MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Eleven down, two more to go.
Here are the biggest takeaways from WVU head coach Neal Brown’s media availability before the regular-season finale against Baylor in Waco:
All ball
West Virginia University shut down many of its operations over the weekend for Thanksgiving break. As a result, many students have left campus, excluding the fall sports teams.
The feel going into the final week of the regular season is a bit different than in weeks past.
“I tell our guys [that] if you want to be a pro, this is the week where you’re kind of in training,” Brown said. “There’s no class in session. It’s just kind of football. I guess the secondary piece would be food. It’s all football.”
The freshman trio
WVU’s first three plays from scrimmage against Cincinnati totaled 51 yards on three-straight first downs. All three of them were courtesy of true-freshman offensive skill players: Traylon Ray, Rodney Gallagher III and Jahiem White.
“All three [are] really good friends, which is coincidental, but they’re all good friends,” Brown said. “They all got high talent, and they’ve worked and bought in.”
White finished the game leading the team in rushing yards. Gallagher III’s three catches were tied for a team-high, and Ray’s reception was the longest non-touchdown play of the day for the Mountaineers.
Between these three players, significant depth along the offensive line, and a junior quarterback, WVU’s long-term foundation on offense looks to be stable.
Dual-threat quarterbacks
Junior quarterback Garrett Greene has had various instances of success this season both on the ground and through the air. To Brown, his dual-threat capabilities offer an extra dimension to the team’s offense.
“It gives you a chance,” he said. “You don’t have to be perfect. Sometimes if you have a passing quarterback and you’re playing someone that’s more talented than you, you got to be really perfect, or you got to do some things that are non-traditional.”
If anything, Greene’s performances have inspired Brown to look for athletes like Greene in recruiting.
“We are going to continue to stay with that,” he said.
