MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the second consecutive season under coach Neal Brown, the Mountaineers closed the campaign with a three-point victory. Last year, the WVU won the TCU 20-17 at the end of the season. On Thursday, the Mountaineers eliminated an 11-point deficit to defeat the Army, 24-21 at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Brown is pleased that his previous performance in the 42-6 loss in Iowa will not be a lasting reminder of the 2020 season.
“At the beginning of this game, we played football and we were great representatives of how the game should be played over eight games,” said Brown. “We didn’t win them all, but we had a chance to win each one. Our ninth game was ugly. It was not who we were. For us to recover and have an unexpected victory here in the fourth period, to win our second cup game since joining Big 12, I thought it was huge. “
Eight months will leave the calendar before the Mountaineers return to the field in Maryland on September 4 to begin the 2021 season. Brown believes his program has taken a necessary step in its second season.
“We wanted to make sure that this was the first step towards ’21. What we mean is that the Big 12 is still undefeated in bowling games. The league is not getting any easier. I thought we went over the bottom third of the league and went up to the middle. Now we have to make the biggest leap going from the middle to the top and playing in the championship.
“You have to win your game of bowling. We did that. And now we have the impetus for the off-season. But we still have a lot of work to do. We are very aware of that. Let’s celebrate this and then take a break. The next eight months will be critical to our development ”.
Senior Shipping
A senior group of twenty players was listed as co-captains of the bowl. While everyone can return in 2021 with an additional year of eligibility, most played their last game for the Mountaineers.
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“Many of our glue guys who are in the last year and finishing their careers, they played important roles in that. This is special. It is a memory for them that they will have for a lifetime. It’s a happy dressing room there. This is a locker room that dumped a ton on it. “
Closing the circle
One of these veterans opened his Mountaineer career as Neal Brown’s first full-back. He ended up being the “closest” to WVU’s first bowl victory in five seasons. Austin Kendall came off the bench to launch a pair of touchdowns in the second half, eliminating an 11-point handicap.
“In the last two months of the season, he handled adversity very well and had a good attitude. He was fun to train. When his number was called, he made the most of it. “
“He has done a good job of being a good teammate for (Jarret) Doege. He helps you when you see something that Doege doesn’t see. He still practices a lot. He comes to work every day ready to work, ”said TJ Simmons, senior at WVU.
“When he came out and made a few moves, it looked like it was last year. Austin was the starting defender last year and he made a lot of moves last year. It was natural with us. We were just making moves together. “
Simmons closes the season hard
TJ Simmons’ final season with the Mountaineers can be divided into two easily distinguishable halves. In his first four games, Simmons managed just 7 passes for 148 yards without a touchdown reception. In his last four games, Simmons has managed four passes in each competition. He had 233 receiving yards and 4 points on that stretch. Simmons ended his career at Mountaineer as the offensive player in the game at the Liberty Bowl.
“My experience in West Virginia for the past three years has been incredible,” said Simmons. “The fans hugged me. Everyone on each team hugged me. All my teammates I came into contact with hugged me. I just love the state of West Virginia. This was my last game as a Mountaineer. I am grateful for the experience and am ready to see what the next chapter of my life holds. “
In defense of defense
With nine games remaining in the college football season, West Virginia is likely to finish in the top five on FBS in full defense. Mountaineers are currently fourth in the country, allowing 291.4 yards per game.
“We ended up as one of the top five defenders in the country,” said WVU linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo. “As you saw, we had some games that we gave up a little too much, the Iowa State game, the Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech game, where we just let things slip away. We know the potential. We could easily have been the number one defense this year if we stick to the details. “
Final analysis of an unprecedented season
Late starts and constant interruptions in the schedule will be some of the lasting memories of a 2020 college football season affected by COVID. The Mountaineers nearly completed all ten games on their regular season schedule before the Oklahoma game was canceled.
“I really believe that playing football was the right thing to do,” said Brown. “That quarantine period was very difficult. My antenna is always on for mental health, but that was a difficult time for boys between 17 and 23 years old to be completely expelled from their routine. I think that playing was a positive experience. “
“2020 was a different experience for me,” said Chandler-Semedo. “I had a few deaths in my family. I had some things that went wrong for me. In fact, I was able to persevere and fight. Football definitely saved my life this year. “