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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the second straight season under head coach Neal Brown, the Mountaineers closed a campaign with a three-point victory. Last year, WVU edged TCU 20-17 in the season finale. On Thursday, the Mountaineers erased an 11-point deficit to beat the Army 24-21 in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Brown is happy that their previous performance in a 42-6 loss to Iowa State was not a lasting memory of the 2020 season.
“At the start of this game we had played football and were great representatives of how the game should be played for eight games,” said Brown. “We didn’t win them all, but we had a chance to win every one of them. Our ninth game was lousy. It wasn’t who we were. So we could bounce back and have a comeback win here in the fourth quarter, win our second bowl game since we joined the Big 12, I thought that was huge.
Eight months will be off the schedule before the Mountaineers return to the field in Maryland on September 4 to open the 2021 season. Brown believes his program has taken a necessary step in its second season.
“We wanted to make sure it was the first step towards 21. The point we made is that the Big 12 are so far undefeated in bowl games. The league doesn’t get any easier. I thought we had gone from the bottom third of the league and gone to the middle. Now we have to take the biggest leap by going from the middle to the top and competing for a championship.
“You have to win your bowl game. We did it. And now we are carrying our momentum into the offseason. But we still have a lot of work to do. We are very aware of this. We’re going to celebrate that and then take a little time. The next eight months will be crucial for our development. “
Senior dispatch
A senior squad of twenty players have been listed as the bowl’s co-captains. While all can return in 2021 with an additional year of eligibility, most played their last game for the Mountaineers.
Hello seniors! #HailWV pic.twitter.com/NsOEM8Vsfh
– WVU Football (@WVUfootball) December 31, 2020
“A lot of our senior guys who are finishing their careers, they’ve played a big part in that. It is special. It is a memory for them that they will keep for the rest of their lives. It’s a happy locker room in there. It’s a locker room that poured a ton in it.
The circle is complete
One of those seniors opened his mountaineering career as Neal Brown’s first starting quarterback. He ended up being the “ closest ” to WVU’s first bowl victory in five seasons. Austin Kendall came off the bench to throw a pair of second-half touchdowns, wiping out an 11-point deficit.
“In the last two months of the season, he handled adversity very well and had a good attitude. It was fun to coach. When his number was called, he made the most of it.
“He did a good job being a good teammate for (Jarret) Doege. He helps her when he sees something that Doege doesn’t see. He still practices hard. He comes to work every day ready to work, ”said TJ Simmons, WVU senior team member.
“When he came out and played a few plays, it was like last year. Austin was the starting quarterback last year and he played a lot last year. It was just natural with us. We were just doing plays together.
Simmons closes the season strong
TJ Simmons’ final season with the Mountaineers can be split into two easily distinguishable halves. In his first four games, Simmons caught just 7 passes for 148 yards without catching a touchdown. In his last four games, Simmons has caught four assists in each contest. He had 233 receiving yards and 4 scores in that streak. Simmons crowned his mountaineering career as an offensive player in the Liberty Bowl.
“My experience in West Virginia over the past three years has been incredible,” said Simmons. “The fans kissed me. Everyone on every team has kissed me. All of my teammates I have been in contact with have kissed me. I love the state of West Virginia. It was my last match as a mountaineer. I am grateful for the experience and am ready to see what the next chapter of my life contains.
In defense of defense
With nine games remaining in the college football season, West Virginia will likely finish in the FBS top five in total defense. The Mountaineers are currently fourth in the country, allowing 291.4 yards per game.
“We finished as one of the top five defenses in the country,” said WVU linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo. “As you saw, we had a few games where we gave up a little too much, the Iowa State game, the Texas game, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech where we just left things slide. We know the potential. We could easily have been the best defense this year if we were to stick to the details.
Final analysis of an unprecedented season
Late departures and constant interruptions to the schedule will be some of the lasting memories of a 2020 college football season affected by COVID. The Mountaineers are almost finished all ten games on their regular season schedule before the Oklahoma game is canceled.
“I really believe playing football was the right thing to do,” Brown said. “This quarantine period has been really difficult. My antenna is always ready for mental health, but it has been a difficult time for the 17-23 year old men to be completely excluded from their routine. I think playing has been a positive experience.
“2020 has been a different experience for me,” said Chandler-Semedo. “I had a few deaths in my family. I had some problems for myself. Really, I was able to persevere and fight. Football has definitely saved my life this year.
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