MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — On a day West Virginia will honor its all-time winningest football coach, the Mountaineers hope to close the home portion of their 2023 schedule with a victory against Cincinnati that would assure them of a winning season and a 5-1 record for the year at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. contest with the Bearcats marks the Mountaineers’ earliest home kickoff of the season and can be seen on Big Now on ESPN+.
West Virginia (6-4, 4-3) will honor seniors in advance of its home finale before immortalizing former head coach Don Nehlen, who will have his name displayed beside the six retired numbers in program history at the Touchdown Terrace end.
“He’s been very supportive and that’s really all I can ask. I have a great deal of respect for him as a coach and a man,” fifth-year WVU head coach Neal Brown said. “He did it for a long time here and he did it the right way. I’m not necessarily connected all the time, but I feel like the longer he’s been away, the more appreciation our fan base has for him — as well they should.”
The Mountaineers hope to honor Nehlen with a win and are looking to bounce back from their worst showing this season in last Saturday’s 59-20 loss at Oklahoma.
“Last game wasn’t good enough. Everybody knows that. We have to be better and more consistent,” defensive lineman Jalen Thornton said.
That same day, the Bearcats (3-7, 1-6) snapped a seven-game losing streak with their first Big 12 Conference win in their inaugural season in the league by defeating fellow Big 12 newcomer Houston. 24-14.
“It should kind of grow into a rivalry as the closest proximity school in the Big 12 to us,” Brown said. “A good win on the road for them last week. That was the best they’ve played and they’ll have some confidence rolling in here.”
West Virginia’s offense sputtered a week ago fter scoring on its opening drive in a third straight game. The Mountaineers were forced into catchup mode for much of the matchup as a result of their defense’s inability to slow the Sooners, and WVU completed only 10-of-31 passes, including 10-of-27 from starting quarterback Garrett Greene.
Greene was plagued by several drops, but continues to struggle with consistency and has completed only 51 percent of his passes this season.
Greene has completed more than 60 percent of his passes in only one game — at Central Florida. Since then, WVU’s top signal-caller is 22 for 51.
“I’ve been going through and saying here’s what he’s really good at and we need to thin down what we’re doing from a pass game perspective,” Brown said. “We’ve already thinned down quite a bit, but we need to thin down even more. We need to get good on these plays Tuesday and Wednesday and try to give every look we possibly can to these pass plays. Garrett knows and he’ll be better, and we’ll give him a better chance on Saturday.”
Greene’s play will especially come into focus against UC, which ranks fifth in the conference among 14 teams in both rush and pass yards allowed while largely utilizing a three-man front.
On the back end, safety Deshawn Pace has been among the Big 12’s more productive defenders with 64 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, six quarterback hurries, one interception, six pass breakups and one forced and recovered fumble.
Linebacker Jack Dingle has 50 tackles, five TFLs, one sack and a pair of fumble recoveries.
The Mountaineers, seeking a better performance from their offensive line, figure to devote no shortage of attention to interior defensive lineman Dontay Corleone. The 6-foot-2, 318-pound Corleone is a key piece of the Bearcats’ quality run defense and enters with 35 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and three of the team’s 18 sacks.
“They have the best interior defensive lineman in our conference,” Brown said. “He’s special.”
After allowing 30-plus points in four straight Big 12 games, the Bearcats have surrendered a total of 42 over their last two outings.
Cincinnati has utilized two quarterbacks each of its last three games, though Emory Jones is the primary signal-caller in his first season with the Bearcats after playing at Florida and Arizona State. Jones has completed 168-of-271 passes for 1,949 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Brady Lichtenberg has completed 12-of-21 passes over the last three games while attempting at least five in each contest.
UC receivers Xzavier Henderson (48 receptions, 648 yards, 3 TDs) and Braden Smith (38 receptions, 538 yards, 4 TDs) have combined for more than half of the Bearcats’ receiving yardage and both players have compiled more receiving yards than any Mountaineers to this point.
Jones is also Cincinnati’s second-leading rusher with 455 yards and three TDs on 132 attempts. Tailback Corey Kiner is the focal point of the rushing attack with team bests of 885 yards and five touchdowns, while fellow running back Myles Montgomery averages 6.6 yards on 62 carries and has reached the end zone three times.
Cincinnati and West Virginia have both enjoyed substantial rushing advantages for much of the season. On average, the Bearcats gain 85 more yards than their opponents on the ground and the Mountaineers 66.
Something will have to give Saturday and how successful each defense is likely stems from an ability to limit the opposing team on the ground.
“I don’t think there’s a difference in what we’re doing schematically, but it’s having that every play mindset and playing with energy and tenacity,” Thornton said. “That’s what people do on good defenses. Not overcomplicate things and play with an edge.”
Like UC, WVU’s ground game has largely been predicated on the success of two tailbacks — CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White — along with a quarterback in Greene.
Donaldson has 755 yards and 10 touchdowns on 161 rushes. After suffering an injury at OU, the sophomore is considered a gametime decision Saturday.
White, a true freshman, has 59 carries for 455 yards and a pair of scores, while Greene has eight rushing touchdowns and 451 yards on 86 carries.
While the Bearcats are assured of a losing season and are no longer bowl eligible, last week’s result proved the pride the team is still playing with under first-year head coach Scott Satterfield.
Satterfield previously held the same title at Appalachian State and then Louisville. In his tenure with the Mountaineers, Satterfield was 2-1 against Brown’s teams at Troy.
“I know coach Satterfield very well. We had several matchups in the Sun Belt. A really good offensive mind,” Brown said. “He’s kept his core group of coaches together for a long time and they do a nice job. One of the first things when you turn the page to a new opponent is you look at the stats and they’re one of the top rushing teams in the conference. Defensively, they stop the run at a high rate. They’ve won three games and one league game and it’s kind of a weird makeup. They’ve been in almost all of their games and lost some close ones, but they did play their best against Houston the road. A team that we have a great deal of respect for.”