WVSPORTS.COM Neal Brown post-game quotes
- The Blue Lot
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Disappointed to say the least, didn’t see that coming we practiced well. The last two years against Oklahoma the combined score had been tied. That didn’t resemble anything, that football in all three phases, didn’t resemble anything that we’ve put on tape this year. Credit Oklahoma they beat us soundly, Brett had those guys ready to go after the two loses. Home crowd was into it and they played with a lot more energy and a lot more execution than we did. Offensively, Garrett really struggled after that first drive after the first and second quarter. Didn’t play like himself. They beat us up front especially during that first initial drive in the first, second quarter where the game got away from us a bit, they got after us up front and that’s really the first time that’s happened all year. I thought we got in on first down down at the goal line thought we got in on second down. Here we are we’re playing a national tv game and we don’t have a goal line camera. Not one single goal line shot if the ball got over or not which is amazing to me. I don’t think we win the game but it’s a hell of a lot more interesting. I feel strongly we got in on first down for sure, on second down we had a shot at it. We didn’t have any video of it.
Offensively we can’t beat any quality teams if our pass game is in the shape it was tonight. It was probably as bad of stats passing as I’ve ever been associated with. We had drops, we missed reads, we missed throws, we got hit more tonight than we have and our third down execution just wasn’t good enough. Defensively they pretty much did what they wanted to. If you look at it basically 10-14 on end of possession downs, we couldn’t get off the field. They exposed us in coverage. They took advantage of matchups, they went after some people tonight, we didn’t fit the run especially early. We didn’t fit the run very well and couldn’t get off the field. Disappointed, I can promise you this: that won’t be how we finish. Nine games we’ve played football at a pretty high level even games we lost, Penn State competitive one score game going into the fourth quarter, lose on a Hail Mary and in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma State and all of that we played pretty sound football. Looked like a well-coached unit and played and competed. I don’t want to get into it until I watch the tape, but we didn’t coach good enough, we didn’t execute good enough and that didn’t resemble anything that the 2023 mountaineers have been. To say that I’m disappointed would be an understatement at the least. Quite frankly I’m pissed and nearly embarrassed by what we put on tape tonight.
They spread us out and put us in one-on-one situations which credit to them they hadn’t done that as much now that’s in Lebby’s background and I know they’re giving him a hard time but he’s a hell of an offensive coach. Everywhere he’s been he’s been good on offense; their offensive stats are really good and they have a bunch of analysts that have been really good offensive coaches. What they did was spread us out and made it a one-on-one game. We didn’t do a good enough job putting our kids in position where we could get them some help. And they exposed us. They hit us with some runs, they blocked us pretty well up front and we missed tackles at the second and third level. In coverage the RPO’d us, got some guys in some run fits and exposed some guys in some one-on-one.
To win games like this you’ve got to make some tough plays. This game we really felt like was winnable. I know we were double digit underdogs and all of that, but really felt like we played our best football the past two weeks so that’s why I’m kind of blindsided by this. We practiced well. The kids prepared well, we went down and scored opening drive. Now we didn’t much get in their way on their opening drive, but they made a lot of really good plays, but they also made a lot of plays that were easy too. Quarterback was pretty clean; they had a bunch of catch and runs. Drake Stoops is a hell of a football player. This may be his biggest night receiving but he really is a hell of a football player. He’s one of those kids that you don’t appreciate when you’re going against him then you watch the tape and you think this kid is maximizing his talent, he’s a good player. He’ll go play in the NFL which is good for him. But we didn’t make enough competitive plays. They did and that’s why they kicked our tail.
That was disappointing. That was kind of the night in a nutshell. They muffed a punt; we did a good job recovering it. And then we had to kick a long field goal. The thing that irritates you and Garrett has played really well most of the year, tonight wasn’t his best. It was really decision making. I can deal with some errant throws, on that series in particular we had a couple good plays and sometimes when you see too much, he didn’t see it very good. He’ll learn from it and he’ll get better. I didn’t do a good job of putting our guys in position either. We had a lot of guys open in the pass game and we some drops, more drops than we’ve had probably all year when you go back and look at it. But we’re a lot better offensively than what we showed. A couple drives that one irritates me and the one where we didn’t get it in. Even with first and second down where I thought we scored, still should be able to score on third and fourth. We didn’t. Credit to them. That’s the first time we’ve been beaten up front all year and they got us.
We don’t carry a lot of defense right now and part of that is because we can’t handle a lot of defense. We have what we have. We didn’t play good enough defense tonight. We didn’t tackle, we didn’t tear off blocks, we weren’t very good in coverage. Don’t get me wrong there are things coaching wise in all three phases that we could have done better. We did not coach good enough tonight. Obviously didn’t have our kids prepared, we didn’t coach well enough. That starts with me and on the same token though I can promise you we’ll finish a hell of a lot better than we looked tonight because that hasn’t been the team we’ve been coaching all year.
Offensively we can’t beat any quality teams if our pass game is in the shape it was tonight. It was probably as bad of stats passing as I’ve ever been associated with. We had drops, we missed reads, we missed throws, we got hit more tonight than we have and our third down execution just wasn’t good enough. Defensively they pretty much did what they wanted to. If you look at it basically 10-14 on end of possession downs, we couldn’t get off the field. They exposed us in coverage. They took advantage of matchups, they went after some people tonight, we didn’t fit the run especially early. We didn’t fit the run very well and couldn’t get off the field. Disappointed, I can promise you this: that won’t be how we finish. Nine games we’ve played football at a pretty high level even games we lost, Penn State competitive one score game going into the fourth quarter, lose on a Hail Mary and in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma State and all of that we played pretty sound football. Looked like a well-coached unit and played and competed. I don’t want to get into it until I watch the tape, but we didn’t coach good enough, we didn’t execute good enough and that didn’t resemble anything that the 2023 mountaineers have been. To say that I’m disappointed would be an understatement at the least. Quite frankly I’m pissed and nearly embarrassed by what we put on tape tonight.
They spread us out and put us in one-on-one situations which credit to them they hadn’t done that as much now that’s in Lebby’s background and I know they’re giving him a hard time but he’s a hell of an offensive coach. Everywhere he’s been he’s been good on offense; their offensive stats are really good and they have a bunch of analysts that have been really good offensive coaches. What they did was spread us out and made it a one-on-one game. We didn’t do a good enough job putting our kids in position where we could get them some help. And they exposed us. They hit us with some runs, they blocked us pretty well up front and we missed tackles at the second and third level. In coverage the RPO’d us, got some guys in some run fits and exposed some guys in some one-on-one.
To win games like this you’ve got to make some tough plays. This game we really felt like was winnable. I know we were double digit underdogs and all of that, but really felt like we played our best football the past two weeks so that’s why I’m kind of blindsided by this. We practiced well. The kids prepared well, we went down and scored opening drive. Now we didn’t much get in their way on their opening drive, but they made a lot of really good plays, but they also made a lot of plays that were easy too. Quarterback was pretty clean; they had a bunch of catch and runs. Drake Stoops is a hell of a football player. This may be his biggest night receiving but he really is a hell of a football player. He’s one of those kids that you don’t appreciate when you’re going against him then you watch the tape and you think this kid is maximizing his talent, he’s a good player. He’ll go play in the NFL which is good for him. But we didn’t make enough competitive plays. They did and that’s why they kicked our tail.
That was disappointing. That was kind of the night in a nutshell. They muffed a punt; we did a good job recovering it. And then we had to kick a long field goal. The thing that irritates you and Garrett has played really well most of the year, tonight wasn’t his best. It was really decision making. I can deal with some errant throws, on that series in particular we had a couple good plays and sometimes when you see too much, he didn’t see it very good. He’ll learn from it and he’ll get better. I didn’t do a good job of putting our guys in position either. We had a lot of guys open in the pass game and we some drops, more drops than we’ve had probably all year when you go back and look at it. But we’re a lot better offensively than what we showed. A couple drives that one irritates me and the one where we didn’t get it in. Even with first and second down where I thought we scored, still should be able to score on third and fourth. We didn’t. Credit to them. That’s the first time we’ve been beaten up front all year and they got us.
We don’t carry a lot of defense right now and part of that is because we can’t handle a lot of defense. We have what we have. We didn’t play good enough defense tonight. We didn’t tackle, we didn’t tear off blocks, we weren’t very good in coverage. Don’t get me wrong there are things coaching wise in all three phases that we could have done better. We did not coach good enough tonight. Obviously didn’t have our kids prepared, we didn’t coach well enough. That starts with me and on the same token though I can promise you we’ll finish a hell of a lot better than we looked tonight because that hasn’t been the team we’ve been coaching all year.
