WVU HC Neal Brown: ‘Not Good Enough’ Offense Clouds Win

CINCINNATI – A win is a win, but WVU head coach Neal Brown still left Cincinnati disappointed with one key aspect of his team. West Virginia beat the Bearcats on Saturday afternoon, 31-24, but the big number on the scoreboard was thanks to multiple defensive touchdowns, not an offensive showing to be proud of.

Even while being happy about holding on for the win, Neal Brown couldn’t ignore the noticeable struggles on the offensive side of the ball. A couple weeks after Nicco Marchiol performed admirably in Arizona, he was only able to total 174 yards against Cincinnati.

Marchiol completed 9-of-15 passes for 156 yards through the air and then added 18 yards on the ground. It also took until the final minutes of the first half for the WVU offense to find the end zone, granted that came after a pick-6 from earlier in the game.

Brown referred to the offensive play as “flat out not good enough” before labeling it one of their worst showings in years. But winning is the most important thing, something both Brown and Marchiol noted while crediting the defense.

“Any time you can get two turnovers and turn them into touchdowns. Really happy with our defense and our defensive staff, they won the game for us today,” said Brown.

Marchiol said “it starts with me” whenever asked about what went wrong on offense and thanked his brothers for having his back repeatedly after the game.

When asked what went wrong with the offense, WVU QB Nicco Marchiol said “it starts with me.”

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) November 9, 2024

Trying to put a positive spin on a rough performance, Brown voiced that winning a game in this manner makes him believe the Mountaineers can truly contend in the Big 12, especially when at their best.

“If we can play like that at all three levels, we can be one of the better teams in our league.”

For a related story, WVU fans were all over the place watching a not-so-comfortable win.