Quick Hits: Neal Brown preps for another ranked opponent at home

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — There is no time for West Virginia to dwell on its loss to Iowa State. Another ranked opponent will be on its way to Morgantown shortly.

Here are the biggest points of note from WVU head coach Neal Brown’s weekly press conference ahead of the Mountaineers’ meeting with No. 17 Kansas State this weekend.

Struggling to turn the page

Two days after the 28-16 loss to Iowa State, Brown still believes WVU was within reach of a win, despite its two-score deficit at the final buzzer.

“The table was set, and we didn’t get it done,” he said. “Sometimes, I come in here and talk to you guys on Monday, and I’m over it [or] kind of moved on. That’s not where I’m at, really, right now.”

Brown cited WVU’s missed field goal, its interception in enemy territory and the busted coverage on Iowa State’s first touchdown as turning points in Saturday night’s game.

“In a game that has so few possessions — they had nine, and we had eight — you just can’t do things to beat yourself,” he said. “You can’t have negative plays on offense, and we had way too many of them.”

Kansas State scouting report

In steps No. 17 Kansas State, who has beaten Big 12 teams in dominant fashion and in crunch time while facing a late deficit.

“I think they’re very similar in their approach and style to Iowa State,” Brown said.

Kansas State is one of two teams with a top-five scoring offense (31.3 points per game) and a top-six scoring defense (21.0 points allowed per game) in the Big 12. UCF is the only team with a better rushing average than Kansas State (241 rushing yards per game), and no team in the conference is allowing fewer rushing yards per game than the Wildcats (71.7 rushing yards allowed per game).

“They’re used to winning, and they’ve had some success on the road as well,” Brown said.

Injuries to monitor

There were three injuries that Brown touched on Monday in his first conference.

First, wide receiver Jaden Bray, who missed the Iowa State game with a lower-leg injury, will also miss Saturday’s game against Kansas State. Brown noted that Bray suffered his injury late in the Oklahoma State game.

On the defensive side, safety Aubrey Burks and defensive lineman TJ Jackson are both considered questionable after they sustained injuries against the Cyclones.

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