What Caused Poor Snaps for WVU Offense Early in Loss to Penn State?

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Early in West Virginia’s 34-12 season opening loss to Penn State, the WVU offense endured multiple poor naps. But even though West Virginia fans might be missing Zach Frazier, it wasn’t an issue with his replacement at center.

When asked about what led to the poor snaps, West Virginia head coach Neal Brown defended Brandon Yates by saying “it wasn’t the center.”

Brown then expressed his confusion on what actually took place. “Hell, Mike (Asti), if I knew, I’d have told you,” responded Brown to a direct question from WV Sports Now. 

"Hell, Mike, if I knew, I'd have told you" 😂

— George Gerbo (@Gerbo3) August 31, 2024

Echoing that sentiment, West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene, who was on the other end of the plays, said what Brown alluded to. He put the blame on himself. Greene explained that timing mistakes on his part led to the poor snaps.

The offensive line was using motion, as they practiced, but Greene and Yates were unable to connect properly early in the game.

The snaps seemed to embody what would continue throughout the rest of the day – WVU’s most veteran players not being good enough, especially against a quality opponent.

While Brown couched everything he said after the game with the fact he stills needs to watch the full game film, he stressed his disappointment with his veteran players most of all.

“We are a veteran group and my expectations for this group are extremely high.” Overall, Brown believes his players shouldn’t have felt any anxiety due to their preparation all week and he’s most upset about the lack of execution from such a veteran group. He said he did not see his veteran players not being ready for the game coming.

For a related story, WVU head coach Neal Brown went into detail about his disappointment with how his team played against Penn State.