After falling to (8) Penn State in the season opener the Mountaineers will look to bounce back when they host the Albany Great Danes of the FCS on Saturday evening. With a trip to Pittsburgh for the Backyard Brawl on the horizon, West Virginia will have to clean up several aspects of their game this weekend.
Here are a few things to watch for on Saturday night
1. Clean it up!
West Virginia’s performance against Penn State last Saturday was certainly not their best. At times it had the feel of one of those games where if it could go wrong, it did go wrong. In his Monday press conference, Neal Brown went as far as to say, “I don’t know that we would have beaten a subpar team on Saturday.”
On the day, West Virginia lost two fumbles and threw an interception (in garbage time). Garrett Greene missed throws, his receivers dropped passes, and the defense blew some assignments. They were just 4 of 14 on 3rd-down conversions and missed out on several opportunities they had to keep the game close. With that being said, an expectation that the Mountaineers should have heading into their matchup with Albany is to play good, clean football. WVU needs to minimize mistakes and capitalize on opportunities to collect their first win of the season.
2. More action from a deep position group
West Virginia came into the season feeling really good about their wide receiver group, both in its depth and experience. While 8 players caught passes, there were no receiving touchdowns and Preston Fox led the Mountaineers with just 41 yards. While a lot of players rotated in to see the field, no receiver made a very big impact on the game.
Switching gears to play an Albany team from the FCS should allow WVU an opportunity to pass the ball more effectively. Look for Garrett Greene to spread the football around to a position group that they remain confident in.
In week 2 last season, it was the former walk-on, Hudson Clement exploding onto the scene with 5 receptions, 177 yards, and 3 touchdowns against Duquesne. Which wideout or wideouts can help jumpstart the Mountaineers this weekend as they look to find a groove offensively?
3. Get to know the transfers
While the 2024 version of the Mountaineers retain a good amount of talent from the previous season, there are several new players who figure to be key contributors this season. As a fan in week 1, you are just getting used to watching your team play for the first time in months and you sometimes miss the fact that there are so many new faces on the field.
With the Great Danes coming to Morgantown this weekend, here are some WVU transfers to keep an eye on.
Jaden Bray, Wide Receiver, #5
Bray, an Oklahoma State transfer saw the field on Saturday but did not record a catch.
Justin Robinson, Wide Receiver #3
Robinson, a Mississippi State transfer saw the field on Saturday but did not record a catch.
T.J. Jackson, Defensive Tackle, #11
Troy transfer, T.J. Jackson’s WVU career got off to a fast start with a fumble recovery in the early going against Penn State. On the day he had 1 solo tackle and 2 assists.
Ty French, Linebacker, #47
French, a Gardner-Webb transfer had one tackle against Penn State. French was a Four-time All-Big South Conference First-Team honoree.
Reid Carrico, Linebacker, #35
Carrico, an Ohio State transfer assisted on 4 tackles against the Nittany Lions.
Ayden Garnes, Cornerback, #0
Garnes had 1 solo tackle and assisted in 3 more. Garnes transferred from Duquesne.
Garnett Hollis Jr., Cornerback, #1
Hollis Jr. is a Northwestern transfer who had 3 solo tackles and 1 pass defended on Saturday.
Jaheem Joseph, Safety, #3
Joseph, a Northwestern transfer had 1 solo tackle and 3 assists on Saturday.
Kekoura Tarnue, Safety, #14
Jacksonville State transfer, Tarnue had 3 solo tackles on Saturday.
West Virginia (0-1) will host Albany (1-0) on Saturday, September 7th at 6PM ET on ESPN+.