WVSports.com looks at the weekly press conference from West Virginia head coach Neal Brown and determines the five most interesting topics of discussion.
We examine what was said as well as what it means for the football team both this week and moving ahead as the Mountaineers navigate the 2021 schedule.
First up is the Maryland Terrapins Sept. 4 on the road and Brown discussed that matchup as well as how his team is looking heading into the opener.
1--Brown looks forward to the challenge of the road. West Virginia was 0-4 in true road games a season ago and it clearly left a bad taste in the head coach's mouth. Without being asked, the third-year head man acknowledged the struggles in that department last season and was admittedly excited for the challenge against a regional rival.
Maryland has had success recruiting and building up their program under head coach Mike Locksley but with three new coordinators for the Terrapins there will be plenty of unknowns heading into this matchup. Still, the opportunity to erase some of the demons that plagued this team a season ago is something that Brown welcomes as West Virginia attempts to take that next step forward on the climb for the program.
2--Some uncertainty on game day availability. While Tennessee defensive line transfer Darel Middleton will not be playing this weekend according to Brown there are still two key players that remain up in the air about whether they will be suiting up.
Starting tight end Mike O'Laughlin dealt with a foot issue throughout fall camp that kept him sidelined but he continued to progress during the availability that was given to the media for practice sessions. He was able to shed the boot during that time and the hope is that he will be able to play for the season opener, but Brown admitted that still has to work itself out this week. O'Laughlin is by far the most experienced tight end on the roster with 375 snaps last season compared to only 167 for T.J. Banks.
The good news is that Banks saw a lot of reps during the course of fall camp in the instance O'Laughlin wouldn't be able to play but not having his experience would hurt.
The second player that is up in the air is backup running back Tony Mathis. The redshirt sophomore was one of the standouts of the early stages of fall camp and made as much progress from where he was at last year as anybody on the roster. Mathis is a physical running back with speed and if he can't go that would hurt the overall depth behind starter Leddie Brown. Still, there is an exciting option there in true freshman Justin Johnson although it's unclear how much he would be able to take on in his first appearance at the collegiate level. The coaches have expressed optimism in his developmental and his progress all off-season so that might be put to the test early.
3--Young players take strides. Fall camp is in the rear view mirror and that means the separation between those players that will be counted on and those that will head to the developmental program has taken shape.
Out of the true freshmen on the roster on the offensive side Brown expects players such as wide receiver Kaden Prather, running back Justin Johnson and offensive tackle Wyatt Milum are all going to see the field while the defensive side is a little more open with Aubrey Burks the only true freshman in the two-deep.
That doesn't include some of the new transfers that will undoubtedly see the field such as linebackers Lance Dixon and Deshawn Stevens and cornerback Charles Woods, but as far as locked in true freshmen Burks is the only one listed. That isn't a bad thing at all to not have to depend on true freshmen, but that list should only continue to grow as the season develops and players rise up the depth chart and prove themselves.
Now, there will be several younger players rise to more prominent roles especially along the defensive line with Jordan Jefferson, Jalen Thornton and Sean Martin all making plenty of headway in the fall.
Another position where a young player has elevated themselves as at cornerback where redshirt freshman Daryl Porter earned the starting role over Jackie Matthews who battled an injury all of fall camp. Both are expected to play, but it just adds more quality depth to a spot that had plenty of questions coming into spring ball.
4--Kickers are in place. One of the more quiet position battles in fall camp was at place kicker between Casey Legg and incumbent Evan Staley. The latter was coming back from a severe knee injury sustained last season and was able to kick in fall camp which made the battle interesting but Legg outright won the post.
Legg was consistent throughout fall camp and has improved the flight of the ball by getting it higher and he remains grounded at all times. He was thrust into action two years ago and performed well, while at times last year struggled. The former soccer player had waited his turn and made the most of his opportunities and will line up against the Terrapins as the starter at that spot.
Staley will now serve as the starter on kickoffs while Tyler Sumpter will be the punter. Overall,
5--The Maryland secondary presents problems. While it's unsure exactly how the Maryland defense will attack with a new coordinator on that side of the ball, one thing that is for sure is that there is plenty of talent and experience in the secondary.
Tarheeb Still was a player that West Virginia recruited hard and he was a freshman all-American, while there are several other pieces that will make this a challenging start for the offense. The expectation is that this will be more of a man-look in the back end and couple that with the developing talent at other spots and it's easy to see why there is plenty of concern over what Maryland could throw at the Mountaineers.
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