West Virginia is closing in on their Big 12 opener this Sautrday against Kansas and head coach Neal Brown held his radio show on Thursday, giving multiple updates on the current state of his team.
Mindset Following Pitt Loss
Brown talked a lot about how his team is trying to bounce back after they led rival Pitt by 10 in the closing minutes before ultimately losing.
Brown said his group is not mourning the loss and it's something as a leader he has to be good handling so his players follow suit. Brown added that the veteran leadership on this team has helped move past the loss and move on to Kansas.
Brown said the most frustrating part about the loss to Pitt was how they had opportunities on both sides of the ball to close the game out and couldn't do so, citing a red zone drive that ended in a field goal on offense, then their second-to-last drive on offense as well. On defense, he mentioned how WVU played to end the game with them having multiple chances to get off the field and failing to do so.
New-Look Defense?
Changes seem imminent as far as WVU's defense goes, especially the secondary. Brown said there will be new guys starting and some slight schematic changes made as well.
"There will be some different guys that are starting on defense this week. We haven't played very well in the back end so I think when you don't play very well you have to make some changes," Brown said.
Brown added that you are who you are this time of year and it's not like they can completely change their identity on defense but will try to do some stuff differently this week to get positive results from that unit.
Preston Fox Injury
Brown said wide receiver Preston Fox is a game-time decision for Saturday and it's currently unclear if he will play.
Brown said Fox is 'beat up' overall and that if he can't go, Rodney Gallagher will return punts and also see a lot more snaps on offense.
Brown has confidence in Gallagher returning punts but said the only thing with him is the reps haven't been there because of Fox's ability to return punts.
Previewing Kansas
Brown and the Mountaineers open Big 12 play against an opponent who is in a familiar spot to them.
Kansas had a lot of preseason hype and they are 1-2, coming into Saturday off two straight losses. Brown praised KU QB Jalon Daniels who in 2022 came into Morgantown and played really well. Brown said he can run around and throw the ball deep down the field, two things his defense has struggled to stop through three games.
Brown also praised running back Devin Neal and said that Kansas offense is experienced and is really good. Brown was complimentary of Jayhawk head coach Lance Leipold saying he has a lot of respect for him.
Kickoff for Saturday is set for noon with the game to be televised on ESPN2.
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