MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A lanky, undersized walk on safety from Morgantown High, Shea Campbell probably didn’t think in his final career game five years later that he would lead the Mountaineers in tackles as a 240-pound middle linebacker, but that’s exactly how it ended for him Friday at TCU.
“It’s bittersweet, but I said earlier this week that it hadn’t hit me yet,” Campbell said after his team’s 20-17 win over the Horned Frogs. On Thursday “before practice, I was sitting in front of my locker and I was really like, ‘Alright, this is it.’ I didn’t really want it to hit me like that before practice and before the game, but I knew walking off the field that I gave everything I could have every time I walked on the field.
“I did everything I could and to come off the field with a win, it means a lot to me.”
Campbell had a team-high eight tackles, including 2 1/2 for a loss and a sack, in WVU’s 20-17 win against the Horned Frogs. Total, West Virginia (5-7, 3-6 Big 12) held TCU (5-7, 3-6) to 297 yards, well under its season average of 417 yards.
Over the last three games against Kansas State, Oklahoma State and TCU, the Mountaineers’ defense made positive strides, and coach Neal Brown credits his unit for the late-season turnaround.
“Vic (Koenning) and our defensive staff have given us a chance all year,” Brown said. “Guys have really bought in. We’ve been able to get pressure and I think our defensive front has been the difference. We flew around [Friday] — we only gave up one touchdown against their offense. They’ve been good running the ball but we bent and never broke in the second half, and just hung around and hung around.”
McKivitz bids adieu
West Virginia senior offensive lineman Colton McKivitz remembers the gold-clad crowd at Milan Puskar Stadium when WVU took on Missouri to open the 2016 season.
Yodny Cajuste went down with a knee injury, so it was time for the redshirt freshman from Jacobsburg, Ohio, to make his Mountaineers debut.
Forty-nine starts later, McKivitz walked off the field for the final time in a West Virginia uniform after the win at TCU as one of the most decorated offensive lineman in program history.
“Going over everything and giving hugs to those guys and spending time with them — all the workouts and the amount of time you spend with a team — I’ve been with those guys for five years,” McKivitz said. “It’s a great feeling and those memories will be there forever. Just to reminisce on that is a great thing. It may not have been a winning season but to send those guys out with a win is a great thing.”
Doege faces adversity
For the first time in his short West Virginia career, quarterback Jarret Doege was bitten by the turnover bug.
In nine quarters, including the final frame against Texas Tech and two starts against Kansas State and Oklahoma State, Doege hadn’t thrown an interception. Against TCU, he was picked off three times. Doege had interception issues last season as the starter at Bowling Green, throwing 12.
Despite his struggles, Doege threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Isaiah Esdale with just over two minutes to go in the game. Putting his interceptions behind him was critical to the Mountaineers’ win.
“It’s really a testament to my teammates,” Doege said. “The defense picked me up — I don’t think [TCU] scored on any of my interceptions. The defense played a heck of a game, and my teammates kept telling me to keep my head up and just play the next play.”
