West Virginia

Sunday Morning Thoughts: Neal Brown, Welcome Back to the Hot Seat

Published

2 hours ago

September 15, 2024

Sunday Morning Thoughts: Neal Brown, Welcome Back to the Hot Seat

In 2023, West Virginia head coach Neal Brown coached his way off of the hot seat with a nine-win campaign. It seemed as if the Mountaineers were finally turning the corner and the climb was actually happening. WVU brought back all but two players on the offensive side of the ball, including a dual-threat quarterback in Garrett Greene.

Three games into the 2024 season and all that momentum the program had captured last season is now gone. Every single ounce of it. Gone.

Losing to Penn State was expected. But losing in the fashion they did to the Nittany Lions is the issue. The bigger problem though is blowing a ten-point lead on the road against your bitter rival, Pitt. It’s the second time in three years this team has choked away a game in the Backyard Brawl.

So much went wrong in this game and I put a lot of blame on the coaching staff for it. So before we get deeper into the bigger picture, let’s discuss what transpired at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday night.

At the end of the first half, Neal Brown played with fire. He called timeout with 25 seconds left before kicking the game-tying field goal. Why? Why burn the timeout that early and give Pitt a chance to do something against this horrid secondary? I don’t want to hear either that it was 4th & 1 and they needed time to think about whether or not they wanted to go for it. No. That decision needs to be made on third down. Brown could have let that thing drain down to three seconds before stopping the clock which would have made the field goal the final play of the half.

To make matters worse, WVU then elects to do a pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff. Again, why? What is the thinking here? Boot the darn thing through the back of the end zone for crying out loud. The Panthers, believe it or not, received better field position on the pooch kick than if the ball were to have traveled out of bounds. You don’t give Pitt, who still had a timeout, 21 seconds to get into field goal range. That’s plenty of time to make something happen. And this whole kickoff dilemma is reaching ridiculousness if we’re being totally honest. Michael Hayes had a high touchback rate while at Georgia State and has not put the ball through the end zone very often as a Mountaineer. Did he forget how to do it? No. Brown was asked about this twice last week and both times stated that they’re trying to kick it through the end zone but they’re not executing. Really? Then why do kicks continue to go to the corner? If’ you’re not kicking a playable ball, then blast it through the uprights.

Offensively, WVU did what it wanted to for the most part. They had success through the air and on the ground but failed miserably when they needed it most. Pat Narduzzi, the players, the media, and everyone in that stadium knew exactly what WVU was going to do when they were trying to protect a 34-31 lead late in the game. Run up the middle, run up the middle, run up the middle. Again, WVU had success doing it all day but you can’t be predictable in that situation. Narduzzi loaded the box and Brown continued to just run Donaldson into a wall. For an offense that is so RPO-heavy, why do you not attach an RPO onto a play there? If the run is there, run. If it’s not, flip it out to the flat or to tight end Kole Taylor for a quick five-yard gain.

Last thing on the offense here. I understand the idea behind running CJ Donaldson wide because it sets up the bounce back later in the game. But why are the wide runs with a 240-pound back coming on got to have it situations or short-yardage situations? You need two yards and instead of getting downhill, they asked Donaldson to run six yards east/west to get two yards north. Make it make sense.

Defensively, it’s a mess. It’s nearing 2013 territory folks. Well, at least the pass defense is. Yes, it’s that bad and I’m not sure it can be fixed. I gave defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley and this unit a pass (pun intended) through the first two weeks because it was Penn State, it was an FCS team that they slightly overlooked, and it was a secondary mostly made up of transfers still trying to figure out how to play together. This was the barometer and they failed flat on their face. Every time Eli Holstein dropped back to pass, you could sense a big play coming. They have absolutely no answers schematically or personnel-wise to slow down the passing game.

How long does this go on?

Three losing seasons in the first four years, a nine-win season versus a light schedule, and a 1-2 start to year six. A horrible ending in Oklahoma in 2021, two blown Backyard Brawls, a Hail Mary in Houston, your gunner running into your punt returner to change the Oklahoma State game. Should I keep going?

At some point, patience is going to wear thin within the administration. They need results. One nine-win year isn’t enough to allow another disappointing season. As a matter of fact, the 2023 season means absolutely nothing if you don’t build on it, and with the schedule they have coming up, it seems like eight-plus wins are out of reach. Mediocrity should not be tolerated. Period. This program has not spent a single week in the AP Top 25 since Brown took over. Only five Mountaineers have been drafted during his tenure which is the same number of players drafted in Dana Holgorsen’s final year at WVU alone.

It’s time for results, Neal. It’s now or never and I’m pretty sure now just walked out the door. Blowing a 10-point lead with three minutes and some change against Pitt is a fireable offense. Completely destroying all momentum from 2023 is another. If this ship isn’t righted soon, a changing of the guard is needed.

West Virginia

Pitt, West Virginia fans react after 107th Backyard Brawl

Published

10 hours ago

September 15, 2024

Press Room

Pitt, West Virginia fans react after 107th Backyard Brawl

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pitt fans are enjoying their team’s thrilling comeback win over rival West Virginia in the 107th edition of the Backyard Brawl.

“Dude, that was one of the best wins I’ve seen in years,” said Pitt fan Eric Vorse as he left Acrisure. “This is the greatest day I’ve had in a long time.”

For a game with so much hype, the contest delivered.

“Unbelievable, back and forth, great game,” said Brian Lardin. “Awesome game, great win, Pitt, go Panthers.”

Of course, West Virginia fans were left with different emotions.

“Honestly, not surprised, disappointed, but that’s kind of life as a WVU fan,” said one Mountaineers fan.

Fans acknowledged there was some tension between rivaling fans, which nearly led to fights, but for the most part, cooler heads prevailed.

One West Virginia fan even said he became friends with several Pitt fans.

“Hey, West Virginia, great jobs, fans. Those fans are great, but I’ll tell you what, dude, hail to Pitt. Today is Pitt fans’ day,” Vorse said. “Today, Pitt is it.”

Source link

West Virginia

Pitt Starting Lineup vs. West Virginia

Published

18 hours ago

September 14, 2024

Press Room

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers revealed their starting lineup vs. the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Backyard Brawl at Acrisure Stadium.

Quarterback-Eli Holstein
Running Back-Desmond Reid
Wide Receiver-Kenny Johnson
Wide Receiver-Konata Mumpfield
Wide Receiver-Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr.
Wide Receiver-Censere “C.J.” Lee
Wide Receiver-Daejon Reynolds
Tight end-Gavin Bartholomew
Left Tackle-Branson Taylor
Left Guard-Ryan Jacoby
Center-Lyndon Cooper
Right Guard-BJ Williams
Right Tackle-Ryan Baer

Defensive End-Nate Matlack
Defensive Tackle-Nick James
Defensive Tackle-Isaiah “Ghost” Neal
Defensive End-Jimmy Scott
Star Linebacker-Kyle Louis
Mike Linebacker-Brandon George
Money Linebacker-Rasheem Biles
Safety-Donovan McMillon
Safety-Javon McIntyre
Cornerback-Ryland Gandy
Cornerback-Rashad Battle

Longsnapper-Nilay Upadhyayula
Placekicker-Ben Sauls
Punter-Caleb Junko
Holder-Cam Guess

Sixth year Ryan Jacoby comes back into the starting lineup at left guard after missing the last game against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Fellow sixth year Jason Collier Jr. filled in for him, after Jacoby suffered an injury late in the season opener on Aug. 31.

The Panthers also named five starting wide receivers in sophomore Kenny Johnson, senior Konata Mumpfield, redshirt junior Raphael “Poppi” Williams, junior Censere “C.J.” Lee and redshirt junior Daejon Reynolds.

Sophomore linebacker Rasheem Biles will get his first start of his young career. He starts at money linebacker over fellow sophomore Braylan Lovelace, who started the first two games for the Panthers.

Redshirt freshman Isaiah “Ghost” Neal will start again at defensive tackle along with redshirt sophomore and Indiana transfer Nick James for Pitt. Redshirt junior Nakhi Johnson started at defensive tackle last week vs. Cincinnati.

Pitt will keep redshirt freshman Eli Holstein stays in at starting quarterback for his first Backyard Brawl. He has thrown for three touchdowns each in the first two wins and completed 10-of-11 passes for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter against Cincinnati, leading to an historic comeback.

Junior running back Desmond Reid will also make his first start in the Backyard Brawl after starring for the Panthers the first two games of the season.

He rushed for 145 yards and a 46-yard touchdown, plus a 78-yard punt return for a score in the win over the Golden Flashes. He then had 19 carries for 148 yards and six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown vs. the Bearcats, becoming the first Panther to have more than 100 yards in rushing and receiving in a game.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt

Source link

West Virginia

How to watch West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh Backyard Brawl: Time, TV channel, FREE live streams

Published

1 day ago

September 14, 2024

Press Room

How to watch West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh Backyard Brawl: Time, TV channel, FREE live streams

The West Virginia Mountaineers and Pittsburgh Panthers play out the next chapter of the Backyard Brawl with Saturday afternoon kickoff in Pittsburgh. The game is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage on ESPN2 and streaming through FuboTV (free trial) and Sling (1st-month discount).

As of post time, this game is blacked out on DirecTV Stream in a dispute that impacts Disney, ABC and ESPN networks. Check the latest before subscribing.

How to watch on ESPN2: Live streams of the West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh game are available with offers from FuboTV (free trial) and SlingTV (low intro rate).
For a limited time, FuboTV is offering $30 off the first month after the free trial period. With a $30 offer, plans start at $49.99.
As of post time, the Pitt-West Virginia broadcast is blacked out on DirecTV Stream.
ABC and ESPN properties impacted by the blackout include ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Network and SEC Network.

West Virginia Mountaineers (1-1) at Pittsburgh Panthers (2-0)

NCAA football matchup at a glance

When: Saturday, Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pa.

TV channel: ESPN2

Live streams: FuboTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate)

West Virginia makes the short trip north to Pittsburgh as a 2-point favorite after opening as 5.5-point favorites in the initial betting line. That number has been driven down as the Mountaineers go into the Panthers’ house and try to upend a team that improved to 2-0 by overcoming a 21-point deficit with less than 16 minutes to play against Cincinnati. The Panthers won it on a 35-yard Ben Sauls field goal with 17 seconds remaining.

West Virginia got on the board with its first win of the season, defeating UAlbany 49-14 to rebound from a 34-12 loss to Penn State in Week 1. Quarterback Garrett Greene accounted for four touchdowns (one rushing), and running backs C.J. Donaldson (125 yards, TD) and Jahiem White (100 yards, TD) both hit the century mark in the win.

West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers: Know your live streaming options

FuboTV (free trial) – excellent viewer experience with huge library of live sports content; free trial lengths vary; monthly rate after free trial starts at $49.99 for duration of $30 first month discount.
SlingTV (low intro rate) – discounted first month is best if you’ve run out of free trials or you’re in the market for 1+ month of TV

The Mountaineers and Panthers are set for a 3:30 p.m. ET start on ESPN2. Live streams are available from FuboTV (free trial) and SlingTV (low intro rate).

Source link