MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For one play last week at Iowa State, West Virginia fans got a glimpse at what the future at quarterback may look like for the Mountaineers.
True freshman Garrett Greene, a Tallahassee, Fla., native, checked into the third quarter while starter Jarret Doege flanked outside at receiver. The play was nothing flashy, as Greene took the snap, tucked the ball and scooted forward for about seven yards.
And then he was gone.
It was the first time Greene played in a game since the season-opener against Eastern Kentucky, coming in to relieve Doege and Austin Kendall in a blowout. The third-quarter draw against the Cyclones was also the only time he was in the entire game.
While Greene, who had offers from Georgia Tech, Ole Miss and Mississippi State as a high school recruit, is listed as the third string quarterback behind Doege and Kendall, he has athleticism the other two don’t and is a change-of-pace for what the Mountaineers typically do on offense.
But that also is the root of why Greene isn’t getting more chances. At Iowa State, Doege was struggling with consistency, completing 21 of 41 pass attempts, but head coach Neal Brown said his quarterback was far from the reason the Mountaineers failed to find the end zone against the Cyclones in the 42-6 loss.
“Like I said, it wasn’t one of Jarret’s best games, but he wasn’t the cause of why we were struggling, either,” Brown said.
As the old adage goes, there is no one more popular on the team than the backup quarterback. Doege’s numbers and overall performance in 2020 has been solid, but at certain times, has been less than desired. Greene is the new name with a flair to his attitude, so much of the fanbase has been calling for more opportunities as the season winds down.
With one game left in the regular season Saturday against Oklahoma at Milan Puskar Stadium and the possibility of a bowl game later this month, as well as no rules on eligibility this season, Greene could see the field more often.
Brown, though, wants to temper expectations just a bit. While hindsight is 20-20, he said he wished he got Greene in a little bit more recently, but changing quarterbacks too often can mess with the flow of the offense, and as of now, Doege is still the clear-cut starter.
“In retrospect, probably should have used him a little bit more just trying to get some confidence in our offensive unit as we finished the game [at Iowa State],” Brown said. “We’re excited about him. Will we see him on Saturday? We may, we may not, but he’s a guy that has a bright future here.”
Greene hasn’t been without freshman moments, mainly during practice. He’s improved his play in recent weeks and became a leader in what Brown called the “developmental program,” usually filled with players who aren’t playing much, if at all, this season but will contribute in the future.
The maturation process is starting to take shape for Greene, and the WVU coaches hope it pays major dividends in the near future.
“It’s been good to see him grow. He’s gotten better, he cares, he’s got ability and he’s like any good young player that you hope to bring into our program,” offensive coordinator Gerad Parker said. “He shows a bright future and those things. He’s going to have to grow and to continue to not only change his body, but just the logged reps and mental reps it takes to play the position he’s playing — it’s unlimited. I think for him, it’s just going to be continuing to grow and go through a full offseason, a spring offseason, a summer prep and imagine how much further along he’ll be in that time.
“It’s invaluable the reps he’s gotten already and he’s showed a lot of great promise. Now, it’s just going to be about continuing to grow in the process of playing that position even more.”
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