Neal's deal: Five key items from West Virginia football

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.

Next up is Virginia Tech and Brown discussed that matchup as well as how his team is looking heading into the renewal of the traditional rivalry.

1—This is a big game. It’s not as if Brown didn’t admit to it in the Long Island postgame press conference, but if there was any doubt the head man understands the importance of this game to the fanbase and the program at large. Brown has spent time this week educating himself on the significance of the rivalry between West Virginia and Virginia Tech that has largely laid dormant since the 2005 season outside a neutral site contest in 2017. As part of that he has fallen on the expertise of analyst Jeff Casteel, who served as the defensive coordinator for the program during the height of the rivalry.

It’s allowed Brown to understand the emotions associated with this matchup and add to the fact that the Hokies enter the game ranked and it’s a recipe for a massive home game. Brown isn’t just bringing himself up to speed on the series, he plans to do the same with the players and Casteel was scheduled to speak to them Tuesday in order to convey the significance of this matchup. It’s a game that means something to the fan base and Brown is well aware of that, which makes this contest huge.

Expect the atmosphere to be the best of the Brown era to this point and while the current players didn’t have a lot of context on the match up beforehand they certainly will by the time kickoff rolls around.

2—The Mountaineers have learned about themselves. Through two games, West Virginia has an idea of where they are and who they want to eventually be as a football team. This is easily a team that could be 2-0 if not for the turnovers that plagued them in the opener against Maryland, but after experiencing that it became rather obvious that you aren’t going to win games coughing the ball up four times.

On the offensive side, West Virginia has to continue to be more physical especially up front and that means demanding that out of the unit. There were times it was better against Long Island, but in order to run the football as effectively as this team wants to that is an area that must improve.

The Mountaineers cleaned up some of the communication issues that was a problem against Maryland, but the unit is still not playing as fundamentally sound as the coaches want it to. That includes situational awareness and being prepared from a technique standpoint.

Those will be the focuses this week as West Virginia understands that it must improve in these areas if this football team wants to take a step forward and win games like this Saturday.

3—Mixed bag for Greene. Perhaps the storyline after West Virginia demolished Long Island 66-0 was the play of redshirt freshman backup quarterback Garrett Greene. The Florida native rushed for 98 yards total and completed 4-7 passes for 57-yards showcasing his ability to use his feet. It was the type of debut that got people in the fanbase talking even though it was against an inferior opponent in the first taste of real college action for the dual threat option.

Well, Brown said that he would let the media know his thoughts after watching the tape and he did just that. The head coach referred to it as a “mixed bag,” as Greene handled himself well playing under control and with maturity while also showcasing good decisions in the read game. But he did miss some pre-snap reads and elected to run the ball instead of throwing it in the option looks.

Greene is equipped with good vision when he scrambles and while you don’t want to contain his biggest strength which is his ability to freelance and make plays, you also don’t want him to do that every time and he has to play within the structure of the offense.

It isn’t clear if the performance will warrant more moving forward, but Brown did say that there has to be an intentional plan if you do elect to play two quarterbacks. Still, the trouble arises when you look at practice repetitions and making sure that you’re keeping things as close as possible for the offensive line and wide receivers despite two very different types of signal callers.

4—Matthews emerging. Redshirt junior cornerback Jackie Matthews is quickly becoming one of the best players on the defensive side of the ball for West Virginia. Through two games he has been the best tackler and played with the most energy, something that Brown defined as having an edge.

Matthews has experience at the junior college level playing all across the secondary and has been lining up at cornerback and safety for the Mountaineers in the first two contests. His consistent play has earned him more time on the field and the coaches are working on ways to get him into the game more.

As long as Matthews continues to tackle well and defeat blocks on the perimeter at the clip he’s doing it they’re going to find a way to get him on the field. Brown simply referred to him as a difference maker inside when the Mountaineers go to a dime defensive look.

5—Burmeister a problem. Virginia Tech quarterback Braxton Burmeister is an athletic option at the quarterback position and on film is running away from people which stuck out to Brown and the coaching staff. He not only has good top end speed but has impressive arm strength as well with the ability to make throws to the field that you typically don’t see.

Burmeister’s ability to make things happen with his feet not only on designed plays but in scramble situations brings a different element for the West Virginia defense to defend. That’s especially true when the Hokies go to 12-personnel looks because there are different gaps to defend. The offense does a good job mixing things up and being deceptive and it’s going to be a challenge for West Virginia.

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