MORGANTOWN - The West Virginia University football team is spending this week working on the things it does well, while the coaching staff is on the road trying to find players to make the Mountaineers better.

"We're correcting this, polishing," WVU coach Bill Stewart said Tuesday. "We want to get better blocking and tackling. That's a top priority."

The Mountaineers, 2-1 following a turnover-plagued loss to Auburn last Saturday, have this weekend off as they prepare to host Colorado on Oct. 1 before a nationally televised audience. The coaches have spent the last few days on the road recruiting future players, and they are expected to return later this week to help with preparations for the Colorado contest.

Colorado, 1-2, also has the weekend off to prepare for the trip to Morgantown.

"(Colorado) has a lot of talent, but a lot of misfirings," Stewart said. "I see a talented group of people who beat us last year. They are like us last year, trying to find an identity. There have been some big plays here and there that hurt them."

The good news for the Mountaineers, Stewart said, is they emerged from the Auburn game relatively unscathed. The coach said quarterback Jarrett Brown has a deep bruise on his non-throwing shoulder, and has been getting treatment around the clock.

"As tough as Jarrett Brown is, he would play (if there were a game Saturday) if he could," Stewart said. "That's why I love him so much."

Defensive lineman Scooter Berry is making progress toward returning to the field, and linebacker Reed Williams should be playing against Colorado.

Stewart said he was proud that his squad "played Mountaineer football" in the loss to the Tigers, one in which the quarterbacks threw five interceptions. WVU still had a chance to win late, being down by four points in the waning minutes.

"The presence of the Mountaineers was greatly felt in Auburn, Ala.," he said. "Offensively, we had them on their heels. Defensively, we had them on their heels, and our special teams really rocked them. Obviously, we didn't win the game, and that's the biggest stat."

The coaching is not placing blame on any single aspect, relating his profession to that of parenting.

"If I continue to harp and harp and harp and point fingers, I'm probably going to lose that child," Stewart said. "If I say it's OK, my bad, your bad, I probably wouldn't get much out of that person. I try to be as truthful as I can and figure out what went wrong."