Trust the climb. It's a phrase we have heard time and time again throughout the first year under new head coach, Neal Brown. Step one of the climb certainly had its trials and tribulations, but nonetheless that painful first step is now in the past.
All great programs, or at least most programs, have to go through some rough growing pains before they ultimately see sustained success. In a year where West Virginia lost 90% of it's starting offense to the NFL, welcomed in a new coaching staff, and lost several players to the transfer portal, there still stood a glimmer of hope that things can get better in a short period of time.
The Mountaineers won two of its last three games of the year, including a road victory in Fort Worth over TCU to end the season on a high note. Had the Sam James touchdown not been taken off the board vs Oklahoma State on senior day, we may be talking about a potential three game winning streak and a bowl berth in year one of the new regime. If you set the games at Missouri, at Oklahoma and vs Texas Tech to the side, West Virginia had a chance to win in each of its other four losses.
The fourth quarter was the kiss of death for West Virginia in 2019. In four of their losses, they trailed by only one score or were within striking distance heading into the last stanza.
Scores at the end of the 3rd quarter:
10/5 trailing Texas, 21-17
10/12 trailing Iowa State, 21-14
10/31 tied with Baylor, 14-14
11/23 leading Oklahoma State, 13-10
Not having the ability to run the football was an Achilles heel, but that wasn't the only problem. The lack of depth on both sides of the ball is what truly hurt the team deep into games. Defensive linemen were playing upwards of 60 plus snaps a game and were not afforded breaks as often as you would like to reward them with. It became apparent that the only thing that held this team back from reaching a bowl game was depth. No, there wasn't really any "star power" on the offensive side, but that is something that is being developed and won't happen overnight.
So, can the Mountaineers be one of the nation's most improved teams in 2020? Yes, and CollegeFootballNews.com agrees. According to CFN, the Mountaineers will finish with a 9-3 record, going 4-0 to start the season. Boasting such a record would certainly have West Virginia in the conversation for the Big 12 championship game, provided all three losses don't occur inside conference play.
Personally, I don't foresee that big of a jump from year one to year two, but I do believe you will see the Mountaineers punch a ticket to a bowl game. Earlier this winter, I gave my way too early 2020 game-by-game predictions, which you can find here.
Do you think a 9-3 record is possible? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
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January 28, 2020 at 11:25PM
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College Football News Predicts a Huge Year for Neal Brown, West Virginia - Sports Illustrated
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