Here’s what WVU’s head coach had to say ahead of matchup against Penn State football
West Virginia head coach Neal Brown spoke to the media Monday afternoon ahead of his team’s matchup against Penn State this Saturday night in Beaver Stadium.
Brown is leading his team on the road to begin the season after going 5-7 last year.
Here’s everything he had to say about Penn State ahead of the matchup.
On preparing for Drew Allar
“You go back and watch a bunch of high school. And then he played ... he played a lot of fourth quarters last year. And when he played, they let him play, it wasn’t just like he was handing off. And so you’ve got some video. He’s super talented. He’s a big kid. He’s more athletic than people give him credit for, he can run. He’s good at scrambling and making plays downfield — you saw that last year, you saw that in high school. He’s got a huge arm. He can make all the throws. Whoever starts is going to be making their first start ever. There’s some pressure that goes along with that. So we’ve got to make it tough on him. We’ve got to disguise some things, we’ve got to hive him some different looks, but he’s really talented.”
On preparing for the national stage
“It builds up as the week (goes). You try to apply as much pressure as possible. This is what it’s all about. ... Anytime you play on national television it’s an opportunity. And people talk all the time ‘Hey, what a challenge you’re starting with Penn State.’ Yeah it’s true, but it is what it is and it’s up to us to make the most of it. And so it’s a great opportunity. This is why you get in the profession, this is why you want to play big time football. It’s for opportunities like this.”
On Penn State’s six players who made Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List”
“I know (who) the six (players) are. The guys that stick out, when you watch (Chop) Robinson, (number) 44, who we saw in high school. He’s special. He’s going to be a first round pick. He’s got size, he’s got speed, he’s got athleticism. And then (Abdul) Carter, the linebacker, he’s wearing the same number as Micah Parsons. He’s getting all the comparisons, they’re gonna use him like Micah. And he’s a freak. I don’t know where he was on that list, but he deserves to be pretty high on that list. ... But yeah, they had six. I’m aware. They had the most of anybody.”
On offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s system at Penn State compared to previous schools he was at
“I think it’s very similar. When he was at Texas, his year he was at Texas, he had a lot of 12 personnel. They had a good group of tight ends there so he ran and played multiple tight ends. But the concepts, I think he’s transitioned, he’s doing some different things (run-pass option) wise at Penn State than he did there. I think that some of the run game has shifted a little bit. And (Penn State head coach) James (Franklin) is an offensive coach too. So I guarantee you he has some influence on what they’re doing. But they have answers. I always look at people that are good year in and year out, it’s always personnel driven, but they also have answers. And he has good personnel and he’s got answers.”
On Penn State running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen
“I think they play off each other great. I fully expect to see both of them on the field. The thing that really sticks out to me is, with Singleton, is you don’t see the speed and the strength combination. You see guys that are fast. You see guys that are big and strong. But you don’t see the combo. And his lower body is so strong. When he gets an open field, he has the ability to, he can break one tackle and it goes to the house. And that’s scary. And Allen is really talented. He’s versatile. They use him in a lot of different way. But they’re really good. And they’ve gotten a lot of press and they deserve it. They deserve it and it’s gonna be a challenge for our guys for sure.”
On the atmosphere
“It’s important. Especially in an opener. ... It’s gonna be loud and so we try our best. We locked them in the indoor today and shut all the doors and we made it as loud as possible. Is it as loud as it’s gonna be there? I don’t know. I’ve never been there. I’ve never played there. I’ve been to the stadium but I’ve never played a game there. But our guys are gonna be prepared for that, for as loud as we can possibly get it here. And that can’t be an excuse. That can’t be an excuse. But it is a challenge and it’s something that you’ve gotta work. It adds to it.”
