MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Neal Brown didn't announce his starting quarterback for the season opener at Penn State now less than two weeks away, but he knows who it's going to be.
 
"Y'all want to know about the quarterback, and I know who is going to play and who is going to start," he said during an expansive, 28-minute session with the media Monday afternoon, two days after his team's scrimmage Saturday night inside Milan Puskar Stadium.
 
He just didn't say who it was on Monday - and might not say it next Monday either.
 
He was asked if he has shared the decision with his two top returning quarterbacks, Garrett Greene and Nicco Marchiol.
 
"They know," he answered. "We just haven't done anything real formal with it, but I think they have a good understanding. Here is the thing; we've got two really good quarterbacks. I feel good about both of them. One of them is a little bit further ahead, and that's kind of where it is, but I don't know if it really helps us to share a whole lot, but I think the team has got a good feel for it."
 
Brown said the coaching staff has been evaluating their data points going all the way back to last January.
 
"With quarterbacks, I think there has been a progression leadership-wise and a progression from feeling comfortable in their own skin," he explained. "I think that happens with maturity. There has been a progression of, fundamentally, being able to take the drills that we do year-round and being able to apply those in some pressure situations. 
 
"They've worked really hard on knowledge of what we're doing offensively," Brown continued. "I'm comfortable with where we are, but we've got to continue to get better. It isn't like, 'Well, it's two weeks before your first game, okay, this is it. This is who we are for the rest of the year.' No, there has got to be continuing growth, but I'm pleased with where they're at."
 
Brown said last Saturday's scrimmage verified what they have been observing throughout fall camp, adding that both quarterbacks have gotten better since the first practice on Wednesday, Aug. 2.
 
"One of them has performed at a higher level, and we're going to continue to push them, and we can play both of them in the game," he said. "I feel comfortable with both of them, but it's been clear who has been ahead at this point."
 
Brown said he had to evaluate both with a clear and open mind.
 
"You have some parameters you hold it to and how you are going to do the reps and everything, and we stayed pretty consistent through Saturday with that," he noted. "There is a big database when you think about winter workouts, spring practice through the summer OTAs and into fall camp. There are a lot of data points, with decision making and overall accuracy being the most critical.
 
"Who rolls out there first in the game has been decided over a lot of data points, and I'm comfortable with how it went," he said. "We haven't really gotten into our Penn State gameplan, but we could definitely play both."
 
Brown indicated there are several other spots on the depth chart that remain up for grabs. Will linebacker remains an ongoing battle between Jairo Faverus, Trey Lathan and Ben Cutter, listed in order by experience.
 
Four of the five starting offensive line spots are established with center Zach Frazier, tackles Wyatt Milum and Doug Nester and guard Tomas Rimac. The other starting guard will either be Ja'Quay Hubbard or Brandon Yates, while the seventh offensive lineman is junior Nick Malone. Those seven are locked in, according to Brown.
 
"There is competition among the other group (of offensive linemen)," Brown pointed out. "A lot of it has to do with how many snaps you are playing. What is the temperature? If it is like it was today when it was really humid, then we might have to steal a couple of series early in the game instead of late, so a lot of it is going to be weather determined."
 
The two-deep at wide receiver is still in flux, and Brown said some additional team work on Wednesday night should give the staff a clearer picture there.
 
"We've got got a really good idea who will start the game at pretty much every position, but there are a couple of battles that are still going," he said.
 
Brown said there are still spots up for grabs on the travel roster when the team buses up to State College on Friday, Sept. 1.
 
"Wednesday and Saturday we will continue to (evaluate)," he said. "We can carry more people on this trip because it's a nonconference game so we will try and take advantage of as many as we've got room for at the hotel.
 
"But some of those special teams jobs are up for grabs," he added.
 
Among players discussed most frequently among the coaches, Brown mentioned running back Justin Johnson Jr. He cited the junior's consistency in all aspects of play over the 14 practices the team has had so far.
 
Brown said redshirt freshman wide receiver Jarel Williams has been a pleasant surprise during camp, and on the other side of the ball, he mentioned Tennessee State transfer defensive lineman Davoan Hawkins and Penn State transfer defensive linemen Fatorma Mulbah.
 
Kentucky transfer Tomiwa Durojaiye continues to develop, and he is confident that all aspects of the kicking game should be improved this season, including the length and height of kickoffs.
 
He said true freshmen Rodney Gallagher III, Traylon Ray and Jahiem White will play on offense, and bandit James Heard Jr. has a chance to see action on defense.
 
Last year around this time, Brown had a series of speakers come in and address his team about the importance of the Backyard Brawl rivalry. He also had some discussion about the history of the Virginia Tech series and the Black Diamond Trophy.
 
He hasn't done quite as much of that with the Penn State series, which spans 59 games and 119 years. The Nittany Lions lead the series 48-9-2.
 
"I don't know if it's that healthy for us to do that. I'm probably not going to dig too deep into that one," he joked.
 
Punter Oliver Straw, safety Anthony Wilson, tight end Treylan Davis, tight ends coach Blaine Stewart and safeties coach Dontae Wright were also made available to the media following this morning's practice and those interviews are available to watch on the website and West Virginia's official YouTube channel.
 
Also, the Mountaineer Ticket Office announced earlier today that tickets for the Sept. 16 game against Pitt are sold out.
 
Fans still hoping to attend the Morgantown renewal of the Backyard Brawl can do so by purchasing season tickets or either a Gold or a Blue mini-package through WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU GAME.
 
The Pitt contest is the Stripe the Stadium game, presented by CEC, Diversified Energy, GoMart and Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration. Fans sitting in EVEN numbered sections and WVU students in UPPER should wear GOLD and fans sitting in ODD numbered sections and WVU students in LOWER should wear BLUE! To view the Stripe the Stadium Map, CLICK HERE.