Winning "TOUGH"
7 months 3 weeks ago #416
by wvu4u2
Winning "TOUGH" was created by wvu4u2
Who would have guessed?
After all the angst about Jarret Doege …
After all the hoopla about Graham Harrell’s “Air Raid” offense and its subsequent failure …
After the demise and inevitable departure of J.T. Daniels …
After all that quarterback conjecture, who would have guessed that suddenly the quarterback position is not the linch-pin to West Virginia University football’s success.
I mean, honestly, who would have guessed that?
Nobody.
Yet, it is most certainly the case. The Mountaineers have their best start under coach Neal Brown — 3-1 — because of WVU’s offensive line and what was once a blasphemed and beleaguered defense.
Who would have thunk it?
Who indeed?
Which just makes it that much more intriguing.
Just ask Brown.
“Our offensive line is the strength of our entire football team,” WVU’s embattled coach said. “Our offensive player of the Texas Tech game was Wyatt Milum [6-foot-6, 312-pound junior left tackle from Kenova]. I thought he was the best player on the field.”
That speaks volumes. Mostly, it says to forget the finesse and embrace the physicality. Which is precisely what the new-look Mountaineers are doing.
“This is the most physical team we’ve had here,” Brown said. “That’s fair. Yes, this is the most physical. I think in totality, this is the best O-line and D-line that we’ve had. If you can be really good in the trenches … those guys set the tone. We’ve had five captains and we’ve rotated them.
“It’s Doug [Nester, senior right tackle from Kenova] and Zach [Frazier, senior center from Fairmont] on the O-line, and they set the standard on offense.”
Imagine that.
A WVU football team winning with muscle and defense.
It’s unheard of.
Yet, it just might be the key to WVU’s success, not to mention the key to Brown keeping his job.
“You’ve got to go win,” Brown emphasized. “That’s just the way it is. We’ve got to go win. We have to prove we’re a contender. We’re 3-1, but I’m not sure we’ve grabbed national attention or anything yet.”
Does anybody think the Mountaineers have gotten a single vote in The Associated Press top 25 poll this season? Nope. And even if WVU defeats TCU at 8 p.m. Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas, the Mountaineers might fall into the “others receiving votes” category, but that’s about it.
That’s no surprise. The fact of the matter is, WVU will have to fight and scratch and claw for every win and for every shred of recognition and respectability. The Mountaineers are backed into that corner.
The good news is, WVU keeps finding a way to persevere, even while losing starting quarterback Garrett Greene just six snaps into the Pitt games. That forced redshirt freshman Nicco Marchiol into the fire and, yes, he got burned. But he persevered, helping WVU to a 17-6 win.
And then he it did again last Saturday against Texas Tech, helping WVU to a 20-13 victory. That was huge, considering the circumstances that the Mountaineers were 0-4 versus the Red Raiders in Big 12 play under Brown.
In the meantime, WVU’s defense has improved markedly, and along with the offensive line, have become the keys to the Mountaineers’ surprising success.
Everybody is waiting for WVU to stumble and Brown knows it.
“We’re a tough football team,” he said. “We’re tough. People will say it wasn’t pretty. And last week wasn’t pretty. Win. Win.”
That’s the new name of WVU’s game.
Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
After all the angst about Jarret Doege …
After all the hoopla about Graham Harrell’s “Air Raid” offense and its subsequent failure …
After the demise and inevitable departure of J.T. Daniels …
After all that quarterback conjecture, who would have guessed that suddenly the quarterback position is not the linch-pin to West Virginia University football’s success.
I mean, honestly, who would have guessed that?
Nobody.
Yet, it is most certainly the case. The Mountaineers have their best start under coach Neal Brown — 3-1 — because of WVU’s offensive line and what was once a blasphemed and beleaguered defense.
Who would have thunk it?
Who indeed?
Which just makes it that much more intriguing.
Just ask Brown.
“Our offensive line is the strength of our entire football team,” WVU’s embattled coach said. “Our offensive player of the Texas Tech game was Wyatt Milum [6-foot-6, 312-pound junior left tackle from Kenova]. I thought he was the best player on the field.”
That speaks volumes. Mostly, it says to forget the finesse and embrace the physicality. Which is precisely what the new-look Mountaineers are doing.
“This is the most physical team we’ve had here,” Brown said. “That’s fair. Yes, this is the most physical. I think in totality, this is the best O-line and D-line that we’ve had. If you can be really good in the trenches … those guys set the tone. We’ve had five captains and we’ve rotated them.
“It’s Doug [Nester, senior right tackle from Kenova] and Zach [Frazier, senior center from Fairmont] on the O-line, and they set the standard on offense.”
Imagine that.
A WVU football team winning with muscle and defense.
It’s unheard of.
Yet, it just might be the key to WVU’s success, not to mention the key to Brown keeping his job.
“You’ve got to go win,” Brown emphasized. “That’s just the way it is. We’ve got to go win. We have to prove we’re a contender. We’re 3-1, but I’m not sure we’ve grabbed national attention or anything yet.”
Does anybody think the Mountaineers have gotten a single vote in The Associated Press top 25 poll this season? Nope. And even if WVU defeats TCU at 8 p.m. Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas, the Mountaineers might fall into the “others receiving votes” category, but that’s about it.
That’s no surprise. The fact of the matter is, WVU will have to fight and scratch and claw for every win and for every shred of recognition and respectability. The Mountaineers are backed into that corner.
The good news is, WVU keeps finding a way to persevere, even while losing starting quarterback Garrett Greene just six snaps into the Pitt games. That forced redshirt freshman Nicco Marchiol into the fire and, yes, he got burned. But he persevered, helping WVU to a 17-6 win.
And then he it did again last Saturday against Texas Tech, helping WVU to a 20-13 victory. That was huge, considering the circumstances that the Mountaineers were 0-4 versus the Red Raiders in Big 12 play under Brown.
In the meantime, WVU’s defense has improved markedly, and along with the offensive line, have become the keys to the Mountaineers’ surprising success.
Everybody is waiting for WVU to stumble and Brown knows it.
“We’re a tough football team,” he said. “We’re tough. People will say it wasn’t pretty. And last week wasn’t pretty. Win. Win.”
That’s the new name of WVU’s game.
Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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