MORGANTOWN — Once his contract is finalized, new Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown will come to West Virginia with the reputation of an offensive guru, and understandably so.
He played for Hal Mumme, the coach who popularized the Air Raid offense at Kentucky in the late 1990s. His entire coaching career has been spent on the offensive side of the ball, including three years as coordinator at Texas Tech from 2010-’12. Yet the numbers show that Brown is not always the pass-happy, up-tempo coach that those credentials would suggest.
The numbers from Brown’s four-year tenure at Troy University show that the Trojans balanced the run and pass as well as their tempo. Perhaps more surprisingly, the Trojans ranked better in major multiple defensive categories than they did on offense throughout his three seasons following a 4-8 debut in 2015.
In 2018, Brown dramatically adjusted to his team’s offensive strengths rather than forcing his system to work as-is. The Trojans were balanced, but still pass-first team in Brown’s first three seasons before losing four-year starting quarterback Brandon Silvers. The Trojans ran the ball 56.5 percent of the time this season while adding 2:27 to their average time of possession.
Troy was a middle-of-the-road team in most offensive categories this season, but still finished 10-3 and 7-1 in Sun Belt Conference because of the strength of its defense.
The Trojans owned the line of scrimmage, finishing 11th nationally in both run defense (3.29 yards per carry) and sacks (3 per game). It’s hardly a blip. In 2017, Troy was fourth nationally in tackles for loss (8.62 per game). West Virginia was sixth in that category this season.
When teams moved the ball on Troy, it didn’t always make its way across the goal line. Troy was 22nd in the country in red zone defense this year, allowing points on 77.3 percent of opposing drives inside the 20.
No one was better than the Trojans in 2017, when they stonewalled opponents on nearly 40 percent of their red zone possessions. Opponents scored in the red zone just 61.4 percent of the time against Troy in 2017. TCU was the only other defense in the country to allow points on fewer than 70 percent of opposing red zone possessions.
West Virginia ranked 94th nationally in red zone defense in 2018, giving up points on 86.7 percent of such possessions. The Mountaineers were also abysmal in 2017, ranking No. 79 overall — though, to be fair, the offensive skill set raises up a few notches from the Sun Belt to the Big 12.
Brown’s defenses, coordinated by Vic Koenning, are consistently among the nation’s top teams in takeaways. This year the Trojans ranked third nationally, forcing 31 turnovers. They were ranked 16th and fourth in the previous two seasons.
Troy’s ability to get the ball back compensates for one of the few obvious flaws to Brown’s teams. His offenses have had a penchant for turning it over, never ranking better than 51st nationally in that category. Despite that fact, none of his Troy teams finished with a negative turnover margin.
Koenning, who has previously coached at Wyoming, is under consideration to replace Brown as Troy’s next head coach. However, his scheme is not all that different from what West Virginia runs under current defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.
The Trojans run a base 3-3 front with the 11th player either being a fourth linebacker, second edge rusher or fifth defensive back based on the situation. If Gibson stays on as defensive coordinator, the Mountaineers current scheme may only require minimal tweaks to fit what has worked for Brown.
Troy season stats under Neal Brown (national ranking)
2018
Offense
30.7 ppg (51st)
Rush YPC: 4.67 (47th)
Pass YPA: 7.5 (61st)
Run/Pass Ratio: 56.5/43.5
Snaps per game: 65.8
Turnovers: 21 (87th)
Sacks Allowed: 2.08 per game (57th)
Red Zone Scoring: 82.6 percent (76th)
Defense
22 ppg (28th)
Rush YPC: 3.29 (11th)
Pass YPA: 7.3 (65th)
Takeaways: 31 (3rd)
Sacks: 3 per game (11th)
Red Zone Scoring: 77.3 percent (22nd)
2017
Offense
31.5 ppg (43rd)
Rush YPP: 4.7 (42nd)
Pass YPA: 7.6 (45th)
Run/Pass Ratio: 47.1/52.9
Snaps per game: 66.8
Turnovers: 19 (62nd)
Sacks Allowed: 1.15 (13th)
Red Zone Scoring: 81.8 percent (86th)
Defense
18.5 ppg (11th)
Rush YPC: 2.87 (3rd)
Pass YPA: 6.9 (48th)
Takeaways: 26 (16th)
Sacks: 3.23 per game (7th)
Red Zone Scoring: 61.4 percent (1st)
2016
Offense
33.7 ppg (39th)
Rush YPC: 4.53 (59th)
Pass YPA: 6.9 (78th)
Run/Pass Ratio: 49.6/50.4
Snaps per game: 75.2
Turnovers: 20 (68th)
Sacks Allowed: 0.62 per game (1st)
Red Zone Scoring: 87.2 percent (37th)
Defense
22.1 ppg (22nd)
Rush YPC: 3.38 (13th)
Pass YPA: 6.6 (25th)
Takeaways: 30 (4th)
Sacks: 2.23 per game (53rd)
Red Zone Scoring: 80 percent (36th)
2015
Offense
27.9 ppg (70th)
Rush YPC: 3.75 (109th)
Pass YPA: 6.9 (76th)
Run/Pass Ratio: 47.7/52.3
Snaps per game: 66.6
Turnovers: 19 (51st)
Sacks Allowed: 1.5 per game (38th)
Red Zone Scoring: 86.5 percent (48th)
Defense
28.2 ppg (78th)
Rush YPC: 4.09 (49th)
Pass YPA: 7.2 (72nd)
Takeaways: 19 (74th)
Sacks: 2.42 per game (40th)
Red Zone Scoring: 82.2 percent (55th)
