We have only beaten PSU three times since 1955 we have never competed against them. The era NB has to navigate is not the same that the previous coaches had to deal with. The gap between the have and have nots is only getting wider. The end of the RR era was the only time when Wvu consistently was thought of as a team that could compete with the halves, but the schedules were so much weaker than they were today.
In 2014 WVU opened against Alabama to a 33-23 loss in Atlanta. Alabama went on to a one loss regular season. They ended the year as the 1 seed in the playoff, but had a 7 point loss to eventual national champion Ohio State. Alabama was the top dawg at putting NFL talent in the league. WVU was coming off a 4-8 season in 2013.
WVU did that with Holgorsen. Yet with Brown we get boat raced at home, coming off the best season in Brown's tenure in 2023. And PSU is no 2014 Alabama.