West Virginia looking to make their mark in November
West Virginia head coach Neal Brown wasn’t in the mood for discussing what his team has accomplished following their most complete game of the season in a 37-7 win over BYU.
The win made the Mountaineers bowl eligible at 6-3, 4-2 in the Big 12 Conference but that wasn’t on his mind. Neither was the fact that the win made it mathematically impossible for this team to finish last in the league as they were selected in the pre-season.
No, the focus was on what comes next.
“We didn’t talk about it. We really didn’t. I didn’t even say anything about it in the locker room. Really to me it’s about the best teams play their best in November and that was the best we’ve played this year.” Brown said. “We have a four-game stretch in November that’s the way we’re attacking it. We’re 1-0.”
West Virginia will head to Oklahoma next weekend and then return home for a matchup against Cincinnati who is 2-7 overall before closing at Baylor who is currently 3-6 on the season. The Mountaineers at 4-2 in the league are still very much alive in the Big 12 race.
Texas and Oklahoma State sit atop the standings at 5-1 overall, but West Virginia is jumbled in with four other teams next in the pecking order including the next opponent Oklahoma.
“What I told them about results-bowl eligibility is we’re alive and well in the conference race and that’s what we’re talking about and obviously big game next week to continue to play our way in,” he said.
The Mountaineers rolled up 567 yards, the most against an FBS opponent since 2018, while the 30-point win was the biggest margin of victory against a power five team since Brown became the head coach. The 336 yards that West Virginia also rolled up on the ground was the most under Brown.
On offense, West Virginia has gotten healthier and been more aggressive. The offense is reading more in the run game and becoming more perimeter oriented.
The talking point has been to play meaningful football in the month of November and West Virginia is going to have that opportunity over the next several weeks. If they can take advantage of it.
“We’re on a quest to play our best. I felt like tonight was the most complete game we’ve played. We’ve played at a high level offensively in games, defensively in games and special teams but until tonight we haven’t played all three together,” Brown said.
The Mountaineers are hitting their stride at the right time, but the biggest challenge that could be remaining on the schedule awaits in Norman. It’s a team that has continued to show resiliency this season and overcome issues in a number of different areas.
A far cry from the projections to start the year although none of that matters if West Virginia can’t finish the season strong over the last three weeks of the season.
“Week in and week out we have to prove that’s not who we are. I think this team plays with a chip on their shoulder, they’re as resilient as any group I’ve been a part of,” Brown said. “We’ve had some really low points and they’ve been able to bounce back. The story on this season is far from written.”
Three games left to potentially leave a lasting mark for this team, if they can take it.
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