Neal Brown Previews LIU

The West Virginia Mountaineers take on the Long Island Sharks Saturday evening at 5:00 and streaming on ESPN+.

Long Island is coming off a 48-10 loss to Florida International. The sharks are entering their third season in Division I. The program moved from Division II to FCS status prior to the 2019 season. They finished their first year 0-10, but after the 2020 season was postponed until the spring, the Sharks captured their first win and went 2-2.

“Offensively, they’re multiple – similar to what Maryland was on Saturday,” said West Virginia head coach Neal Brown. “They’re going to give us a lot of misdirection screens. They got a couple of guys that are going to belong.”

Sharks junior quarterback Camden Orth was 15-30 for 197 yards and a touchdown in the season opener. Brown said Orth “managed the game really well.” It was his first game since the 2019 season finale and only his third career appearance.

The majority of the receiving yards went to Derick Eugene. He ended the day with a career-high seven receptions for 115 yards, highlighted by a 74-yard touchdown reception.

“He’s a really good player. I was impressed with him,” said Brown.

He also mentioned Penn State tight end transfer Owen Glascoe. In 10 games at LIU, he has 14 receptions for 162 yards.

“Defensively, they are a team that likes to pressure,” said Brown before noting they had “One of the top defensive ends in the FCS,” in sophomore Thomas Bolesta, who had 4.5 tackles for a loss, including 2.5 sacks in four games last season.

Tariq Snead snagged his third career interception against FIU. Brown commended him for his play, stating he’s “around the ball a lot in his career and a good player.”

This will be the first meeting between the two programs. West Virginia is 21-0 all-time versus FCS opponents.

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