With Brown set to return, WVU football fans must ask themselves if ready to help rally
A few days ago, after WVU’s football team rallied late to defeat Baylor, I posted a poll on Twitter or X or whatever you want to call it.
“And West Virginia survives to get their eighth win,” I posted, quoting the TV announcer, before asking Mountaineer fans, “You guys good now?”
I was not surprised by the results. After 854 folks threw in their two cents, 34.1 percent said yes; 33.1 percent said kinda; 32.8 percent said no.
With no electoral college to chime in, I called the race for Brown.
But, yeah, it was narrow. I get it. Now out of the full-time sports writing gig, I can revert to my days as a college student at WVU and root – or get upset with – my alma mater. I was distraught watching the Mountaineers struggle against a poor Baylor team without its starting quarterback. Watching Oklahoma roll up 59 points wasn’t easy. And there was the debacle against Dana Holgorsen’s Houston team.
But on Tuesday I checked in with those making the call on Brown’s future. I asked if there’s any doubt whether Brown would return. And the answer came back quickly:
“None.”
And I get that too. Brown has a very good shot at being named Big 12 Coach of the Year. I raised that point a while back. Had a poll at that time.
And, really, there are only three league coaches one can even consider: Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and Brown.
Back in July, in the preseason media rankings, Texas was picked to finish first. OSU was picked to finish seventh.
And WVU was infamously picked to finish 14th.
It became a rallying cry, as many Mountaineer fans know. “14” was the simple pregame message.
Now Texas and OSU are set for the league championship. West Virginia finished in a tie for fourth. (Cincinnati, if wondering, claimed the not-coveted 14 position.) OSU rose six spots from expectations, while WVU rose, what, eight.
So honestly, I’d vote for Brown. Not only because of that, but because his team stuck together and won eight games while many fans (including me at times) groused.
Of course, if I were in WVU’s administration, I’d do a deep dive (as I would after every university teams’ seasons) to make sure all going in the right direction.
What did the completed season look like? With this football team, there was great and there was not-so-great. The rushing offense finished No. 3 overall and No. 1 among Power 5 teams at 234.3 yards a game. Yes, Garrett Greene is more of a running quarterback and the offensive line was stout, but that’s still a heck of an achievement. A lot of good teams out there.
On the other hand, the passing game is No. 91 (203.8 yards average) after the regular season. (In pass completion offense, WVU was No. 117 at 53.9 percent.)
In rush defense, the Mountaineers were No. 49 (144.3) and in scoring offense No. 39 (31.6). Meanwhile, in passing defense, WVU was No. 92 (239.9) and in scoring defense No. 77 (27.5).
Were I in the administration, I’d crunch all kinds of numbers and ask if there’s been improvement? I’d look at recruiting. I’d look at how the transfer portal has been handled.
I’d also look at how the coach has handled himself. A GoCoogs.com piece about Holgorsen’s now-completed tenure in Houston sounded very similar to the way he was while in Morgantown. A lot of surliness there.
I think we can all agree that Neal Brown has been quite the opposite. In the face of criticism, he’s handled himself with grace. He’s shown nothing but class.
His response to the criticism has been to throw up eight wins. Good for him.
Did he do so with the Big 12 down a bit? Maybe. But he posted eight wins. It’s a foothold, a base, something to push off and continue to bolster the team.
Now Mountaineer fans must ask themselves this: Are you going to rally? Are you going to help? I know first-hand Country Roads Trust can use many more members. I know the Mountaineer Athletic Club can use help.
See, the decision has been made. Neal Brown will be back. He can now replace “14” with “4” as in fourth place or “8” as in wins – so far.
Forget trusting the climb.
After eight wins, the climb has now begun.
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.
