It was a disappointing outcome on Saturday for West Virginia in a highly-anticipated matchup with former Big 12 opponent and No. 11-ranked Iowa State.
The Mountaineers lost 28-16 to the Cyclones. The Mountaineers started strong but were unable to finish. The outcome is still fresh in WVU head coach Neal Brown’s mind as he looks to move his team forward this week against another ranked Big 12 opponent, Kansas State.
“I come in here and talk to you guys (the media) on Monday, and I’m over it, and kind of moved on; that’s not where I’m at really right now. Iowa State’s a really good team; credit them. They’re undefeated and top 10 in the country right now. They do a tremendous job but we just made too many mistakes,” Brown said.
Brown talked about how he thought his team beat themselves in a game that had very minimal room for error.
“In a game that has so few possessions, and so they had nine, we had eight, you just can’t do things to beat yourself, and you can’t have negative plays on offense, and we had way too many of them,” Brown said. “We played really poor, what I think poor complimentary football.”
He continued to reiterate the thought of complimentary football and how his team was unable to execute in certain opportunities, but he also mentioned that officiating was a slight factor in the outcome.
“Just not good enough complimentary football throughout. Which was disappointing because we had chances, we really did,” Brown said. “Multiple chances 14 to 10 and there’s some calls that didn’t go our way. And they had an effect on the game but they didn’t lose the game for us, but they had an effect. But the complimentary football that’s where we’ve got to get better and we’ve got to be a better team.”
The game came as a disappointment to Brown but to the fans who showed up and showed out in a night game at home, where WVU debuted their black uniforms and honored local coal miners in a themed game dubbed “Coal Rush.”
“Just a disappointment. That’s a game that we were right there and didn’t make enough plays to win,” Brown said.
When asked if he had any message to the fans, Brown answered what could be almost taken as satire but went on to say that the team needs them.
“I get that they want to win, but what I would say is did they have a good time? You know what I mean? Like did they enjoy it? It was a pretty good atmosphere. I’m assuming they probably had a pretty good time tailgating. So if they’re in the deal for enjoyment, then I would come back because I looked at the weather. It’s going to be nice again. It’s a night game,” Brown said. “We need them to provide a home-field advantage, we need them. I get they’re frustrated we didn’t win. We’ve played a tough schedule. Everybody that has beat us hasn’t lost, alright. But that’s no excuse that’s just the truth. And the games in our league are going to come down to the fourth quarter and I don’t think this one on Saturday is going to be any different. So, we need them to help us “
Brown reiterated that he understands the fans’ frustration due to the outcome but said that he believes the team’s “product” isn’t entirely bad. He believes in their team’s competitiveness and hopes they (the fans) come back.
All West Virginia can do this week is hope to bounce back against No. 17 Kansas State at home. The game kicks off at 7:30 EST and will be televised on FOX.
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