West Virginia is preparing to face No. 11 Iowa State this weekend and Cyclone head coach Matt Campbell spoke highly of the atmosphere his team will be walking into as well as the opposition in the Mountaineers.
Atmosphere
Two teams that are both 2-0 will kickoff at 8:00 p.m. from Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown. Campbell is expecting a raucous atmosphere as he understands the history of Mountaineer football.
"What West Virginia will be will be another level of excitement. They've got a phenomenal team, they've got one of the greatest fanbases in the country in terms of the pride they have for their Mountaineers, and obviously, a really special team they have going on too right now so they have a lot to be excited about," Campbell said.
Campbell added games like these are what make college football as fun as it is.
"Be a really great football environment, I think again, this is why you play college football, to play in games like this and play in moments like this and certainly play on a stage like this. It's great to have a little bit of equity in it, but again, we'll have to be our best on Saturday night if we want to be that's got the ability to compete and play and try to win football games on the road," Campbell said.
Breaking down WVU's offense and defense
Campbell went into detail about WVU on both sides of the ball and what s stands out to him. He said it starts on offense with Garrett Greene, continuing with how they run the ball.
"They're a really good football team and I think it all starts for them, they've got an elite quarterback. He's talented, he's tough, he's gritty. I think every game that he has played in since he's been the quarterback at West Virginia, they've had a chance to win. They have a really talented backfield, obviously, they're rushing the ball at a really high rate with great success on the offensive side of the football," Campbell said.
Defensively, Campbell pointed out how WVU is not an easy team to prepare for as they present multiple looks and they have stopped the run for the most part this seaosn.
"On defense, they're complex. They do a lot, they really challenge all your rules in terms of offensive football and they've done a great job of holding teams against the run and creating some turnovers along the way," Campbell said.
In an overview, he said the intensity the Mountaineers play with on special teams spreads over to other areas of their team.
"Then you look at special teams, they're tough. I think that's the thing I really appreciate about the opponent is man, there's a sense of toughness and pride in everything they do. I really just think they played great team football to be quite honest with you over the last couple of weeks and really have played that way all season. have chances to win every single game they've played," Campbell said.
Trying to Slow Down WVU's rushing attack
The one thing that has stood out to Campbell is how WVU has run the ball against almost every opponent they have faced this season.
He said it's a hard team to go against and that it will take his entire defense to stop.
"They present a real problem for everybody, and everybody they've played they have really challenged in terms of what they've been able to do. Anytime you're going to play a great rushing attack, it's going to take all 11 players on the defensive side of the football doing their job first and foremost, and anytime the quarterback's got the ability to run it. can put your defensive rules in conflict really fast and they do a great job of challenging that," Campbell said.
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