Brown talks latest on West Virginia on weekly radio program
West Virginia head coach Neal Brown held his weekly radio show ahead of the matchup with Texas Tech and here are some of the highlights from what unfolded.
Kickoff is set for 3:32 p.m. Saturday and will be the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams. The Mountaineers have lost their last four meetings to the Red Raiders, all under Brown and will be looking to win three games in a row at home.
–West Virginia redshirt junior quarterback Garrett Greene practiced a little bit Wednesday and Thursday and has spent the week rehabbing. Brown did not rule him out and said that it will be a game-time decision on who starts against Texas Tech. If Greene can't go, redshirt freshman Nicco Marchiol would get the call after playing all but five snaps against Pittsburgh where he completed 6-9 passes for 60-yards and a touchdown. He has gotten all of the first-team reps this week.
--Texas Tech is the only team in the Big 12 they haven't beaten. It is the third home game in a row and they've pointed to that since the schedule came out. Defending the home turf is critical if you want to compete and this is the first chance at atonement. This is the first opportunity for them to go out and prove that they're better than 14th in the Big 12 like they were picked.
--All West Virginia had to do was put on the film from last year because they were embarrassed by the Red Raiders. It was a trash performance and they pushed them back all night on the offensive line and they ran the ball for 270-yards on offense. He sees zero chance that they won't be ready to go, but that alone won't be enough because Texas Tech is a good football team so they must play well.
--Tempo is big so you need to win on first down and the defensive line has to be prepared to play six or eight plays in a row and then sit for a long time.
–The Pittsburgh game wasn’t a thing of beauty, but it was a tough, physical football game which is what the Backyard Brawl has been. The players fed off the crowd because they were in it from the get go and it was the best atmosphere and environment since Brown has been here. The spirit squad put out 60,000 pom-poms Friday night in order for the fans to have them.
–Players could feel the importance of the game and knew that it was a big one and they needed to find a way to beat Pittsburgh. They got off to a slow start but was able to finish and that gives them something to go back to moving forward.
--CJ Donaldson will play and if you watch last week he ran the ball hard and physical.
--Davis Mallinger is still recovering from the knee injury last season but will remain at wide receiver for the future when he is healthy and back to 100-percent.
--Brown wouldn't conclude how they played in the second half against Pittsburgh is who they are going to be moving forward. The goal was to win the game and the best way was to hand the ball off and continue to stay ahead. That's not who they will be moving forward regardless who the quarterback is going to be. They are going to line up and run the football but also make sure people are accountable for the pass.
--You only get six home games and those are the biggest events in Morgantown so they need to make it difficult for Texas Tech. This is an important game.
--Traylon Ray is going to be a really good player and maybe as good of a high school receiver as Brown as recruited and Rodney Gallagher needs to get more involved.
--Tray Lathan is playing better and better and his confidence keeps improving. He is going to be a dude and West Virginia has a chance to be really good at linebacker in the future with who is currently on the roster.
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