Skip to main content

Neal Brown and Staff Shaking Things Up

Morgantown, WV – West Virginia head coach Neal Brown addressed the media in his weekly presser Tuesday afternoon. You could tell from the outset that Brown was frustrated from his team’s past week performance stating, “I can handle losing, I don’t like it, but I can handle it. What I’m disappointed about in that game is a couple things. Our inability to do what we were coached to do and our lack of physicality.”

With the lack of productivity on offense, especially the run game that has only produced 64 yards on the season. They rank last in the country in yards per rush (1.14) and second to last in rushing yards per game (32.0). If you take away the loss yards on the three sacks, they’re up to 90 yards on the season.

Putting up a total of 27 points in two games is just another reason the competition has reopened.

“What we're going to do is, we're just going to give a bunch of guys opportunities on Tuesday and Wednesday and we're going to make those jobs competitive.,” said Brown. “We've got to figure out who the best five are upfront. Outside of Colton McKivitz I'm not real fired up about how any of them are playing. So, we're going to give some other guys some opportunities.”

Briason Mays, John Hughes, James Gmiter, those guys are going to get some opportunities up front, continued Brown. “At running back, we're going to go and give those other guys (an opportunity) - I think Sinkfield - I thought he ran ball the best of any of them played on Saturday. And then we get Leddie (Brown) back, who's a physical guy. That's one thing I don't have to worry about him is he is physical.”

“We're going to let the young wide receivers have a chance. Winston Wright and Ali Jennings, they'll play for the first time this week. And then on defense, Jordan Jefferson will be a guy that we're going to get more involved in what we're doing.”

As a freshman Leddie Brown showed his physicality last year, running downhill and barreling over defenders. It’s no surprise they’re anxious to get him onto the field after sitting the first two games out due to an ankle injury.

“I think he’s a tough guy,” stated Brown. “We lack some toughness right now. That’s one of the things, I think I talked about being disappointed with what we were on Saturday I think that Missouri was way more physical than us and so, he’s a tough guy I like that about him. He’s rusty. He hasn’t done much football in about four weeks, but he’s slowly getting back to it. Today will be his first full-speed practice reps.”

After Tuesday's practice, there was a little bit of shakeup to the depth chart. Freshman Winston Wright Jr is in starting in the place of Tevin Bush at the H. Briason Mays is at the top of the chart at center, although the “or” in front of Chase Behrndt’s name says the competition is still open and receiver Ali Jennings has made the two-deep at the X. Then there isn’t a clear-cut starter at running back.

Looking at the defensive side of the ball, Jordan Jefferson has moved in front of Brenon Thrift at nose tackle.

Offense

Position

Name

No.

Height

Weight

Class

GP

GS

QB

Austin Kendall
Jack Allison
Trey Lowe III

12
11
10

6-2
6-6
6-2

221
210
218

r-jr
r-jr
r-fr

1
7
1

1
1
0

RB

Kennedy McKoy
or Martell Petaway
or Leddie Brown
or Alec Sinkfield

6
32
4
20

6-0
5-9
5-11
5-9

204
205
212
188

sr
sr
so
r-so

39
29
11
6

13
4
0
1

FB

Logan Thimons
Jackson Knipper

42
43

6-0
6-2

231
245

r-jr
jr

17
0

0
0

WR (X)

Sean Ryan
Bryce Wheaton
or Ali Jennings

18
83
19

6-3
6-3
6-1

198
215
181

so
r-fr
fr

1
2
0

1
0
0

WR (H)

Winston Wright Jr
Tevin Bush

16
14

5-10
5-6

167
166

fr
jr

0
21

0
0

Slot

TJ Simmons
Randy Fields Jr
or Isaiah Isdale

1
86
88

6-2
6-1
6-0

199
196
201

r-jr
r-fr
r-so

13
1
1

7
0
0

WR (Z)

Sam James
George Campbell

13
15

6-0
6-4

182
183

r-fr
r-sr

5
1

1
1

TE (Y)

Jovani Haskins
Mike O'Laughlin
TJ Banks

84
87
85

6-4
6-5
6-5

245
250
253

r-jr
r-fr
r-fr

13
1
0

0
0
0

LT

Colton McKivitz
Junior Uzebu

53
71

6-7
6-5

312
302

r-sr
r-fr

39
0

36
0

LG

Michael Brown
James Gmiter

57
74

6-3
6-3

345
300

r-jr
r-fr

5
1

1
0

C

Briason Mays
or Chase Behrndt
Adam Stilley

68
76
66

6-3
6-4
6-0

300
305
291

r-fr
r-jr
r-so

0
15
0

0
5
0

RG

Josh Sills
John Hughes
Briason Mays

73
79
68

6-6
6-5
6-3

326
298
300

r-jr
so
r-fr

27
1
0

24
0
0

RT

Kelby Wickline
Tyler Thurmond

72
70

6-4
6-5

308
298

r-sr
r-so

26
3

4
0

Defense

Position

Name

No.

Height

Weight

Class

GP

GS

DT

Reese Donahue
Dante Stills
Stone Wolfley

46
55
6-4

6-4
6-3
6-4

285
295
255

sr
so
r-sr

38
13
27

25
0
0

NT

Darius Stills
Brenon Thrift
or Jordan Jefferson

56
90
95

6-1
6-1
6-2

292
290
295

jr
r-sr
fr

22
6
1

1
0
0

DE

Jeffery Pooler Jr
Reuben Jones

13
91

6-2
6-4

255
250

r-jr
r-sr

17
1

1
0

Bandit

Quondarius Qualls
Zach Sandwisch

33
31

6-1
6-2

240
231

r-sr
r-jr

14
13

1
1

WLB

Josh Chandler
Exree Loe
Deamonte Lindsay

35
17
26

5-11
6-0
6-1

224
210
208

so
r-so
r-sr

13
12
26

1
0
0

MLB

Dylan Tonkery
Jake Abbott
or Shea Campbell

10
51
34

6-0
6-0
6-0

228
224
232

r-jr
r-so
r-sr

20
5
11

15
0
6

Spear

JoVanni Stewart
Kwantel Raines
or Dante Bonamico

9
8
39

5-8
6-2
5-8

196
212
188

sr
r-fr
r-jr

38
2
10

13
0
0

LCB

Hakeem Bailey
Tae Mayo
Devan Wade

24
20
38

6-0
5-10
5-9

188
161
178

r-sr
fr
r-sr

24
0
0

11
0
0

FS

Josh Norwood
Kerry Martin Jr

4
15

5-10
6-0

179
194

r-sr
fr

13
1

11
0

CS

Sean Mahone
Tykee Smith
Noah Guzman

29
23
42

5-11
5-10
6-0

200
184
205

r-jr
fr
so

21
1
0

1
0
0

RCB

Keith Washington Jr
Nicktroy Fortune

28
11

6-1
6-0

180
187

r-sr
fr

13
1

8
0

Special Teams

Position

Name

No.

Height

Weight

Class

GP

GS

Kicker

Evan Staley
Casey Legg

30
39

6-1
6-4

190
215

r-jr
r-fr

25
0

0
0

Holder

Josh Growden
Trey Lowe III

96
10

6-2
6-2

199
218

r-sr
r-fr

1
1

0
0

Punter

Josh Growden
Kolton McGhee

96
40

6-2
6-0

199
174

r-sr
fr

1
0

0
0

Kickoff

Evan Staley
Casey Legg

30
39

6-1
6-4

190
215

r-jr
r-fr

25
0

0
0

Long Snapper

Rex Sunahara
Kyle Poland

64
51

6-6
6-2

242
232

r-sr
r-jr

14
1

0
0

Kickoff Return

Sam James
Keith Washington Jr
Kennedy McKoy

81
28
6

6-0
6-1
6-0

182
180
204

r-fr
r-sr
sr

5
13
39

0
7
0

Punt Return

Alec Sinkfield

20

5-9

188

r-so

6

0