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 the regular season finale on the road at Baylor after a dominating win over Cincinnati to move the overall record to 7-4, 5-3 in the Big 12.
1—The focus is football. With students on break for Thanksgiving it is one of the favorite weeks of the year for Brown when it comes to his football team. This will be a focus on football and the task that lies ahead for his football team with Baylor. Yes, the Bears are struggling at 3-8 but the Mountaineers are just 1-4 in Waco since joining the Big 12 Conference with that lone victory coming in 2017.
Brown said that with that lack of success, West Virginia will need to focus and keep things on the task at hand with limited distractions at play given the break. The Mountaineers will need to handle the travel, handle playing at night and all the other things that come with a road trip. Outside the Oklahoma game, West Virginia has played their best football down the stretch and the focus will be on improving throughout the week and attempting to get to eight wins and six overall in the conference.
There is a singular focus this week and that is simply finishing because West Virginia isn’t a good enough football team to look past anybody even with their success this year.
2—On the injury front. Both running back CJ Donaldson and offensive lineman Doug Nester did not practice Monday and aren’t expected to be out there on Tuesday either. The good news is that Brown does expect both to return to practice Wednesday and that means that they should be able to play this weekend at Baylor as long as they respond well in practice. Donaldson played just 11 snaps against Cincinnati which he turned into 5 carries for 20 yards and a touchdown on an injured ankle, while Nester only entered the game for the final kneel down at the end. So, obviously it would be quite a boost if the Mountaineers are able to get both back in the fold.
As for offensive lineman Brandon Yates, he left the game against Cincinnati and is currently in protocol so that remains to be seen if he will be available for the contest against the Bears. Brown is hopeful that he will return for the matchup, but it will depend on the next few days.
3—Dual threat. “History has proven this too here the most effective way to win is with a dual threat quarterback.” It was just a statement but a big one as to how Brown is building his offense and the quarterback room moving forward. It was something that Brown landed on last December when the Mountaineers elected to change their offensive identity and put Garrett Greene in as the starter. It’s been reflected in recruiting as well as both of the quarterbacks committed in the 2024 and 2025 cycles are options that can both effectively throw and run the football.
The thinking is that with a dual threat option you don’t have to be as perfect as you would when you are working with a traditional passing quarterback. For example, when playing a more talented team you don’t have to place as much focus on non-traditional things such as rub routes or different protections.
West Virginia is placing an emphasis on identifying and developing dual threat options moving forward and that is something that is certainly reassuring to hear for a large portion of the fan base.
4—As Greene improved, so did the offense. Brown has mentioned it before, but he felt that the offense was ready to take off in the Backyard Brawl before Garrett Greene went down with an ankle injury. But because of that injury, the Mountaineers were forced to go more conservative not because of a lack of faith in backup Nicco Marchiol but due to the fact that they had basically zero experience behind him.
That wasn't just in the pass game either, as the Mountaineers had to eliminate the risk in the read plays as well. But after missing the better part of two-games, Greene returned and proved that he was more than capable at the position.
That along with the coaching staff simply learning what Greene can and can't do as well as how he sees things has made the offense more explosive. The offensive line has blocked well throughout, but the play of the running backs also has improved on their path to the line of scrimmage and with breaking tackles.
But once Greene displayed an understanding of what the coaches were trying to do, West Virginia made the decision to try to win games because of him and rely on all the things he brings to the table with both his arms and his legs.
5—Zach Frazier just continues to perform. In arguably the toughest matchup of the week for any individual West Virginia player, senior center Zach Frazier delivered. Going against Dontay Corleone who is one of the premier interior linemen in the nation, Frazier graded out at 95-percent with 43-production points, 10 great blocks and two knockdowns in a game that no doubt is going to help his stock immensely when it comes to what lies ahead with the NFL Draft process.
While Frazier has yet to formally declare for the draft with a season remaining due to COVID-19, it is the expectation after accepting a Senior Bowl invite.
That effort earned him offensive lineman of the week for the Mountaineers. Frazier has put together a dominant career during his time with the Mountaineers and if this is his final regular season game this coming week he has certainly more than delivered.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @zachanderson_11
