Neal Brown Believes This WVU Team Won’t Let Negativity Ruin Season

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A tough loss in a rivalry game can do wonders for ruining any good vibes around a team. But WVU head coach Neal Brown believes the 2024 Mountaineers will be able to tune out the negativity and avoid letting the season unravel out of control.

After starting his weekly press conference by reiterating that there are no excuses to blow a 10-point lead late in a game, Brown made a point to say his team now has to get over the pain and move on.

“We’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves. We’re not going to sit around and be miserable. There are people in this world with real problems and that’s not us,” explained Brown, who also said the players will follow his lead in terms of how he handles adversity.

Neal Brown Makes No Excuses for Pitt Loss: ‘You Should Never Lose When Up By 10’

Brown is aware it’s easier for him and the rest of the coaching staff to turn the page than it is for players, especially at their ages. Coaches are conditioned to turn the page win or lose after a game, but college players have classes and their personal lives to worry about. Brown is also not naive to the fact that it’s easier for a coach to just leave social media than it is for a player.

But he knows backlash and negativity comes with the territory of squandering a big game.

“When you lose a rivalry game, and one you were ahead in the final minutes, there’s going to be negativity.”

WVU HC Neal Brown: “When you lose a rivalry game, and one you were ahead in the final minutes, there’s going to be negativity.”

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) September 16, 2024

As far as what bothers him the most about his team’s 1-2 start, Brown said he’s most frustrated with the lack of consistency on defense, most notably in the secondary.

A couple players also pulled from their own personal experiences about why they aren’t close to giving up on the season yet.

Offensive lineman Brandon Yates, who is one of the Mountaineers’ most senior players and voiced his support for the defense, reflected back on how a WVU team of the recent past rebounded from a tough early season loss to Texas Tech.

Wide receiver Jaden Bray even compared WVU going 1-2 in non conference play to when his Oklahoma State team fell victim to a big upset loss to South Alabama last year and ended up making it all the way to the Big 12 Championship Game.

The tough task of facing a Kansas team in a very similar situation is something they all recognized won’t be easy. Trying to contain Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels only compounds the challenge even more.

West Virginia and Kansas are set to kickoff at noon on Saturday with the Mountaineers considered a slight favorite.

For a related story, WV Sports Now’s Mike Asti offered his takeaways from WVU’s loss to Pitt in the 2024 Backyard Brawl.