8/28/2023 football Edit

Behind Enemy Lines: West Virginia Mountaineers Football Edition

Richie O'Leary • Happy Valley Insider

Publisher

With the 2023 Penn State Football season getting ready to kick off, here at Happy Valley Insider are bringing back one of our most popular features as each week will interview the Nittany Lions upcoming opponent's beat writer to learn more about each team ahead of the game.

With that being said, let's kickoff our first preview as Happy Valley Insider spoke with WVSports.com managing editor Keenan Cummings to learn more about the Mountaineers.

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What are some of the main storylines coming out of West Virginia this training camp? What are expectations going into the season?

Quite frankly if this West Virginia team is ready to take the next step and turn things around after several seasons of disappointing play. We're entering year five of the Neal Brown era and the Mountaineers are a combined 22-25 during that stretch with only two bowl appearances and one bowl win. This is a proud program and it didn't help matters from a perception standpoint that the Mountaineers were picked dead last in a 14-team Big 12 by the pre-season media poll that features four teams making the jump to power five football. This is a massive year for Brown and company and while this is going to be a major challenge in the season opener, there is confidence at least within the building that this team is going to surprise. The biggest storyline has revolved around who will play quarterback and while Neal Brown hasn't publicly announced it, the expectation is that it will go to Garrett Greene.

New OC this season in Chad Scott, what kind of offense does he run? Any playmakers to watch here?

Scott is going to play a role with play calling, but ultimately it will be Neal Brown himself that will be in control of those duties. Brown gave up the post last year but has taken those back for what I mentioned above as a pivotal year. The biggest difference this season is for the first time since Brown has been on the controls West Virginia has some mobile quarterbacks. There is an experienced offensive line and a group of talented running backs, but he mobility at quarterback could definitely open some new avenues. Expect West Virginia to run a variation of an air-raid offense with a focus on running the football and taking advantage of throws down the field. CJ Donaldson will lead the backfield and the converted tight end is a load given his size, speed and skill set. At wide receiver, Devin Carter and Cortez Braham should lead the way while Kole Taylor, a transfer from LSU, brings 6-foot-7 size and ball skills to the tight end spot.

What about the defensive side of the ball? Who are the stars on that side for the Mountaineers?

West Virginia has played solid defense under Brown with the exception of last season. The Mountaineers surrendered just 20.5 points per game in 2020 and 23.85 in 2021 but this past season the defense allowed 32.92 and really struggled across the board. The focus was to go out and find a good mix of athleticism, length, skill and experience in the secondary and rebuild the unit from the ground up. The good news is that everybody is now a year older and there is optimism for the Mountaineers to take a leap there. They're going to be challenged right out of the gate but with so much turnover it's hard to know how it will perform until they're thrown into the fire. There are a few players though that are proven with defensive end Sean Martin, linebacker Lee Kpogba and safety Aubrey Burks at the top of that list. Burks has been particularly impressive in fall camp as both a leader and generating turnovers.

What’s the feeling like among the West Virginia fanbase heading into this game?

There's excitement to renew a dormant regional matchup that a lot of fans have a history of growing up watching. But there is no doubt it is a tough draw to open on the road in a night game at Penn State. There aren't a lot of outside expectations for this football team so while it will be difficult, there isn't any pressure either. The Mountaineers almost come into this one with nothing to lose and could show some improvement by simply playing a clean football game and taking it deep into the contest.

Finish the following sentence, West Virginia will win this game if…..

West Virginia has to be able to run the football and control the run on the other side. The Mountaineers have the talent on the offensive line and the backfield to do the first, but the second one will be interesting for sure. Winning the turnover battle is a necessity as well and the Mountaineers have to avoid shooting themselves in the foot with penalties or issues with alignment or assignment.

Prediction for the game and why?

Being around the team I do believe this isn't a group that is going to finish last in the Big 12, but I don't think that is going to be enough to go on the road and beat a Penn State team that has Big 10 Championship aspirations at night. I think the Mountaineers can keep this one manageable if they avoid mistakes but in the end the Nittany Lions are likely too much given the circumstances. West Virginia will battle in this one and could surprise, but the end result is a two-touchdown win for Penn State.