(Neal Brown pregame Zoom conference)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Coming off of a 36-point loss at Iowa State, which was Neal Brown’s second-most lopsided loss in his tenure as WVU’s head coach, the challenge doesn’t get any easier for West Virginia as No. 13 Oklahoma visits Milan Puskar Stadium Saturday at noon.
“Nobody feels sorry for us. There’s no time to have self-pity. We are going to bounce back and we are going to go play another top twelve team this week,” said WVU head coach Neal Brown.
“I don’t think what we put on tape is representative of who we are and how we want to finish the year. We have been focusing on responding and finishing in the right manner. It hasn’t been a deal with yelling and screaming. I don’t think its the proper time, that’s not where we are at as a football team.”
The Mountaineers were four days into their game prep for Oklahoma two weeks ago when their originally scheduled meeting was postponed due to COVID cases within the Sooner program. The Sooners defeated Baylor 27-14 on Saturday night in their only game since the postponement.
“It kind of helped to have a good road map for things we have seen,” said WVU offensive coordinator Gerad Parker. “We are able to put up those things as we game plan and compare them with what our eyes see now and take into account last week.”
After allowing 110 points in their first 3 Big 12 games, the Sooners have yielded just 78 in their 5-game win streak.
“We have a large amount of respect for who they are and how they play the game, especially on the defensive side of the football,” Parker said. “They fill holes quickly with great depth and it makes it a large issue for us to continue to find ways to find answers up front.”
“Defensively, they have made tremendous gains,” Brown said. “Their defensive line is playing at a really high level.”
Although the Sooners had a 60-game streak of scoring at least 28 points snapped Saturday night in Norman, Oklahoma still features the nation’s ninth-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 43.4 points per game.
“We will have to come back and show again that we can be sound in all phases, whether it be the run game or the pass game, these guys are going to tax you on both levels,” said WVU co-defensive coordinator Jahmile Addae. “And we are ready. We’ll be ready for the challenge.”
“They are really good at getting separation,” said WVU cornerback Nicktroy Fortune. “This week it is focusing on technique. There’s a lot of respect for them over there. They have been successful all season long. We just have to stay on top of our keys.”
Oklahoma is averaging 52.5 points per game in their last six contests against West Virginia, and the Sooners have topped the 50-point mark in each of the last four games against WVU.
“Last year we were struggling to find our identity,” said WVU linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo. “We were kind of just out there. This year, I feel that we have established an identity. We know exactly what we are capable of doing. We have seen the film. They have seen us. Best on best, at the end of the day that’s what it is. I feel like the confidence, especially on the defensive side that we have, is way better than we have had the last couple years, especially against them.”
Regardless of Saturday’s result against the Sooners, the Mountaineers are likely ticketed for a bowl game if they choose to participate. Brown believes his team would welcome the opportunity. He is hopeful players will be able to get a brief break to visit their families prior to the bowl game.
“We will always discuss those things with the players,” Brown said. “But as a staff and as a head coach, we would be excited about playing. I feel confident our guys would too. An opportunity to play in the postseason, that’s a reason you come to college.”