Brown wants Mountaineers focused on here and now in place of bigger picture

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s desire to become bowl eligible won’t be decided one way or the other Saturday when the Mountaineers face Kansas State in a noon contest at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

However, a victory over the Wildcats would leave the Mountaineers with a far greater chance of finishing the regular season with the required six wins to play in a bowl game, while also leaving hope for a winning campaign.

A loss, on the other hand, leaves WVU 4-6 and in must-win mode for its last two contests against Texas and at Kansas to prolong its season beyond the November 27 matchup with the Jayhawks.

“I used to [think about it],” West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said. “Kind of got away from it. With this bunch we have right now, we’re week to week. I don’t have to talk to them about it. They know what it is. I want us to play up to our capability and want us to play football the way it’s supposed to be played in all three phases. If we do that, it takes care of itself.”

West Virginia has beaten K-State in five straight meetings, including twice under Brown. But the Wildcats (6-3) enter on a three-game win streak, and they’re already eligible for the postseason.

“They’re playing their best football of the year,” Brown said. “Three-game winning streak and it’s a credit to their staff. They went through a little downturn there where they lost three [straight] and they’ve been able to turn it around.”

The last time the Mountaineers played away from home, they put an end to a seven-game road losing streak that dated back to the 2019 season finale with a 29-17 win at TCU. The victory over the Horned Frogs came directly after WVU’s only open week of the season.

Now West Virginia’s task is to earn consecutive victories outside of Morgantown, which would leave it 3-4 in the Big 12 and help build momentum ahead of the November 20 home finale against the Longhorns.

“Each team is different,” Brown said. “As you go through the year, you kind of get a feel for what buttons to push and what not. That doesn’t mean you’re going to perfect, because you’re still dealing with 18-to-23-year-olds. But with this group, I know that we need to focus on the here and now. We can’t necessarily dwell on the past or the negative either, because that doesn’t do good.

“We have to be focused on what do we have to do against Kansas State to give us a chance to win on Saturday afternoon. That’s the main focus knowing that if we play the game the right way, then over these next three weeks, hopefully we end up eligible.”

While Brown is trying to ensure his team is squarely focused on the present, the importance of qualifying for a bowl is not lost on him.

West Virginia was unable to do that in Brown’s first season when it finished 5-7. A year ago, the Mountaineers concluded the regular season 5-4, which allowed for a 24-21 victory over Army in the Liberty Bowl.

“Would I like to be bowl eligible? Yes. You always start with that as your initial deal and kind of build everything off of that,” Brown said. “It’s a huge benefit. It’s a benefit for a number of reasons. You get extra practices, but most bowl games, you’re the only game that’s on. Go look at our TV rankings last year for the Army game. That’s huge exposure, not only for our football program, but our university. It matters. it definitely matters.”

Qualifying for a bowl game would also give WVU players in their final college season the opportunity to represent the Mountaineers one last time.

“We have three opportunities left,” said senior safety Sean Mahone. “The biggest thing is to not give up. I know this season is not where we wanted it to be, but keep playing hard and keep finishing.”





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