Neal Brown Has Some Decisions to Make

Late Tuesday night into the wee hours of Wednesday morning, West Virginia's 2021 football season came to an end with an 18-6 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. The loss dropped WVU to 6-7 on the year, marking the second time in three years that the Mountaineers have finished with a losing season under head coach Neal Brown. 

Although the Mountaineers finished the regular season strong winning four of its last six games just to become bowl eligible, the game on Tuesday night was a reminder to everyone that very little progress has been made in Morgantown over the last three seasons. I'm typically fairly easy on coaches and tend to give them a longer leash before making a judgement on them but right now, Neal Brown is not in a good spot. With records of 5-7, 6-4, and 6-7, this program is not climbing. 

Going into the 2022 season, Brown has to show more than just getting to a bowl game or a winning record for that matter. He's got to get to at the very least eight wins to prove that he has this team headed in the right direction. The problem is, I don't see this team winning eight games next fall. In non-conference play, WVU heads to Pitt to open up the season and then to Virginia Tech just two weeks later. If starting QB Jarret Doege decides to not return, then the Mountaineers will have a first-year starting quarterback which is not ideal for a guy who could be coaching for his job. 

Don't get me wrong, Neal Brown has done some very good things since taking over the program. He alongside Jordan Lesley have found sustained success on the defensive side of the ball over the past two seasons and it looks like that level of defense is here to stay. Off the field, Brown and his staff have done a phenomenal job on the recruiting trail bringing in one of the highest-rated recruiting classes the program has ever seen. But things like hot and cold quarterback play, poor clock management, and an offensive line that fails to make strides are part of what make Brown's security as the WVU head coach feel a little shaky. These issues have been the same issues that have plagued this team since the first year of this regime back in 2019. At some point, athletic director Shane Lyons is going to have move on from Brown if these very trends continue. 

What does Brown have to do to keep his job? Well, win of course, but to do so he needs to make some changes to his coaching staff. Whether it's delegating play-calling duties to another assistant, hiring a full-time offensive coordinator, or even bringing new position coaches in, something has to change, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Whether it was Austin Kendall or Doege at quarterback, the offense has been a stale product that has virtually no identity. 

How is it that a running back like Leddie Brown only rushes for 1,065 yards in 12 games when a year ago he ran 1,010 in 10 games? He wasn't injured and he didn't lack touches, so how in the world does that happen? The offensive line play had a big part to do with it, but one could argue that Brown didn't make huge strides from his junior to senior season. I'm not going to place the blame on Leddie. That's coaching, in my opinion. The other reason why his numbers weren't as good as they should have been was by virtue of Neal Brown falling in love with the passing game and shying away from keeping it on the ground. 

I'm not going to pretend like I have all the answers, because I don't. All I know is, Neal Brown has to find the answers sooner than later or he will be squarely on the hot seat.