program already and he's completely invested in every single one of these young men."
The Yellow Jackets allowed 47 points in a setback to Notre Dame on Saturday, but in the first two games of the year, against Charleston and UVa-Wise, WVSU allowed fewer than 35 points in consecutive games for the first time since the first two games of 2016. In the nine games in between, State averaged 42.2 points allowed.
Many of the strides made can be attributed to the way that some of the returning players have grown into leadership roles among the group. Players like Khave Konteh, Trent Williamson and Darius Goode stepped forward in the new system and done what they need to do to lead the team. Mix what they can do with newcomers like transfers Moises Valcarcel and Rob Branch in the secondary and redshirt freshman Kendell Robinson on the defensive line, and Pennington sees the foundation for a solid defense forming.
"We've done a good job of taking the talent we knew coming into the year that we had coming back and surrounding them with a good group of players who are talented and are high-character guys," Pennington said. "We don't have bad-character guys on our team, and that's something we've really pushed for and think will help us a lot down the road."
Players like Valcarcel and Branch, who have previous experience in college prior to arriving at West Virginia State, are especially valuable when it comes to shaping this new defense. They've been able to hit the ground running without suffering the growing pains of learning the college game. Valcarcel made 85 tackles last season for American River College, while Branch spent the last two seasons at James Madison, where the Dukes won a Football Championship Subdivision national title a year ago.
"We got lucky with those two guys, they've stepped right in and have done a nice job. Branch is rotating in and making plays, Moises is on our leadership council and has been a great presence in the locker room," Pennington said. "When you bring in games that have been in college, those guys are mature. They understand how to function in a college program and it's a big benefit."
Those new players have mixed in well with the established leaders on the roster, helping the team continue toward its ultimate goal of being the nation's most improved team by the end of the season.
"[Against Notre Dame] we were able to make a couple of stops in the fourth quarter that helped us have some chances to make it a one-possession game," Pennington said. "We've had some penalties, but that was because of great energy. We don't like that, but you never complain when a team comes out and plays with this kind of passion. Playing with passion helps you keep getting better every day."