West Virginia football using the bye to get better
West Virginia has already played and won a football game, but from a conditioning standpoint the plan was always set to have the team hitting on full cylinders by the time Big 12 Conference play began.
The Mountaineers are fresh off a 56-10 win over Eastern Kentucky where head coach Neal Brown was able to play 65 different players on the roster. But now entering an early season bye week, the plan is to continue to practice as if it is fall camp to have the Mountaineers ready for a step up in competition.
“We really tried from a conditioning and physical, the way we practice, we tried to set the 26th up to our point where we’re ready football wise. Not talking to our kids about that but from a staff standpoint is conditioning and physicality in practice and trying to build up to the 26th,” he said.
The focus will be to mix between a normal bye week while also continuing a camp style practice session with a physical element of pitting the best players on each side against each other.
“We’ll practice at least four times this week and we’ll do a lot versus each other,” Brown said.
West Virginia will travel to Oklahoma State Sept. 26 for the first obvious challenge of the season for this team. The game is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN or ABC.
The Cowboys will play this weekend against Tulsa after the original contest was moved but Brown doesn’t believe that provides an advantage to either team. Yes, the Mountaineers already have a game under their belt and can prepare for Oklahoma State but the two teams squared off late in the year last season and not much has changed with either from a schematic standpoint.
That game was a 20-13 win by the Cowboys Nov. 23 in Morgantown and because of that the two teams should be plenty familiar with each other when they meet in Stillwater.
“Not an advantage or a disadvantage,” Brown said.
NOTES:
--On the injury front, starting right guard Mike Brown left the game against the Colonels limping off the field but Brown expects him to be fine as he was set to practice in full.
--West Virginia has several transfer players applying for waivers to be immediately eligible but Brown has yet to receive any word on any of those.
--Freshman Sean Martin did not play against Eastern Kentucky and that was due to contact tracing over COVID-19. Overall, the Mountaineers have two walk-ons that have tested positive for the virus.
--Freshman wide receiver Sam Brown earned the start against Eastern Kentucky and Brown said that was to prove a point. Starter Sam James missed time in practice and the decision was to reward the true freshman for being consistent.
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