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 2023 schedule.
Next up is a home contest with Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl and Brown discussed that matchup as well as how his team is looking heading into the opener.
1—Backyard Brawl. The game against Pittsburgh is the biggest rivalry on the schedule for West Virginia and those in the building understand the importance of it. The 7:30 p.m. kickoff will be the first Saturday night true night game since 2016 and the atmosphere should be worthy of the 106th edition of this contest with a sold-out crowd in the stands.
This is a game that Brown wants to see played every year and while it is on the schedule for two more years and then a four-game series from 2029-32, it is the perfect non-conference rivalry game for the Mountaineers given the proximity and history between the two programs. Brown doesn’t believe he is going to have any problems having his team ready for this game and it’s a golden opportunity for his football team at home against their biggest rival and a chance to change the trajectory of the program.
It’s a chance to redeem themselves from not only last season’s heartbreaking loss against the Panthers but the other primetime game this season in the opener against Penn State. Heated rivalries are a big part of what makes college football fun, and you won’t find many with the history and big moments that the Brawl has brought over the years.
2—Injury updates. West Virginia has dealt with a number of injuries through the first two games of the season, some minor and others a little more serious. The good news is that the program is hopeful that transfer wide receiver EJ Horton is able to suit up which will give them some much-needed speed on the outside after missing the first two games. Devin Carter, who led the program in receiving against Penn State, also is expected to be back after sitting out against Duquesne after practicing.
Traylon Ray worked limited in practice Monday and Brown was hopeful that he would be back after missing the game against the Dukes while redshirt freshman defensive lineman Asani Redwood should be available for the first time this season after injuring himself in the off-season. The same can be said for Justin Johnson who could have likely gone this past week and should be back and safety Marcis Floyd who has yet to suit up this season due to injuries.
The Mountaineers are being more cautious with punter Oliver Straw who left the game against Duquesne with an injury to see how he progresses throughout the week. The one player that will definitely be out is cornerback Montre Miller and it seems as if that could be more of a prolonged absence as Brown has discussed with him his options and how he wants to proceed.
3—Jurkovec. The Pittsburgh quarterback has played his best football over his career with Frank Cignetti as his offensive coordinator and the two were reunited when he transferred into the Panthers program this off-season. Through two games, the sixth-year senior has thrown for 393 yards and 4 touchdowns while completing just 27-55 passes in the process. A local product from Pine-Richland, Jurkovec stands 6-foot-5, 235-pounds, and his size is something that immediately is noticeable. And while he does possess great size, Jurkovec can use his legs and isn’t going to just stand in the pocket. He has 41-yards rushing on the season and he moves well in the pocket as well as even being effective as a runner in read situations.
Jurkovec has a strong arm and is going to test West Virginia deep especially with the issues in the secondary and could create real issues when he breaks contain. He can run the football or is equipped with the arm talent whether it’s left or right to throw the football down the field.
Over his career, Jurkovec has won a lot of games and how the Mountaineers are able to defend him could go a long way toward success on the defensive side of the ball.
4—Secondary has to improve. West Virginia has struggled in the secondary when it comes to pass coverage and it boils down to a combination of eye violations and not getting hands on receivers to prevent them from getting a free run. For example, in zone drops players have been caught not looking at the quarterback when they should and if those problems persist then it’s only going to continue to get the defense exposed starting with this week against Pittsburgh.
Brown admitted that the Mountaineers schematically have been working on some changes since the Penn State game but didn’t show them against Duquesne given what was ahead. So, the plan is to practice those all week and put them into effect in the matchup with Pittsburgh.
After two games, there also are going to be some decisions made on playing time where people can see their snaps increase or decrease at various positions in the backend. Nobody is getting fired given the numbers, but Brown believes that the personnel is better than it has played to date and must improve.
5—Greene shows maturity. Out of all the quarterbacks that Brown has coached over his career, perhaps none have handled responding to catchable passes that aren’t hauled in that Garrett Greene. The Mountaineers had at least four legitimate drops against Duquesne but each time, Greene wasn’t phased and was able to respond and show trust in the pass catchers around him.
Each of those four throws were right on point and two should have led to touchdowns, but instead of showing frustration Greene was on the sideline talking to his pass catchers and planning to go right back to them. Brown even joked that his quarterback handled it better than himself.
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