At West Virginia University, the dissidents have been proven wrong.
They said Neal Brown wasn’t a good enough football coach.
They were wrong again.
While Mountaineer fans clamored for Jimbo Fisher, just because he’s a state native, the best coach WVU has had since Don Nehlen was sitting right in Morgantown. Now that the Mountaineers are 7-4 and heavily favored to defeat Baylor at 7 p.m. Saturday in Waco, Texas, perhaps WVU fans will realize Brown is the right guy.
The Mountaineers’ offense alone is a great indication of that.
Right, Neal?
“We’re becoming who I thought we would be when we kind of made this shift [with] three or so games left in the year last year,†Brown said. “We’re making it difficult to defend the entire field.
“From a run-game perspective — from sideline to sideline — we’re splitting the defense and doing a number of different things off some base-run plays. And, then, vertically getting the ball downfield.â€
That’s to the credit of junior quarterback Garrett Greene.
“It’s all dependent on how our quarterback plays,†Brown said. “Other than the Oklahoma game, I think his level of play has continued to get better and better. Other than one bone-headed play the other day, he has taken care of the football.
“There are things we could get better at, but I like kind of where we are headed, offensively. We feel like we have some guys who can make some explosive plays. Garrett, by far, has the most.â€
That’s why WVU is going to put the finishing touches on an 8-4 season. The Mountaineers are 11.5-point favorites on the road against the 3-8 Bears and should win handily, 45-13.
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Meanwhile, in Huntington, Marshall has its back to the wall.
The Thundering Herd (5-6) has one last chance to reach bowl eligibility when it hosts Arkansas State (6-5) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
“Arkansas State is probably one of the most improved teams in the league,†MU coach Charles Huff said. “They are bowl-eligible. They are physically fast and talented in all three phases.
“Every week, it’s something different. This week is more of a ‘base’ team, but their athletes are quicker. They play conservatively, which allows them to play fast.â€
That’s a problem, because MU has been turnover-prone.
“To me,†Huff said, “turnovers are contagious. It’s a cancer, and we have it.â€
That’s why MU has allowed a whopping 61 points off of turnovers.
“Turnovers have put us in very, very bad positions in the last few games,†Huff said.
So bad, the Herd is now at the end of its rope. It’s win or stay home, and watch everybody else play in bowl games.
So, what is the verdict for MU?
Although the Herd is actually a 2.5-point favorite, the memory of a shutout last week while Arkansas State was winning, 77-31, is too fresh in our minds.
MU will lose, 31-16.
