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WVSPORTS.COM West Virginia head coach Neal Brown press conference summary

Keenan Cummings

Fact Based and Wonderful
Staff
Sep 16, 2007
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--James Gmiter's mother Kim suddenly passed away. Brown asks for prayers for his family.

--Brown felt his guys competed and fought. They played the game they way it's supposed to be played but they just didn't make enough plays at winning time. It was a big missed opportunity for them. Special teams Brown felt it was really good overall. Defensively the first half was bad but they gave them a chance to win in the second half. They pressured more and played a lot more man coverage and covered guys tighter. The first half can't happen, but the second half gave them a chance to win. Offensively they ran the ball well but didn't make enough plays at winning time. They missed a lot of shot plays on guys open down the field. Sam James played really well but they couldn't connect. The last drive was extremely disappointing. It wasn't the outcome they wanted, but he was proud of how they played.

--Ames is one of the toughest venues in the conference. It's one of the most passionate fan bases and they are right on top of you at Iowa State. Both teams come into this game needing a win. They are the top ranked defense in the conference and playing well against the run and the pass. A lot of new faces but the same product. Their defensive line starts things and they've had multitudes of quality defensive linemen. They rotate up to seven or eight and they are big and long. The linebacker play is really good and they are big guys. The secondary has a lot of new faces but they are playing the pass better than they did a year ago. Offensively they use a lot of 12-personnel and shifts and motions. They want to try to establish the run. Xavier Hutchinson is the most targeted wide receiver in the league and they get him the ball a lot. They are solid on special teams and it's a big challenge for them.

--Charles Woods held his own against Quentin Johnston. CJ Donaldson will not play, he is going miss the rest of the season and he will be out. Rashad Ajayi they hope he will practice tomorrow and is probable. James Gmiter will miss. Tony Mathis will be a later in the week decision. Davis Mallinger will miss this week. Spells will practice and probable. Mumu Bin-Wahad will practice today. Lance Dixon there is a chance but he is very doubtful.

--West Virginia has to be creative as coaches to create some carries in the backfield. Jaylen Anderson had a nice short yardage run. He had a dropped pass and in that situation in the fourth quarter he carried himself just fine and he will be better.

--Running back room is all they got so they have to create some carries. The screen game comes into effect. And have a role for Garrett Greene to continue to grow. They aren't going to call off a game if they run out of running backs.

--Garrett Greene deserves to play. He is still a quarterback but he is a good skill player and they have to find ways to get him on the field. He is a good athlete.

--For West Virginia on the close games, it comes down turnover margin and touchdowns in the red zone. Iowa State has won those type of games in the past but hasn't this year. West Virginia has lot quite a few close games and it comes down to those two factors.

--Confidence will help with the defense playing better. TCU was the top ranked offense in the league going into the game and the Mountaineers held them to without a touchdown until the final one in the second half. It's about figuring out with the pieces they've got to make them more successful.

--Iowa State has been in lower scoring games than anybody else in the league and West Virginia will look at some situational things. There are lower number of possessions and plays against them.

--Brown said they will change some things from a travel perspective. West Virginia hasn't started well the past two games. They are going to do some things as coaches early in the game to help the players out and try to start faster.

--Brown looks at the entire picture all the time. The only game that Brown has an issue with how they played was Texas Tech. West Virginia didn't play well at Texas, but they just didn't make plays. Mentally West Virginia wasn't ready to play at Texas Tech and the Mountaineers didn't play the game the way it should be played. The standard is the standard and you have to play the game in the correct manner. This will be a four quarter game that will be extremely physical and West Virginia has to make those winning plays that they didn't make.

--The thing that Ames does a good job with is their students are there and loud. Their fans always come and they are really into it.

--Iowa State's run fits are unique and they have all the answers. The defensive coordinator makes really good adjustments in the game.

--Against Texas Tech, you can feel it and you're worried about players not being engaged but they practiced well leading up to that game. The issue at Texas Tech was how the Mountaineers responded when they fell behind 17-0. Brown didn't sense that it was coming but if he did there are some things you can do to fix it.

--You never throw the white flag up but you try to fight. The second half against Texas was much better, the come back against Kansas.

--Having Charles Woods back helps with the secondary being more aggressive. West Virginia has several guys out but you have to play to their strengths. Woods allows them to do that and play some different coverage types. The Mountaineers are starting to blitz better and they hit home with some Saturday. West Virginia has won some one-on-one pass rushing situations.

--Markquan Rucker will travel this week. After Wednesday's practice West Virginia will finalize the travel roster based on who can practice Wednesday.
 
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