Penn State Game 'Is Huge for Us' and Big 12, West Virginia Coach Neal Brown Says

The Mountaineers host Penn State for the first time since 1992. "It's not just a big game for West Virginia," Brown says.

West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown looks on from the sideline during the third quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in 2023. / Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia hosts Penn State on Aug. 31 in a season-opening football game that Mountaineers coach Neal Brown already is positioning as high stakes. At Big 12 Football Media Days this week, Brown said "the Penn State game is huge for us" but didn't stop there.

"It's not just a big game for West Virginia," Brown said. "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."

The 16-team Big 12 Conference re-introduces itself this season without Texas and Oklahoma but with Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado. The non-conference game between West Virginia and Penn State mixes old regional rivalries with college football's new structure. As a result, Brown said that the conference needs to win games like these.

"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," Brown said. "I think Commissioner [Brett] Yormark spoke about this: We're the most competitive league. I would say we're the deepest football league in the entire country. But we've got to go. TCU had a nice run, but we've got to have more wins in the playoff once we get in."

West Virginia doesn't have a strong history against Penn State. The Nittany Lions lead the overall series 49-9-2, which includes a 17-6-1 road record in Morgantown. The teams renewed their rivalry last year, a game Penn State won 38-15. This time, FOX will bring its Big Noon Kickoff and broadcast to West Virginia.

"We're fired up about that," Brown said about the FOX broadcast. "Our fans will be ready for that, too."

In previewing the 2024 Mountaineers, who went 9-4 last season, Brown offered the following observations:

On the offense: "We return one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country in [quarterback] Garrett Greene, return an offensive line that we're extremely proud of. Also have a tight end that led us in receiving in Kole Taylor, and a really good 1-2 punch at running back in Jahiem White and CJ Donaldson, and a young receiving crew that we think is going to make a huge jump."

On the defense: "Defensively, we returned most of our defensive line that was highly productive in sacks and TFLs and playing the run, a young linebacker group that we feel like is going to be much improved. And then secondary is kind of the question mark for us. We went out and addressed that in the portal."

On West Virginia playing with a chip on its shoulder: "There's no question, we rallied around that. I stood up here a year ago, and we were picked 14th, and I said we wouldn't be there. And our
team proved me right. And I said that a year ago because I knew what we had on both fronts. To win at college football, you've got to be really talented at skill positions and you have to have difference-makers there, but you've got to win the trenches, and you've got to win on your offensive and defensive line, and I knew we had those type of guys and they were experienced and had been productive. So that is something we rallied around, that 14.

"And now it's similar. We're coming off 9-4, I look at most of the preseason Top 25, we're not in it. With a team that finished strong last year that returns a lot of production, that has one of the most dynamic players in all of college football in Garrett Greene. We were the No. 1 Power Four rushing offense in the country last year. And we're picked seventh in the league. And we're not in most of these preseason Top 25s. So I think there's a similar dynamic that works with this team, too. And, more importantly, to me on a personal level, I believe some of our players are undervalued."

Penn State coach James Franklin will take the podium at Big Ten Football Media Days on July 24.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.