The West Virginia Mountaineers have lost three games in a row, dropping their record to 5-3. Head coach Dana Holgorsen thinks that the list of problems for the team could be reduced by being more mentally prepared, saying that you have to be in position and be in the proper mentality to pull the trigger.
After their loss to the Kansas St. Wildcats a couple weeks ago, the Mountaineers began shuffling some players on both sides of the ball. These changes appeared to be working in Saturday's loss to the TCU Horned Frogs until a breakdown in communication in the secondary led to a 94-yard touchdown pass that sent the game to overtime.
One player in particular that has caught the attention of Holgorsen was Austin Copeland, a true freshman walk-on linebacker. Copleland had a key block on Tayvon Austin's punt return for a touchdown that put the Mountaineers ahead in the fourth quarter. In the film session on Sunday, Holgorsen pointed his play out, according to special teamer Shaq Petteway:
"Coach Holgorsen pointed out he was a new guy giving full effort and that other guys needed to start giving that effort. Those are the guys coach likes. Not front-line guys, but guys who you put in and are ready to go."
The Mountaineers play the Cowboys on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff and the game will be broadcast on either ABC or ESPN2. Radio coverage of the game will be provided by WAJR 1440 AM and WVAQ 101.9 FM in Morgantown. For more radio stations that will broadcast the game, check West Virginia's official athletic website.