WVU’s quest: Bowl-eligible Mountaineers strive for strong finish
MORGANTOWN — He came to town five years ago asking the West Virginia fans to “trust the climb” and they eagerly agreed to do so, neither of them realizing just how difficult it would be as the game of college football changed around them.
At the start it was a catchy motto, “Trust the climb,” but with COVID-19 and NIL and a transfer portal and an expanding league that was part of revising the entire college landscape, the hill became a mountain.
That should have pleased a school and team with the nickname “Mountaineers,” but that climb wasn’t being made as if on an ATV speeding up the side of that mountain.
Instead, it was a snail climbing Mount Everest and the natives got restless.
This seemed as though it would be the final year, picked 14th and last in the new-look Big 12, but Neal Brown turned that preseason media prediction into a fuel for the fire that would glow hot from within the Puskar Center as West Virginia overcame an opening loss to Penn State, a national contender, to a team that was one Hail Mary pass away from heading for Oklahoma this week at 7-2 instead of 6-3 and as a one-loss team in the Big 12.
The motto “Trust the Climb” no longer fit, and on Saturday night after displaying an offense that could not be stopped and a defense that proved to be impregnable until a late, meaningless touchdown closed out a 37-7 victory over BYU, Brown found a way to slip in what has to become a new motto.
In the midst of his post-game analysis Brown offered it up when he was asked about how much they talked about this win making them bowl eligible with three games to play.
He said that there was no bowl talk at all, no goal-accomplished talk.
Only this:
“We’re alive and well in the conference race and that’s what we’re talking about. Obviously, a big game next week, but we’re on a quest to be at our best.”
If the fans could adapt “Trust the Climb” as a slogan, the players — his players now after the slow build that started in 2019 — could adopt “Quest to be our Best” as a focus on what really now is the motivation.
No talk of records or bowl games … this is about the West Virginia football team reaching its own potential.
“It’s about the best teams play their best games in November and that was one of the best games we’ve played this year,” he said, knowing that he will need the best game the team has played since he arrived next week against an angry Oklahoma team that seemed to be a contender for the College Football Playoffs until it lost its last two games.
Over the last four games, the offense that stumbled through its first four games against Power 5 competition, has reached what Brown had envisioned as he put it together … maybe even exceeded it.
The offensive line was supposed to be the heart and soul of the team. It was what they would brand … sort of like Wheaties back in the day had become “Breakfast of Champions” or Harley Davidson screams out rugged individualism or Red Bull represents energy.
But it had to overcome injuries, played through them and grew until now they have seven quality, productive and interchangeable parts that radiate out from center Zach Frazier.
They create the run game and it is finished off now by a dynamic duo of CJ Donaldson, a power runner, and the mercurial freshman Jaheim White, both of whom rushed beyond 100 yards on Saturday night and set the standard that now is drawing national attention.
White, in particular, has had a meteoric rise. WVU knew what they had in him but were having trouble getting it out of him, not playing him in the opener, riding him hard to create good practice habits and to exude an air of confidence to provide the magic carpet that could carry him through defenses.
“If he continues to do the things he has to do to be great, then he is going to be a great one,” Brown said, a rather strong statement coming from a coach about a freshman.
The entire attitude in the state has changed about the football program, perhaps because they can see a future promising success in a conference that won’t have Oklahoma and Texas towering over them all.
Of course, in this day and age of transitory college football, you can never be sure about your future, but Brown has gathered around him a strong freshmen aggregation headed by White, joined by receivers Rodney Gallagher III, Hudson Clement and Traylon Ray, running back DJ Oliver and defender Ben Cutter.
Putting quarterback Garrett Greene, who is growing with each game, in the mix and you understand why this is less about now and a bowl game and more about reaching out to fulfill potential on a long-term basis.
Brown understands that and uses it to send his team on its “quest for its best.”
“I think we’re starting to hit our stride,” Brown said. “I think the story of this season is far from written.”