WVSports.com looks at the weekly press conference from West Virginia head coach Neal Brown and determines the five most interesting discussion topics.
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 2024 schedule.
Next up is a home night game against Kansas State.
1–One that got away. Brown made it clear that there is still lingering disappointment over the Mountaineers not being able to get it done against Iowa State. The head coach admitted that while he usually is over defeats by the time the Monday press conference rolls around that was not where he was at with this one. The Cyclones are a good football team, but West Virginia did too many things to beat themselves with negative plays and mistakes in all phases.
The Mountaineers didn’t play good complementary football on any side as the offense, defense or special teams were unable to feed off one another to give them a better chance to win. The bust on defense that allowed a 60-yard touchdown was a microcosm of that after the offense was unable to score points in the red zone and had a missed field goal.
West Virginia had plenty of chances in this game but was simply unable to get over the hump in critical situations which played a major role in the program now sitting at 3-3 six games into the year. It strings for the Mountaineers because they had chances to win and simply couldn’t get it done.
2–Injury updates. Brown provided an update on the injuries that are across the team. Right now, wide receiver Jaden Bray is definitely out due to a lower leg injury that he sustained at the end of the Oklahoma State game. He will be evaluated after this weekend to see when he will return.
Aubrey Burks is considered questionable after leaving the Iowa State game with another injury while the same can be said for defensive lineman TJ Jackson who didn’t practice Monday and has a unique lower body injury which will largely depend on how he feels throughout the week.
The final injured player that remains up in the air is TJ Crandall, who missed the Iowa State game as well with an injury and remains questionable for the Kansas State contest.
3–Snap issues. West Virginia center Brandon Yates was dealing with a hand injury in the week leading up to the Iowa State game and struggled at some times during the game. The Mountaineers offense was thrown off by the high snaps with 11 of them during the game and five of those critical plays. There were a few issues early in the week, not later in the week, but it was a detriment to the offense.
Landen Livingston came into the game late and played well, but Brown said that they have to get it fixed moving forward. Yates was having issues gripping the ball with how it was taped and if you look at the negative plays in the game the Mountaineers had four plays directly related to the snaps.
On the plus side, Yates has been doing better and he has played well up to this point and he will need to get things fixed in order for the offense to move forward.
4–Another quality opponent on deck. West Virginia let the chance to beat a ranked team for the first time since 2021 slip through their fingers against Iowa State but this week brings another opportunity against a Kansas State team that is cut from the same cloth. Again, West Virginia can't beat itself.
It will be another night game in Morgantown and the Wildcats are a tough, physical football team that is used to winning. Kansas State wants to run the football and present issues with how they shift and motion to get matchups. D.J. Giddens is the primary running back and is playing at a very high level with 786 yards and 2 touchdowns while also being used as a receiving threat.
The Wildcats top the league in the rushing department, but also have some fast wide receivers that they can move around to stretch the field and create splash plays down the field as well.
On defense, Kansas State uses a three-man front and is the best at stopping the run in the league while they also are able to hold up in man coverage on the outside.
In the Big 12, every week is a new week and the Mountaineers have to flip the page and move onto what is next against a talented Kansas State team that is another massive challenge. You have to make the necessary corrections and hold yourself accountable which is the focus.
5–No changes at quarterback. Brown was asked about the status of senior quarterback Garrett Greene and he dismissed the idea of making any sort of change at the position. The sixth-year head coach said that people are often enamored with the backup when things don’t go well and while West Virginia does have a very talented option in Nicco Marchiol who has proven himself during his time on the field there hasn’t been any reason to consider a change. Greene didn’t play well enough to win against Iowa State, but that alone is not a reason to hand the keys over to Marchiol.
Brown admitted that West Virginia could have certain packages for Marchiol moving forward but Greene hasn’t done enough to consider any sort of change. Greene is the starter period and has played well enough thus far, although he does have to make better decisions in the future. But Brown is excited for the future of Marchiol and what his development can mean to the offense in the future.
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