WVU Using Bye Week to Heal Physically, Mentally Before Tough Stretch

After multiple players went down during West Virginia’s comeback win over Kansas last week, the bye week has arrived at a perfect time for the Mountaineers. Not only does WVU need the break to help get over the mental roller coaster of the first four games, especially the last two, but the team needs time away to heal.

In addition to enjoying the new life a 1-0 start to Big 12 play pumped into WVU, head coach Neal Brown was able to provide a positive update on one of his key players who left the Kansas game during his weekly press conference on Monday.

Brown said Aubrey Burks, who exited the game after collapsing on the sideline, is fine and in good spirits. Burks was even back with the team towards the end of the game after being airlifted to the hospital.

While he didn’t have anything on if Burks will miss any time, Brown also said that Burks’ test results were negative. But Burks was not the only WVU player to go down with an injury during the game.

Several members of both the offense and the defense went down with injuries throughout the first half of West Virginia’s Big 12 opener on Saturday. The players who were attended to include linebacker Josiah Trotter, offensive lineman Wyatt Milum, defensive backs Garnett Hollis and TJ Crandall, safety Anthony Wilson and Burks.

While Trotter would quickly re-enter the game, Hollis and Burks were both carted off the field. WV Sports Now was told Hollis suffered an ankle injury on Saturday.

WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose

The uncertain of Burks’ availability makes the bye week an opportunity for the Mountaineers to get as healthy as possible with a tough stretch of schedule coming up.

Brown also detailed his thoughts about the Big 12 as a whole and his approach to the bye week during a radio appearance.

“I think you make a mistake if you take the long-term approach,” said Brown when asked how he approaches the schedule on Sirius XM’s College Sports Today show.

“For me, it’s got to be week-to-week. And that’s the way we really approached it going into the Kansas week, and that’s going to be the way we approach it as we move through the season.”

WVU HC Neal Brown Details Approach to Schedule, Talks Depth of Big 12

Even though a game-to-game approach is common for most coaches, Brown doesn’t believe there’s any other option when competing in a league as deep as the current Big 12.

“Our league is so evenly matched. There’s going to be so many close football games. I don’t think you can look at it from an end-of-the-year perspective; it’s got to be the here and now. That’s the way we’re going to approach it.”

Coming off a 32-28 comeback win over Kansas, Brown’s team will enjoy their first bye week of the season before making the trip to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State on Sept. 28.

“This week we’re open and we needed it. We’re banged up a little. So, really, the focus is rest, recovery, and we’ll start a little bit of Oklahoma State. And as soon as Sunday hits, it’s all about Oklahoma State,” Brown said.

“Oklahoma State, it’s a tough trip. It’s one of the tougher venues to go play at in our league,” added Brown about West Virginia’s next matchup. “They’re loud, they’re right on top of you and they’ve got a really good football team. So, we’re going to have our hands full.”

The Neal Brown-led West Virginia Mountaineers and the Oklahoma State Cowboys are scheduled to kickoff at a 4 pm ET. The game will air nationally on ESPN2.

For a related story, WV Sports Now’s Mike Asti and Ethan Bock discussed WVU’s chances in the Big 12 on a recent episode of Mountaineer Report.