The West Virginia Mountaineers became bowl eligible on Saturday with a 37-7 win over BYU.
Morgantown, WV – Following a dominant 37-7 win over BYU on Saturday night, the West Virginia Mountaineers are now bowl eligible with a 6-3 overall record, and a 4-2 mark in Big 12 play. It is the earliest point in the season that WVU has become bowl eligible under Neal Brown, and his best overall record to begin the month of November.
This program has taken a gigantic step forward under Brown this season, and is now set up for a future that is looking brighter and brighter with each passing day.
There is a lot to unpack from WVU’s huge win over the Cougars. Today, we take a look back at the 30-point victory, and I give my five thoughts about the win and what it means for the program moving forward.
- I’m excited for the future – The Mountaineers have a lot of young talent this season. Freshmen and sophomores litter the roster, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Players like Jahiem White and Rodney Gallagher are making plays for WVU, and will only continue to get better. Don’t look now, but Neal Brown could have an explosive offense in Morgantown for the foreseeable future. I’m feeling really good about the foundation that has been set for the future in Morgantown.
- Michael Hayes is special – It’s time for everyone to start giving the kicker some love. Michael Hayes has been automatic this season. The Georgia State transfer has connected on 11-of-12 kicks. His only miss came on a 58-yarder to end the first half at TCU. Having a kicker this reliable in college is a rarity.
- Garrett Greene is close – While I am certainly a Garrett Greene believer, there are a few areas in his game that need improvement. Sometimes he simply struggles to hit the easy passes. If he can clean up his accuracy, and start completing some of the easier passes, Greene will be an elite Big 12 quarterback. I have faith that he will get it done – you have to love the guy’s grit.
- Brown is safe – With the win, the Mountaineers are bowl eligible for the first time since 2021. One more win will secure a winning record for the first time since 2020. Having games against Baylor and Cincinnati left on the schedule will help that cause. With at least one more win (which I think WVU will get), I believe it’ll be hard for there to be anymore Neal Brown hot seat talk in 2023. At this point, sitting at 6-3, I think that talk is more than put to bed. He wasn’t kidding when he said his team wouldn’t be the worst in the Big 12.
- Night games at Mountaineer Field feel special again – The Mountaineers won yet another night game at Milan Puskar Stadium last night, making their second of the season. The crowd was electric, and the team fed off of that energy. This is how we should expect WVU to perform at home – especially for night games. I feel really comfortable about WVU’s chances at home at night from this point forward. Neal Brown has injected that magic back into Mountaineer Field.
(Photo by WVU Athletics)
