Week one is here for West Virginia and that means they are going to be welcomed with a trip to No. 7 Penn State.
“Game week, finally here. It’s what it’s all about,” West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said.
Brown showed Penn State head coach James Franklin respect from the start for what he has built at Penn State, noting his team this year might be the best one yet under Franklin.
“A ton of respect for Coach Franklin and what he did at Vanderbilt and carrying it now to Penn State,” Brown said.
PSU Offense
Brown gave a run down of both sides of the ball for the Nittany Lions, saying it starts up front and with a good run game.
“Really a strength of their group is at the offensive line. A lot of experience returning. Two tackles that will for sure be draft picks. One of them will maybe be the first tackle taken,” Brown said. “Their running back room’s special. There’s been a lot of ink put out on that and that’s true. They’re fast, they’re big, they’re strong, they have experience.”
Penn State is expected to deploy sophomore quarterback Drew Allar under center on Saturday. Brown said he has watched tape on Allar, and outside of his 6-foot-5 frame, he stands out due to the way he can throw the ball and how versatile he can be.
“He played a lot of fourth quarters last year and when he played, they let him play,” Brown said of Allar. “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 down field. He’s got a huge arm, he can make all the throws.”
PSU Defense
Penn State’s defense is under Manny Diaz as their defensive coordinator and Brown saw a lot of pro-level talent out of the Penn State defense.
“Defensively, I think Manny’s one of the top defensive coordinator’s in the country, his track record speaks for itself,” Brown said. “They’ll probably be the most talented group we play. I may be conservative but they probably got nine draft picks probably in their two-deep on defense.”
Rising to the occasion
It is no secret that this game will be loud, and have a great atmosphere for a college football game. Brown knows the opportunity ahead for his team and is not shying away from the moment.
“To me this is what it’s all about,” Brown said. “Anytime you play on national television, it’s an opportunity. People talk about all the time, what a challenge, you’re starting with Penn State. Yeah that’s true but it is what it is. It’s up to us to make the most of it. It’s a great opportunity. This is why you get in the profession, this is why you want to play big time football, for opportunities like this.”
