Neal Brown asks WVU fans to help maximize benefits of new helmet communications
By Joseph Smith
West Virginia football head coach Neal Brown has a request for the Mountaineer fans who will be in attendance at Milan Puskar Stadium this Saturday as WVU opens its season against No. 8 Penn State.
“I want our fans to be as loud as possible when Penn State has the ball, and a little quieter when we have the ball,” Brown said on Monday when speaking to media.
Now, it’s not uncommon exactly for coaches and players to have this request of their fans, as raucous home crowds have always had a tendency to make on-field communication tougher and rattle nerves for both teams on the field. So when fans are conscious that quieting down for a few moments can actually benefit the home squad at times, it’s always welcome.
But this season it will be even more important for one particular reason -- the NCAA is for the first time allowing in-helmet communications to be used this season for all teams. The Mountaineers got to experiment with the system in last season’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl, and now it will be a tool available at all times.
Due to the in-helmet radio set becoming a vital part of the game plan for communication between coaches and players, particularly on offense, it’s more crucial now than ever that home fans be mindful of how their noise levels can affect their team. For West Virginia’s part, Brown noted that the noise level is something that the team prepares for when dealing with headset communication.
“You got to practice it -- it does get where it's difficult to hear, so you do have to practice it,” Brown said. “And then you have to have a plan B, where if you can’t hear, then you go to plan B.”
But Brown is hopeful the fans will cooperate and make the transition to the new communication method as easy as possible for the Mountaineers, and as difficult as possible for Penn State. Even if it means adjusting their volume levels as the game goes on.
Of course, there is still one time when WVU will have the ball that Brown wants the crowd as rowdy as can be.
“Until we score -- when we score, they can be loud,” Brown said.