COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The old adage is to give a college football coach until Year 3 to set the standard. For WVU’s Neal Brown, Saturday’s opener at Maryland was the beginning of that tone-setting season.
Instead, following a 30-24 defeat at the hands of the Terps, we’re left with far more questions than answers for the Mountaineers, especially on the offensive side, which just so happens to be the entire reason Brown has risen up the coaching ranks over the last 15 years.
Two concerns are at the forefront: The quarterback spot with Jarret Doege behind center and the play-calling that puts too many responsibilities on Doege’s shoulders.
The end of the 2020 season began the cloud of doubt about Doege’s spot as the Mountaineers’ starting quarterback after he was benched in favor of Austin Kendall to start he second half of the Liberty Bowl against Army.
That cloud began to clear during fall camp when the coaches continued to praise Doege’s offseason work, both physically and mechanically. It was said pocket presence and overall control of the offense was much better than it was toward the end of last season, but his introduction to the 2021 season only reinforced what many thought over the last eight months.
After the first 15:30 against Maryland, the water cooler talk appeared to be true. WVU had 163 yards and scored three touchdowns on its first four possessions, and Doege looked in control and there was a balance in the passing and running game.
After? On nine possessions, the Mountaineers mustered just 165 yards and scored three points.
The Mountaineers defense made a huge stop on 4th down at the Maryland 50 to give what was then a red-hot WVU offense, but Doege made an inexplicable throw that was intercepted by the Terps’ Nick Cross.
From there, it was all down hill for Doege, struggling with all the things that were said he improved on. Maryland brought pressure, forcing bad throws, and when WVU did run the ball with Leddie Brown, it was zone read situations with Brown getting the ball on every single carry.
With no threat of Doege keeping, the Terps were able to hone in on Brown, which shut down what is the strength of the Mountaineers offense.
After Maryland took the lead for the first time in the second half, WVU looked like it was about to take the lead back with the ball at the Terps’ 13-yard line, but Doege threw a jump ball in the corner of the end zone that was intercepted.
Which leads to the final point: Neal Brown is the play-caller and has been for three seasons, but Leddie Brown had just six carries — all in the third quarter — in the second half. His only touch in the fourth quarter was a 4-yard loss on a dump-off pass from Doege.
Leddie Brown had 21 touches in the game, and Neal Brown touted his team’s ability after the game to get him over 20 for the game, but when the game was on the line and his quarterback was clearly struggling, he insisted on allowing Doege to make the big play.
With Doege’s performance in the bowl game, followed by this performance to open this season, his limitations are front and center. With two quarterbacks sitting behind Doege in Garrett Greene and Will Crowder — both recruited by Brown — it may be time for Brown to look in the mirror and find the offense that made him a Power 5 head coach.
In Greene, there is a mobile threat who could actually scare opposing offenses, taking eyes off of Leddie Brown. Greene is also in his second year in the system and likely has a better understanding of what is expected.
Shouting from the mountaintops about a QB change isn’t something that’s typically warranted at the start of a new season, but a trend has been set with Jarret Doege.
Coach Brown, it may be time to make the call.
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