MORGANTOWN — It is by design, West Virginia University football coach Neal Brown said, that the Mountaineers spend little time dwelling on the previous game, win or lose.
Sundays are off-days where players watch film on their own. The team meets at 8 a.m. Monday, break off into position meetings right after that. At 9:35 a.m., the players and coaches go over corrections and at 9:50 a.m., the subject turns toward the next opponent.
“It’s just, hey, it’s next week,” Brown said. “This is the way I frame it all: it’s the Big 12, it’s a new week.”
A quick turn of the page could be best for the Mountaineers following an error-plagued 28-16 loss to Iowa State this past Saturday. Another nationally ranked foe, No. 17 Kansas State, comes to town for another nationally televised 7:30 p.m. game at Milan Puskar Stadium (Fox). In reviewing those mistakes against the Cyclones, players and coaches are confident that they’re quickly correctable.
“(Iowa State) was a really good football team,” defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said. “And the one coming in Saturday is a really good football team. You have to make those plays in critical areas of the field and in critical situations, and we didn’t. You have to look back and ask why, fix it and move on.
“No one is going to get better by dwelling,” he added. “You fix it and move on.”
No aspect of the team was free from mistakes against Iowa State. The offense dealt with off-target snaps from center Brandon Yates to quarterback Garrett Greene, along with two interceptions. The defense had two crushing pass interference penalties, allowed the Cyclones to convert 9 of 14 third downs and both fourth-down attempts and gave up a 17-play scoring drive.
On special teams, WVU (3-3, 2-1 Big 12) missed a 36-yard field goal, watched an onside kick go awry and left several kickoffs short.
“We didn’t execute to the fullest of our ability,” tight end Treylan Davis said. “Little, minor things turned into big things later on. And when you don’t do those minor things throughout the game, it results in what we did.”
Brown said the snap issues should improve this week. Yates dealt with a hand injury last week and Brown said the way his hand was taped affected how he gripped the ball.
“I think it’s better,” Brown said of Yates’ hand issues. “He snapped (Monday). He’s played well up until the snaps.”
Right tackle Nick Malone said many of the mistakes he saw watching film were small ones, ones that weren’t so daunting to overcome that the Mountaineers had to live with them. Malone said WVU didn’t have to live with any of them.”
“It’s one little thing, one little block, one little tweak that goes from a three-yard loss to a six-yard gain,” he said. “It’s one little micro thing that we can fix that’ll help us.”
The Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) are a group that can capitalize on mistakes, so the Mountaineers know they have to clean things up before KSU comes to town. There was no special message from the coaching staff to get that done, Malone said. There wasn’t a need. He said the players are ready to right the ship.
“I wouldn’t say there was a rallying cry,” Malone said. “It’s just getting to the point that you’re disappointed, but now we have to be more together than far apart, especially now at this crucial time, this stretch of games.”
Malone added that WVU’s chemistry should help that along.
“I’d say we’re a very close-knit group,” Malone said. “We’re all for one and one for all. I think we’re very close and that’ll be what helps us down the road.”
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Wide receiver Jaden Bray will be out again this Saturday, Brown said. He was injured at the end of WVU’s win over Oklahoma State and hasn’t played since. Brown said the coaches will re-evaluate Bray’s status after this week.
Defensive lineman T.J. Jackson, who was helped off the field against Iowa State with a lower leg injury, did not practice Monday, Brown said, but he was hopeful for Jackson’s availability Saturday.
“I think it’s going to be close,” Brown said.
Spear Aubrey Burks will be limited in practice this week, Brown said, calling his availability “questionable.”
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WVU fans will have to wait a little longer to find out when the Mountaineers’ Oct. 26 game at Arizona will kick off. The Big 12 announced Monday that ESPN and Fox will utilize a six-day window for a network and time slot for the Arizona contest, meaning those won’t be decided until the start of that game week.
— Story by Derek Redd
