--West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said that he was happy for the seniors to go out at home that way. Special teams was very good and Oliver Straw kicked the ball well. On defense the fast start was critical and it was the best they've covered outside the double move. They weren't perfect but were better and they tackled well. Got off the field on third downs. West Virginia controlled the game on offense, but the pass game was not good enough. They didn't trigger the ball as well but the receivers did a good job. Too many negative plays overall. Brown was pleased with how they finished the last five and a half minutes off the clock.
--Offensive lineman of the week was Ja'Quay Hubbard. Special teams were Michael Hayes and Preston Fox. Defensive player of the week was Sean Martin because he made a ton of plays and was dominant. Offensive player of the week was C.J. Donaldson. Blue collar award was Ty French on special teams and defense while Wyatt Milum was the pick on offense and they ran behind him all night. He has played at a high level all year. Hudson Clement played at a high level. Defensively it was Trey Lathan, Anthony Wilson and Fatorma Mulbah. Developmental guys on offense was Kahlil Wilkins, Jackson Biser on defense and special teams Donovan Grayson. The juice award was Chris Henry.
--One of the best weeks of the year and it's football all the time. Texas Tech has a really good football team and it's a tough place to go play but the guys are excited about making it. They play with a high tempo and the running back Tajh Brooks is a really good player. The quarterback Morton gets the ball out fast and they're big at wide receiver and tight end. They play with a lot of tempo. Defensively they force a lot of takeaways and have one of the best kickoff return teams in the country.
--West Virginia has to get lined to their tempo and do a nice job of getting lined up and the first play of drives are going to be critical downs for them. They have to be able to contain the run game and not allow them to be balanced.
--On offense, West Virginia has to take care of the ball and not get concerned with what they're doing on offense which it's about first downs and moving the chains. On special teams the field position deal is going to be very important and kickoff wise they are really good. They're going to return the ball regardless where they kick it so they need to get it down.
--It's a different animal this week with Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are one of the best passing offenses in the country. They matched routes better and played the ball better. The underneath coverage was better and had a coupe pass breakups but this week the ball gets out very fast and they're a huge vertical team. It's going to take everybody.
--Ayden Garnes out for the year. Aubrey Burks out for the year. Jaden Bray out for the year. Traylon Ray out for the year. All of those include the bowl game.
--It's a long trip for West Virginia and their home record has been really good and all of those things combined.
--Going back and watching their last two games, you see them doing vertical concepts and Brooks is the check down. He isn't forcing balls and is taking what the defense is giving him. He has been there and makes you pay when you drop in coverage.
--West Virginia didn't protect very well in the game. Some are run action pass plays but UCF was able to get up the field with their ends and caught them in a couple pressures. They have to do a better job in that and there's a few times that Garrett Greene has to trigger it when it's an opportunity to be a big play.
--Dom Collins has come on and he's the fastest guy on the team so they'll continue to use him.
--Hudson Clement has played at a consistent level since the Pitt game in route running, blocking and being a good football player. He's going to get faster off his break points as he continues to mature but he has really good body control and consistent hands. He wins against man coverage because of his strength but the next step is some burst. He is making progress toward being one of the top wide receivers in the league.
--Seven looks a lot better than six. They've talked about putting blinders on and the season is really long and you're here at the last leg of the regular season and need to be focused on what's at hand. Brown is happy for his team they get to experience the post season but some of those projections aren't accurate.
--Brown said this week regardless of where you're coaching at is an opportunity where you get to spend a lot of time with your players. They have less things going on and they're intentional about doing meals together. He enjoys that part of it. For Brown the three things Thanksgiving wise football has been a big part of that his entire life, family and food. In high school football Brown said anytime you had a chance to practice on Thanksgiving it was big because it meant you were in the state semifinals in Kentucky. Brown said he's usually with his mom on Thanksgiving and she does a squash casserole which is a favorite.
--Brown said his oldest child didn't come out to the game last week. He said the end of the game with his family was about him being happy for his seniors. It wasn't real emotions, but there is some relief when you win too. Brown was more happy for his seniors in the moment and was laughing at Garrett Greene taking his victory laps.
--You can try to practice the tempo that Texas Tech plays with but it's hard and they've started fast.
--Brown said they're going to play snaps on offense so you have to be conscious early in the game with rotating and getting more guys in the game especially in the first and second quarter.
--Brown said the teams that have been traditionally really good are still that way. A couple things with the parity more things like that occur later in the year and there is a lot going around with players such as decisions on the draft, portal, training, post season and NIL value. It's all creeped earlier and earlier and each of the individual players have to deal with it. It's a distraction and there is some inconsistent play because of that but where the dominant teams used to have all the depth now they don't. Guys that were once second or third team are going other places and it spreads out more. Travel is a factor too and it wears on you throughout the year.
--Brown doesn't study the other conferences to have a good feel for them but he feels the Big 12 has great depth and there are some good teams that have beaten up on themselves. They just need to win some games in the playoff. They're just trying to get to their sixth in the league.
--Brown said they have a chance to finish with a really good Big 12 road record and their players have handled it well. They are playing at 11 a.m. and it's an early kick so they need to be ready to go. They need to have a really good week of preparation, handle the trip well and perform in a unique environment. It's a challenge to go play on the road.
--Brown knows when the early signing date is and he has spent a bunch of time on the phone but he's trying to live what he preaches to his players. But the main focus is Saturday.
