WVSPORTS.COM West Virginia head coach Neal Brown press conference summary
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--West Virginia head coach Neal Brown says game week is finally here and it's what it's all about. Great venue.
--Brown has a ton of respect for James Franklin. They are multiple and can run the football against pretty much anybody and the strength is their offensive line. Two tackles that will be draft picks and one might be the first taken and the running back room is special as well as fast and big. Their center makes the whole thing go. Not sure who will they see at quarterback. Drew Allar played last year and he proved himself. They lost a lot of wide receivers but they are talented and they added a lot of speed. On defense, Manny Diaz is one of the most talented defensive groups they will play. They have nine draft picks on their defense and that's not him being conservative. They will play man coverage and mix a lot with zone pressures. Their defensive line is good and they are quick and can move. They have four guys that will play at safety and two returning starters, while the King kid at corner will be a first round pick. Replacing all of their specialists but they'll be good. It's about getting ready to go play in a tough venue. They started prep last week and got really focused and sharpened the game plan.
--Brown said if you look at it offensively the strength of the team is the offensive line and they have to win those battles in one-on-one situations. They've got to win there and break tackles because they can really run and get to it. Defensively they have to win in some coverage matchups. As talented as they are they have to be able to cover them and be able to tackle in one-on-one opportunities.
--Watch a bunch of high school to prepare for Drew Allar. He is talented, big kid that is more athletic than he gets credit for. He has a huge arm and whoever starts will be making their first start so they need to make it tough on him.
--Brown said no, they won't announce a starting quarterback publicly prior to the game.
--All the preparation is sped up because they have to go on the road and play in a loud venue. It's their first game and they have to be ready to go. They've pressed on the gas and tried to be super physical and they don't have the benefit of the doubt.
--Going to be first game mistakes on both sides and West Virginia needs to take advantage of those.
--You have to eliminate the errors and have belief to pull off an upset. You have to have belief in the plan and the people around you heading into it. You can't do things that get you beat whether that's turnovers, penalties and missed assignments. Then you have to make plays either on 50/50 balls or returns or plays on third or fourth down you have to make your fair share. You have to hang in there to put yourself in position to win in the fourth quarter.
--All of the transfers but one or two will be a real factor in the game. Several will get their first start with us. Beanie Bishop and Devin Carter it won't be too big for them.
--Anytime you play on national television it's an opportunity. It's a challenge but it's up to them to make the most of it. Each team is different but anytime you go and you're a double digit underdog and go against a highly ranked opponent there has to be some things go your way but you have to have a good football team. It's hard to stand on a soap box before you go play a game. He likes the group and they're going to play hard and do it the right way. He is looking forward to watching them.
--Everybody that you think might play they're going to play. That's as good of a view as he can on the depth chart and remaining position battles.
--Traylon Ray has been sick and out but it will depend on how he practices.
--Robinson 44 he's special he is going to be a first round pick, Carter the linebacker he is wearing the same number as Micah Parsons and he is a freak.
--Backgrounds are similar a lot of the same pass concepts are similar between West Virginia and Penn State's offense. They lost some receivers and a good tight end but they've been able to replace them. They have a lot of talent so it's not a question mark to them at wide receiver. Brown thinks they'll be able to give their defense a pretty good look.
--Brown thinks you can put your guys in as many situations as you possibly can but until you get in a game you just don't know for some people.
--Brown said there are a couple guys that are question marks with injuries as far as guys that won't be playing he doesn't have any starters that won't be playing.
--Brown said it needs to be across the board and mandate depth charts and mandate injury reports for the games. He would be in favor of that. But until everybody does it, it's not fair and balanced. That's the way it should be done. They're moving more and more toward a professional model.
--Singleton and Allen, the running backs for Penn State, play off each other great. Singleton you don't see the speed and the strength combination and his lower body is so strong and when he gets into the open field he can break one tackle and go to the house. Allen is really talented and versatile.
--Physical camp and West Virginia wide receivers are a group that's going to be challenged. The guys they need to make plays have been solid in camp and he's comfortable. They'll play six to eight.
--They've been as physical as they've been and tackled as much as they can. That's led to some friendly fire with backups getting dinged up but it's what they needed to do.
--Brown has a ton of respect for James Franklin. They are multiple and can run the football against pretty much anybody and the strength is their offensive line. Two tackles that will be draft picks and one might be the first taken and the running back room is special as well as fast and big. Their center makes the whole thing go. Not sure who will they see at quarterback. Drew Allar played last year and he proved himself. They lost a lot of wide receivers but they are talented and they added a lot of speed. On defense, Manny Diaz is one of the most talented defensive groups they will play. They have nine draft picks on their defense and that's not him being conservative. They will play man coverage and mix a lot with zone pressures. Their defensive line is good and they are quick and can move. They have four guys that will play at safety and two returning starters, while the King kid at corner will be a first round pick. Replacing all of their specialists but they'll be good. It's about getting ready to go play in a tough venue. They started prep last week and got really focused and sharpened the game plan.
--Brown said if you look at it offensively the strength of the team is the offensive line and they have to win those battles in one-on-one situations. They've got to win there and break tackles because they can really run and get to it. Defensively they have to win in some coverage matchups. As talented as they are they have to be able to cover them and be able to tackle in one-on-one opportunities.
--Watch a bunch of high school to prepare for Drew Allar. He is talented, big kid that is more athletic than he gets credit for. He has a huge arm and whoever starts will be making their first start so they need to make it tough on him.
--Brown said no, they won't announce a starting quarterback publicly prior to the game.
--All the preparation is sped up because they have to go on the road and play in a loud venue. It's their first game and they have to be ready to go. They've pressed on the gas and tried to be super physical and they don't have the benefit of the doubt.
--Going to be first game mistakes on both sides and West Virginia needs to take advantage of those.
--You have to eliminate the errors and have belief to pull off an upset. You have to have belief in the plan and the people around you heading into it. You can't do things that get you beat whether that's turnovers, penalties and missed assignments. Then you have to make plays either on 50/50 balls or returns or plays on third or fourth down you have to make your fair share. You have to hang in there to put yourself in position to win in the fourth quarter.
--All of the transfers but one or two will be a real factor in the game. Several will get their first start with us. Beanie Bishop and Devin Carter it won't be too big for them.
--Anytime you play on national television it's an opportunity. It's a challenge but it's up to them to make the most of it. Each team is different but anytime you go and you're a double digit underdog and go against a highly ranked opponent there has to be some things go your way but you have to have a good football team. It's hard to stand on a soap box before you go play a game. He likes the group and they're going to play hard and do it the right way. He is looking forward to watching them.
--Everybody that you think might play they're going to play. That's as good of a view as he can on the depth chart and remaining position battles.
--Traylon Ray has been sick and out but it will depend on how he practices.
--Robinson 44 he's special he is going to be a first round pick, Carter the linebacker he is wearing the same number as Micah Parsons and he is a freak.
--Backgrounds are similar a lot of the same pass concepts are similar between West Virginia and Penn State's offense. They lost some receivers and a good tight end but they've been able to replace them. They have a lot of talent so it's not a question mark to them at wide receiver. Brown thinks they'll be able to give their defense a pretty good look.
--Brown thinks you can put your guys in as many situations as you possibly can but until you get in a game you just don't know for some people.
--Brown said there are a couple guys that are question marks with injuries as far as guys that won't be playing he doesn't have any starters that won't be playing.
--Brown said it needs to be across the board and mandate depth charts and mandate injury reports for the games. He would be in favor of that. But until everybody does it, it's not fair and balanced. That's the way it should be done. They're moving more and more toward a professional model.
--Singleton and Allen, the running backs for Penn State, play off each other great. Singleton you don't see the speed and the strength combination and his lower body is so strong and when he gets into the open field he can break one tackle and go to the house. Allen is really talented and versatile.
--Physical camp and West Virginia wide receivers are a group that's going to be challenged. The guys they need to make plays have been solid in camp and he's comfortable. They'll play six to eight.
--They've been as physical as they've been and tackled as much as they can. That's led to some friendly fire with backups getting dinged up but it's what they needed to do.
