Mountaineers to kick off new era
Brown takes over for Holgorsen as coach, must find new QB
Neal Brown was hired at West Virginia to take over for Dana Holgorsen, who bolted for the Houston coaching gig. Record-setting quarterback Will Grier is off to the NFL, so Brown, who engineered some big upsets during his stint at Troy, will need to be creative while trying to build on the Mountaineers’ success.
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 FBS teams in the country entering the 2019 season. The Sentinel staff will take a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team.
Today at No. 50: West Virginia
Coach: Neal Brown (0-0, entering first season, 35-16 overall)
2018 record: 8-4, 6-3 Big 12, tied for third
Look back: With Grier leading the offense, West Virginia got off to a 5-0 record with three Big 12 wins. The Mountaineers stumbled on the road against Iowa State before rebounding with three consecutive wins.
West Virginia was in the thick of the Big 12 race, but back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma by a combined nine points dashed the Mountaineers’ hopes of playing for the Big 12 championship.
With questions surrounding Holgorsen’s job status and Grier sitting out the Camping World Bowl game, West Virginia lost 34-18 to Syracuse, finishing the season on a three-game losing streak.
Holgorsen for Houston. then bolted
Offensive starters 5
returning: Offensive starters lost: 6
Defensive starters 5 returning:
Defensive starters lost: 6
Top returnees: QB Jack Allison, RB Kennedy McCoy, RB Martell Pettaway, RB Leddie Brown, WR T.J. Simmons, WR Tevin Bush, OL Josh Sills, DL Dante Stills, DB Hakeem Bailey, DB Josh Norwood, DB JoVanni Stewart
Key losses: QB Will Grier, WR David Sills V, WR Gary Jennings, WR Marcus Simms, TE Trevon Wesco, OL Yodny Cajuste, DL Kenny Bigelow Jr., LB David Long Jr., DB Kenny Robinson
Strengths: Whoever takes over at quarterback will have a full stable of running backs to hand the ball off to. Kennedy McCoy led the Mountaineers with 802 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last season.
Martell Pettaway had 623 rushing yards and six touchdowns and Leddie Brown chipped in with 446 yards.
On the defensive line, Dante Stills is coming off a freshman All-American season after recording six tackles for loss and three sacks. The secondary returns most of its contributors.
Weaknesses: There is an ongoing quarterback battle between Jack Allison and Oklahoma transfer Austin Kendall. Allison started West Virginia’s bowl game against Syracuse, throwing for 277 yards.
Kendall sat behind backto-back Heisman Trophywinning quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. The two have combined for only one start between them.
The wide receiving corps will have new faces with the top four pass catchers from last season departing.
Defensive back Kenny Robinson entered the transfer portal in June and is no longer listed on the roster.
Outlook: Finding Grier’s successor is the top priority for Brown and his coaching
2019 Schedule
staff.
Whether it’s Allison or Kendall, both will not have a lot of time to get adjusted before the conference schedule opens with a trip to Kansas.
The defense has undergone a schematic change under coordinator Vic Koenning, whom Neal brought with him from Troy.
Continued success under Brown in his first year is not out of the realm of possibility for West Virginia if he can find a quarterback and the players continue to adapt to him.