Penn State game 'a huge opportunity for us,' West Virginia coach Neal Brown says: Newsstand
Penn State faces West Virginia in Morgantown to start the 2024 season. Mountaineers coach Neal Brown discussed it this week. His comments on the game that is now just 50 days away lead Friday’s newsstand, which also includes headlines of the day and more.
Penn State tweets of the day
Brown is entering his sixth season at West Virginia. Many thought 2023 would mark his last year as the program’s leader. But, after a season-opening loss to the Nittany Lions, the Mountaineers turned things around and finished 9-4 after winning the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Asked about this year’s contest Wednesday at Big 12 Media Days, Brown, who believes his team is being underrated for the second preseason in a row, described the stakes of the matchup.
“I think the Penn State game is huge for us,” Brown said. “That’s a regional rivalry, which I know that you’re very entrenched in traditions. It’s not a rivalry that’s gone in West Virginia’s favor very often. So that’s a great opportunity for us. It’s Fox Noon Kickoff. All their Big Noon show will be there. We’re fired up about that. Our fans will be ready for that, too. I think we’ll show really well on national television. But it’s not just a big game for West Virginia. You’re correct, it’s a big game for our league, and it’s an opportunity for our league and this new Big 12 without a couple schools that have been a part of the Big 12 for a long time in that first weekend on a marquee stage to show what kind of football that we play in this league.
“Without a question, it’s something, whether it’s West Virginia or any other program in the Big 12 gets those kind of marquee wins, our brand will continue to grow and we’ve got to make some noise in the playoff.”
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All-time, Penn State leads the series with West Virginia 49-9-2. The Lions are amid a five-game winning streak.
Headlines of the day
Todd Blackledge Q&A: Former Penn State QB on NBC, Drew Allar and much more: McGonigal, PennLive
Penn State football’s 2024 summer standouts: Offensive firepower: Bauer, BWI
Penn State Soccer Player Headed to the 2024 Summer Olympics: Wogenrich, SI
Four-star DE Jayden Woods opens up about his path to Penn State: ‘It’s a great culture with great fans’: Snyder, BWI
Why Drew Allar and Andy Kotelnicki can take Penn State to the next level in 2024: Sauber, CDT
Quote of the day
“When it comes to his connection with my dad, to be honest. that didn’t really factor into my decision at all. But it is a pretty cool connection to have though, for sure. But what I like is that he’s not the type of coach to tell you what you want to hear. I was fortunate enough to sit in on a team meeting back in the spring for their first spring practice. I really liked that. My dad was telling me that he’s still the same guy at Penn State that he was back at K-State, and that kind of meant a lot to me, too. He hasn’t switched up. On the visits, too, he was always there, always talking with us. I talked to him a lot more than coaches at other schools.”
-Four-star PSU DE commit Jayden Woods on his connection with Lions coach James Franklin.
