COMMENTARY
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Let’s admit it, 2020 sucked it almost every way possible, and most are beyond thrilled to see it finally come to an end. As a sports writer, though, I’m going to keep my final story of the year between the lines, and WVU quarterback Austin Kendall had one of the few feel-good stories of the calendar year.
Kendall earned the starting quarterback job out of the 2019 offseason and started nine games for the Mountaineers, but inconsistency led head coach Neal Brown to make the switch to Jarret Doege in the second half of the loss to Texas Tech. That was the last time Kendall played a down in 2019.
After getting beat out time and time again as the backup at Oklahoma behind Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, Kendall left the Sooners looking for a shot and finally got one with the Mountaineers, but it did not last as long as he hoped.
Fast-forward to Thursday night’s Liberty Bowl against Army, Kendall’s career came full circle as a senior likely playing his final college game, coming in for Doege in the second half to help guide WVU to a 24-21 win in Memphis.
“Austin did a really nice job and I think it’s a good story in that over the last two months of the season, he handled adversity really well,” Brown said after the game. He had a good attitude, was fun to coach and when his number got called, he made the most of it.”
Kendall finished 8 of 17 for 121 yards, but his two touchdown tosses to Mike O’Laughlin and T.J. Simmons came at critical moments. After Army went up 21-10 to start the third quarter, Kendall led a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to keep the Mountaineers within striking distance. Finally, with 5:10 remaining in the game, Kendall’s lob to Simmons gave WVU a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Simmons, who announced he played his final game with the Mountaineers and was named Offensive MVP after catching four passes for 56 yards and two scores, said he was happier for Kendall than himself.
“Austin just does a good job of being a good teammate to Doege,” Simmons said. “He helps Doege out if Doege doesn’t see something. He comes to work and practices hard every day. We all do work but he puts in extra work every day, regardless of whether he’s the starting quarterback or not. When we were told he was the one going to lead us in the second half, I was excited. With this being his last game, I felt like he should get some time out there on the field. When he got out there and made some plays, it felt like last year.
“It was just natural with us making plays together.”
But perhaps most important for Kendall, he had zero interceptions or turnovers, something he struggled with a year ago that ultimately led to his benching in favor of Doege, finishing with 10 picks in nine-plus games.
As fate would allow it, Doege put the Mountaineers in a bad spot time and time again against the Black Knights, throwing an interception into triple coverage in the first quarter, and then taking a terrible sack in the second which led to an Army touchdown two plays later.
“It was kind of a combined decision between Sean Reagan, our quarterback coach, and Gerad Parker, our offensive coordinator, and myself,” Brown said. “Jarret has played very, very well all year but for whatever reason, just didn’t see it well. We had two uncharacteristically bad turnovers. The interception was a play that really hurt us and the we just didn’t have people lined up right with the possession on the fumble.”
The decision to bench Doege could be a story this offseason, and the decision to bring in Kendall over true freshman Garrett Greene will surely be another, but New Year’s Eve was Kendall’s night.
While coach Neal Brown anticipates several seniors to announce their intent to return for 2021, it is unknown if Kendall will be one. With the NCAA’s decision for an eligibility freeze, he can if he chooses. But if this is the final game for Kendall, it’s hard for someone in Hollywood to write a better script.
The benched starter sticks with it, makes his way back onto the field and wins the game in what may be the final game of his career. The Austin Kendall story puts a cherry on what many would consider a tasteless, melting sundae, but it’s a story he will always remember and will always tell.
College football, and sports as a whole, are really something, aren’t they?
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