Mountaineers Channelling Inner Confidence to Turn Season Around

With their backs against the wall, the Mountaineers now have two options for the rest of the season – sulk or focus on turning things around. And on Monday, the WVU coaches and players made it clear they are choosing the latter option.

Head coach Neal Brown, who has come under heavy scrutiny for both losses in big game sand his recent viral comments, reiterated a point he’s mentioned before about his current team – the 2024 Mountaineers are made up of high characters guys.

WVU offensive lineman Ja’Quay Hubbard expressed extreme confidence in his teammates while talking with the media on Monday. Hubbard was put out there as one of the most veteran team leaders and he never wavered his belief no matter what was asked.

“The mood right now is we gotta go get a win. Pretty simple. No one’s happy where we’re at right now, but a lot of positive vibes still in the locker room, We love each other,” said Hubbard.

WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose

“We work hard day in and day out 11 months throughout the year so if one opportunity doesn’t go our way, we’re not going to just tuck our tails. We love each other wya too much.”

Hubbard would also explain that this group, unlike WVU teams from early in his tenure, doesn’t have any “energy vampires” and everyone is focused on uplifting their teammate any way they can.

Linebacker Reid Carrico, who transferred from Ohio State to West Virginia ahead of the 2024 season, offered his own perspective as someone new to the program.

“Since I’ve been in college like you said, I’ve been apart of some tough losses. Don’t like to lose. I hate losing more than I like winning,” explained Carrico in his first formal press conference since becoming a Mountaineer.

Rewatching the WVU press conferences from Monday and I think WVU LB Reid Carrico had the best response of anyone when asked how a team gets over tough losses and gets things turned around.

"Since I've been in college like you said, I've been apart of some tough losses. Don't…

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) October 23, 2024

“But the only thing you can do is you gotta own it. You gotta own the loss and the mistakes that were made and then you gotta look ahead. If we go into Arizona and we are too focused or down in the dumps about we did against Kansas State, that’s gonna be a problem.”

Having people like Hubbard and Carrico around helps Brown trust that his players will keep believing, hoping their attitudes rub off on the rest.

“We’ve got good people. We’ve got good people. We’ve had some adversity through several years, man. And our kids won’t quit. Our staff is not gonna quit,” said a passionate Brown when asked why everyone within the WVU football program still trusts each other, even if the fans and those on the outside are no longer bought in.

“You go back to work. Played a really hard schedule and it is what it is. Bottom line is we’ve got a game this week and we’re gonna sell everything out to try to win this game and then we’re gonna take a break cause everyone needs one,” added Brown.

Up next for WVU as they look to turn their season around is a cross-country road trip to Arizona.

On Sunday, DraftKings set Arizona as a slim favorite in their opening line for the first meeting between the schools Big 12 foes. The line has since moved more towards Arizona s a 3-point favorite on most sports books.

And part of their reasoning may come down to the struggles of both teams. West Virginia will enter the game at 3-4 (2-2, Big 12) while Arizona also sits at 3-4 (1-3, Big 12).

On Sunday, the Big 12 announced that WVU’s next game against Arizona at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz., will be televised on FS1 at 7 pm ET.

For a related story, WVU head coach Neal Brown dismissed the idea of a quarterback change for any reason other than injury.