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5 for 10s is a four-part series reflecting on the most memorable West Virginia athletics players, games, news and events of the concluding decade of the 2010s. Third of four parts: In this installment, we rank the Top 5 most painful West Virginia losses of the decade. These are the losses that, for various reasons, hurt the most. 5. No. 17 Oklahoma 50, West Virginia 49 (Football, Morgantown, November 17, 2012) West Virginia brought a two-game winning streak over Oklahoma into this contest. The Mountaineers routed Oklahoma, 48-28, in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl and beat the Sooners, 41-27, in the 1982 season opener in Norman, Okla. The Sooners got their revenge in the teams first meeting as Big 12 Conference foes. In a game that typified the Big 12 Conference overall and the Mountaineers in particular, the contest was filled with scoring and seriously devoid of defense. Oklahoma led, 31-17, at halftime. The Mountaineers spent most of the second half playing catch up, twice rallying from double-digit deficits. With 2:53 left to play, WVU quarterback Geno Smith hit receiver Stedman Bailey for a 40-yard touchdown pass to give West Virginia a 49-44 lead. Unfortunately, that left just enough time for Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones and the Sooners. Oklahoma marched down the field and inside the Mountaineers 10. WVU’s defense had an opportunity for a game-winning stand under the shadow of its own goalpost. It was a stand that did not come. Jones hit receiver Kenny Stills with a 5-yard strike with just 24 seconds on the clock, giving Oklahoma the touchdown and a one-point victory that silenced a ruckus night-game crowd at Mountaineer Field. The defeat overshadowed an incredible, record-breaking performance from WVU receiver/running back Tavon Austin. Austin ran for a team-record 344 yards on just 21 carries and scored two touchdowns. Bailey also had a monster night in the loss with 13 catches for 205 yards and four touchdowns. Smith finished with 320 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. But the senior was uncharacteristically out shined by his counterpart. Jones finished with 554 yards and six touchdowns. 4. Stephen F. Austin 70, West Virginia 56 (Basketball, NCAA Tournament, East Region, First Round, New York, March 18, 2016) West Virginia was riding high coming into the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers, on the heels of their Big 12 Tournament runner-up finish, were the No. 3 seed in the East Region. It was the Mountaineers second-highest seeding ever, only behind their No. 2 seeding in the 2010 tourney. For the opening round of the tournament, the Mountaineers would play in Brooklyn, N.Y., an area of the country they were familiar from their Big East days. WVU’s first opponent was 14th seed Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks had the nation’s longest winning streak (20), but the Mountaineers were expected to quickly put that to rest. They did not. The Lumberjacks didn’t just upset the heavily favored Mountaineers, they dominated WVU. SFU’s bearded wonder Thomas Walkup looked like he could be the mascot for either school. But he played like he was the best player for either. WVU searched but never found an answer for Walkup, who dominated the contest. Walkup was a one-man wrecking crew, leading SFU in scoring, rebounds and assists. He finished with 33 points, including hitting 19-of-20 free throws. The loss was the biggest upset defeat in WVU’s NCAA Tournament history. 3. Texas A&M 11, West Virginia 10 (Baseball, Morgantown, NCAA Regional, elimination game, June 2, 2019) The 5 for 10s are made up almost exclusively of revenue sports (football and men’s basketball) items. The reason is those are the sports that, overwhelmingly, garner the most interest (and, hence, “revenue”) of fans. For something outside of the big two sports to get a spot on the list, it must be extraordinary. The 2019 NCAA Morgantown Regional elimination game more than qualifies. The Mountaineers baseball team had its best season in school history in 2019, culminating with the Mountaineers hosting a regional. In an elimination game of the regional, WVU faced Texas A&M. The Mountaineers went up, 9-1, after scoring a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning. At that point, WVU had a win probability of 99.73 percent. The Aggies made a big rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring six runs, led by Logan Foster’s grand slam. That cut the WVU lead to 9-7. The Mountaineers got an insurance run in the eighth, extending lead to 10-7. They needed full coverage. WVU blanked A&M in the eighth and took the three-run lead into the bottom of the ninth. WVU pitcher Sam Kessler loaded the bases but had the Aggies down to their final strike with a 3-2 count to A&M second baseman Bryce Blaum. Blaum drove the full-count delivery from Kessler over the left-field fence, capping a heartbreaking collapse that ended the Mountaineers season in an 11-10 loss. 2. Gonzaga 61, West Virginia 58 (Basketball, NCAA Tournament, West Regional, Sweet 16, San Jose, Calif., March 23, 2017) The fourth-seeded Mountaineers and top-seed Gonzaga went toe-to-toe in a battle in the NCAA Tournament West Regional semifinals that featured a pair of defensive stalwarts. In a game where points were at a premium, the difference was a 3-point shot that went in - and a pair that did not. With the scored tied and less than a minute left, Gonzaga’s Jordan Mathews took an outlet pass to the left wing, pulled up and drained an open 3-point shot, giving the Zags a three-point lead. The Mountaineers had multiple chances to send the game to overtime, but Jevon Carter twice missed on game-tying 3-point shots. WVU got the rebound after the second Carter miss, but West Virginia unable to get up a third potential game-tying effort, and the Mountaineers season and upset hopes ended. What made the loss so disheartening was the path the laid out for this game’s winner. Second seeded Arizona was upset by No. 11 seed Xavier in the region’s other semifinal. Gonzaga destroyed Xavier, 83-59, to advance to the Final Four. In the Final Four, the Zags faced a seven seed, South Carolina, beating the Gamecocks, 77-73, to advance to the championship game. Gonzaga lost...

5 for the 10s is a four-part series reflecting on the most memorable West Virginia athletics players, games, news and events of the concluding decade of the 2010s. Second of four parts: In this installment, we rank the Top 5 West Virginia victories of the decade. These might not all be the most important wins of the decade (some are), but they’re the five most satisfying/fun victories. 5. West Virginia 70, Baylor 63 (Football, Morgantown, September 29, 2012) This was WVU’s first conference game as a member of the Big 12. The Mountaineers announced their presence with authority. The Mountaineers and Bears put up record-breaking, video game numbers as WVU broke numerous offensive records in the victory. Quarterback Geno Smith set school marks in yards (656) and touchdowns (8) and the teams broke each school’s record for total points in a game. WVU receiver Stedman Baily also made his imprint on the Mountaineers record book, setting new marks in single-game yards (303) and touchdowns (5). The teams were tied at 35 at the half, but West Virginia broke out with 21 unanswered points to start the second half. But the Baylor offense, led by quarterback Nick Florence (581 yards) rallied back, twice pulling to within on score. But Smith and the Mountaineers offense kept the Bears at arm’s length. After Baylor pulled to within 70-63, WVU never relinquished the ball and ran out the clock to victory. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, this inaugural Big 12 conference game was not a harbinger of good things to come for the 2012 season. After beating Texas in Austin, Texas, the following week and being ranked No. 5 in the country, the Mountaineers proceeded to lose six of their next eight games to finish 7-6 (4-5 in the Big 12). But regardless of how that season turned out, Mountaineers fans will always remember this epic shootout in Motown. 4. West Virginia 42, Texas 41 (Football, Austin, Texas, November 3, 2018) Morgantown and Austin, Texas are 1,193 miles apart as the crow flies, but a pair of southward turned “Hook ‘em Horns” hand signs cemented the WVU-Texas rivalry. The clash of 13th ranked West Virginia and 17th ranked Texas took place in Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. It was a critical matchup for both teams as the loser’s chances to making the Big 12 Championship game were slim. Trailing 41-34, West Virginia had first and 10 at the Texas 33-yard line with 23 seconds left. Quarterback Will Grier threw caution to the wind and the ball in the air, laying a beautiful rainbow pass into the waiting arms of receiver Gary Jennings in the back of the end zone with 16 seconds left to pull the Mountaineers to within 41-40. West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, trusting Grier and the offense much more than his struggling defense, decided to go for the 2-point conversion and the win. But even that seemingly simple 3-yard play didn’t go easily in this game. Grier hit receiver David Sills on a slant pattern that seemed to give WVU the successful try and the victory. But Texas coach Tom Herman had called time out before the play, so the Grier to Sills pitch and catch went for naught. Despite the cancellation of a successful try, Holgorsen stuck with his decision and the offense tried for 2 again. This time, Grier stepped up in the pocket, pumped, then ran towards the left front corner of the end zone, crossing the goal line untouched to give West Virginia a 42-41 lead and the win. Upon scoring the winning conversion, Grier and Jennings taunted the Texas fans, turning the iconic Texas “Hook ‘em Horns” hand signs downward for the infamous “Horns Down” signal. WVU was assessed with a 15-yard penalty that was well worth the revenge. The Grier pass and run broke Longhorns fans hearts - and Fox play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson’s vocal cords. 3. West Virginia 60, Georgetown 58 (Basketball, Big East Tournament Championship Game, New York, March 14, 2010) West Virginia won its first and only Big East Conference Tournament title in the same fashion it won some many games in 2010 – on a Da’Sean Butler game-winning shot. Butler’s shot with four seconds left snapped a 58-all tie and propelled the Mountaineers to their only conference tournament title in the last 36 years. Butler scored 20 points in the finals and was named tournament MVP. He also hit the game-winning shot in the Mountaineers 54-51 opening-game victory over Cincinnati. The tournament title victory in Madison Square Garden was a homecoming for numerous Mountaineers who grew up in the New York area, including Butler, Wellington Smith, Kevin Jones, Devin Ebanks, Truck Bryant and Danny Jennings. In the first half of the victory over Georgetown, Butler joined Jerry West and Hot Rod Hundley as the only 2,000-point scorers in WVU history. 2. West Virginia 70, Clemson 33 (Football, Orange Bowl, Miami, January 4, 2012) West Virginia’s last game as a Big East member was certainly memorable. The Mountaineers scored a then bowl record 70 points in a thrashing of ACC champion Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl. Ironically, in a game in which the West Virginia offense broke records like toothpicks, it was a play by the Mountaineers defense that turned the tide. With WVU leading, 21-17, early in the second quarter, Clemson had driven the ball to the Mountaineers 1 and was set to punch in the go-ahead touchdown. But West Virginia’s Darwin Cook recovered an Andre Ellington fumble and returned it 99 yards for the score, turning a sure-deficit into a 28-17 lead. After that, it was all Mountaineers. West Virginia outscored Clemson, 35-3 - in the second quarter. Quarterback Geno Smith threw for 401 yards and six touchdowns. Tavon Austin had 163 combined rushing and receiving yards and four touchdowns, many on quick jet-sweep shovel passes that the speedy Austin turned into big gains. The powerful Clemson offense, led by quarterback Taj Boyd and future first-round pick receiver Sammy Watkins, had a more-than respectable night. The Tigers scored 33 points and racked up 440 yards of total offense. But that normally spectacular output paled in comparison to the...

Former West Virginia quarterback Will Grier is expected to get the start this week for the Carolina Panthers, according to NFL insider Ian Rapaport. Carolina plays at Indianapolis on Sunday. Grier, drafted by Carolina in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, has served as backup to Kyle Allen since week 3, when Allen took over for injured starter Cam Newton. Allen started well in relief of Newton but has struggled mightily since. The Panthers (5-9) have lost six straight and have been out of the playoff chase for weeks. The mid-to-late season swoon cost Carolina head coach Ron Rivera his job. Rivera was fired Dec. 3. Interim coach Perry Fawell stuck with Allen the past two games despite his – and the team’s – struggles. If Grier gets the start Sunday it will be his first action of his NFL career. Grier was the West Virginia starting quarterback in 2017 and 2018. Grier redshirted in 2016 after transferring to WVU from Florida, where he played six games as a freshman in 2015 before being suspended by the NCAA for testing positive for a performance enhancing substance.

The West Virginia Mountaineers moved to 8-1 by beating the Austin Peay Governors by a score of 84-53. The Mountaineers were led by Emmitt Matthews, Jr, who had 16 points (7-9 from the field and 2-3 from 3 point range) and 10 rebounds.  Oscar Tshiebwe got his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. https://twitter.com/WVUhoops/status/1205297276698025984?s=20 https://twitter.com/WVUhoops/status/1205299235941257216?s=20 Derek Culver struggled again, finishing with 4 points (2-5 FG) and 4 rebounds in 22 minutes.  The Mountaineers outrebounded the Governors 48-25.  Terry Taylor, Austin Peay's outstanding junior guard, paced the Governors with 19 points and 5 rebounds. The Mountaineers next play Nicholls State Saturday at 2:00PM at the WVU Coliseum.  The game will be televised on ATSN.

West Virginia beat Wichita State, 75-63, to win the 2019 Cancun Challenge championship Wednesday night. That's the trees. Here's the forest: If this is the version of Bob Huggins squad we're going to see for most of the remainder of the season, the Mountaineers are back from their one-season nightmare. After a semifinals, 60-55, come-from-behind win over Northern Iowa on Tuesday night that could be described, charitably, as a slog, West Virginia (6-0) put on its best performance of the young season in Wednesday night's championship game. The Mountaineers came out fast and strong, with a spring in their step that was missing the night before. They had a team-wide defensive intensity that suffocated the Shockers through most of the night. WVU's front line owned the glass. The Mountaineers forced turnovers. They sped up Wichita State and the Shockers were visibly uncomfortable on the offensive end all night. It wasn't exactly vintage Press Virginia, as the full-court press of the past is employed more sporadically than during the Jevon Carter-Daxter Miles era. But it was vintage Huggins defense. Tough. Relentless. Physical. Rebounding. Rebounding. And more rebounding. A night after an invisible effort worthy of the Witness Protection Program, freshman Oscar Tshiewbe displayed the kind of domination expected of his five-star pedigree. Tshiewbe was the best player on the floor in the finals. That wasn't disputable. Tshiewbe finished with his third double-double in six career contests, leading the Mountaineers with 19 points and tying a Cancun Challenge rebounding record with 18 boards. When he is on his game, Tshiewbe is West Virginia's best player. He was able to tally those dominating numbers despite finishing with four personal fouls - again. Tshiewbe has a chance to be the Big 12 newcomer of the year. He has a chance to earn all-conference first-team honors. He is just that good. His combination of size, strength, quickness, hops, smooth feet and soft hands haven't been seen by a big man in Morgantown since...ever. He probably won't be a Mountaineer long. But he has a chance to be special in the time he does have. But he has to become more consistent and learn to better avoid picking up fouls. He's young. This should improve as the season goes on. Should. This was the best combination effort with the Mountaineers version of the twin towers - Tshiewbe and sophomore forward Derek Culver. Before Wednesday night, either Tshiewbe or Culver carried the Mountaineers front-line effort alone. Culver added seven points, nine rebounds and two blocks Wednesday. If WVU is going to return to the NCAA Tournament and be a factor in the Big 12, this kind of combined effort has to be the rule - not the exception. Another positive sign for WVU was Huggins decision to play sophomore point guard Jordan McCabe much of the second half and all of crunch time. While Tshiewbe was persona non grata some of the time, McCabe has been all year. Wednesday night was McCabe's sixth start, but his first meaningful contribution. McCabe's numbers weren't spectacular - nine points and just two assists. But Huggins relied on McCabe to handle the defensive pressure the Shockers tried to apply in an effort to get back into the game. This is what McCabe does best. He was brilliant at it Wednesday night. During the Carter run at WVU, the one area the Mountaineers struggled was handling the opponent's press. It led to numerous blown big leads late in games. For all that Carter did well, he wasn't a good ball handler for a point guard. McCabe is. WVU needs him on the floor more than he's off it. Especially for this exact situation. His ability to beat the press is going to be needed again. WVU is a young team that is trying to find itself. The journey didn't end in Mexico Wednesday night. But it took a big step forward.

  If you're a half-full kind of fan, enjoy the grit and never-say-die attitude West Virginia showed in the Mountaineers 60-55 comeback victory against Northern Iowa in the semifinals of the Cancun Challenge Tuesday night. If you're a half-empty type, feel free to wring your hands at the display of offensive ineptness WVU took south of the border. Apparently, made baskets aren't included in the Hard Rock Casino Resort's all-inclusive package. The Mountaineers brought along all of their issues for their trip to Mexico. Northern Iowa led by as many as 15 points in the second half and led almost the entire game. The Panthers controlled the action and - quite frankly - embarrassed the Mountaineers for much of the contest. Fortunately for West Virginia, UNI couldn't match the Mountaineers roster depth. Northern Iowa's best front-line player, Austin Pfyfe, tallied just 16 minutes and eventually fouled out. Two others Panthers starters - Spencer Haldeman and Isaiah Brown - each played through foul issues and each finished with four personal fouls. The Mountaineers capitalized on those foul problems and the Panthers thin roster to - eventually - wear down their over-matched opponent. Freshman Miles McBride led WVU off the bench with a career-high 18 points in the rally. He also was strong on the defensive end in the second half. If this was the start of McBride becoming a greater contributor to the Mountaineers cause, WVU coach Bob Huggins is sure to take it. While the positive contributions of McBride and also Emmit Matthews Jr. and Sean McNeil were welcome, another game with minimal help from freshman phenom Oscar Tshiewbe and sophomore point guard  Jordan McCabe ranges from bothersome to frightening. Early in his career, Tshiewbe has been either fantastic or relatively absent. Tuesday night was the latter. Tshiewbe again had foul issues and appeared to, again, find himself in Huggins doghouse for the majority of a game. Tshiewbe finished with six points, two rebounds and four fouls in just 14 minutes of court time. When he's on, Tshiewbe is WVU's best player. His size, strength, quickness, soft hands and smooth footwork is an unmatched combination on the team. And they are all useless when he's spending the majority of the game on the bench. As little as Tshiewbe contributed to the victory, McCabe added even less. And unlike Tshiewbe, McCabe couldn't blame foul problems on his disappearance. Like he has every game this season, McCabe was in the starting lineup. And like most of season, that was the highlight of McCabe's night. The sophomore point guard finished with two points, no assists and no rebounds in just nine minutes of action. It's a disturbing development for a player of whom so much was expected this season. Huggins is obviously not happy - at all - with McCabe's play. As this continues, McCabe risks becoming an afterthought. While it's still early - very early - in the season, it's no longer a given McCabe will grow into stardom into Morgantown. At this rate, it's no longer a given McCabe will play his junior season at West Virginia. Unlike last season, this year Huggins is blessed with a team that can win despite the struggles of its top players. But even with that depth, the Mountaineers aren't going to the NCAA Tournament - let alone competing for a Big 12 title - with the continuing disappearing acts by McCabe and especially Tshiewbe. It's nice that WVU is getting contributions from so many. But the Mountaineers still need their stars to shine.

Down 15 points in the 2nd half against Northern Iowa in the Cancun Challenge, Bob Huggins and the West Virginia Mountaineers needed someone, anyone to step up and take over to have a chance of coming back to win.  Enter Miles McBride. McBride, the outstanding Freshman point guard, finished with 19 points and 5 assists, hitting key shots late in the second half to lead the Mountaineers back to victory.  On a team that desperately needs a leader, McBride increasingly looks like the floor chief that Huggins needs and the player that he can rely on to hit big shots at critical times in the game. Miles McBride is a winner.  Underrated as a three star recruit out of high school, McBride led Moeller High School to the Ohio Division I state championship with a 29-0 record.  McBride hasn't lost a game in a long, long time; 54 straight games, in fact, dating all the way back to his Junior season at Moeller. McBride doesn't play like a Freshman.  Rather, he provides a sense of calm to the relatively young West Virginia team and does not make a lot of mental mistakes, which is typical of a Freshman player. Not only is he a leader and winner, he's also becoming the player that Bob Huggins can rely on on both sides of the ball.  While his clutch shots will be what's remembered from him in this game, McBride's key block shot on a driving Northern Iowa player (AJ Green) and incredible defensive effort in the second half was just as meaningful. While he's a Freshman and other players on the team have seniority over him, this team desperately needs a true leader and Miles McBride appears to be just the right player to lead the Mountaineers this season. Following the Northern Iowa game, Bob Huggins said, "Deuce made some huge shots for us.  He's in the huddle saying, "Just give it to me.  I'm good, just give it to me." Huggins gave it to him and he answered the call.  Expect McBride to be relied on more during big situations this season and for him to be the unquestioned floor leader for the Mountaineers from now on.

Darnell Wright, a former five star recruit from Huntington High School, was a Top 10 prospect nationally and was the most highly-coveted in-state football player in years.  He had offers from every major football program in the country, but it came down to Tennessee, where he eventually chose, and West Virginia, his home state. West Virginia's offensive line is perhaps the worst it's ever been in program history and signing Wright would have been huge for the Mountaineers.  Darnell Wright is a once-in-a-lifetime prospect in our state and West Virginia just barely missed out of him. Not only would Wright have filled a role on the desperately porous offensive line, he would have been an absolutely perfect start to Neal Brown's plan to keep elite in-state talent at home.  The loss of Wright to Tennessee will be felt for years and Neal Brown knew that.  Although Darnell Wright is only one player, he is a really, really important player for several reasons. Former Head Coach Dana Holgorsen unfortunately did not value recruiting in-state talent and largely ignored Wright.  To be clear, Darnell Wright is the most talented high school player in the state of West Virginia in the last decade and Dana Holgorsen didn’t recruit him.  According to Wright, he didn’t even try.  In response to Holgorsen saying, "We weren't going to get high school kids at West Virginia that we were going to win the Big 12 with", Wright replied on Twitter with, "You gotta try first." https://twitter.com/darnell_5232/status/1124080200076210177?s=20   When Neal Brown took over as the Head Coach, he immediately made Wright a priority.  Brown and his whole coaching staff attended Neal Brown attempted to undo Holgorsen’s lack of recruitment by sending his entire staff to Huntington to meet with Wright and try to convince him to come to West Virginia University during his first few weeks on the job.  Unfortunately, the damage was done and Wright ultimately decided to attend the University of Tennessee, the school that recruited him hard for years. Wright was a 2019 ESPN Preseason Freshman All-American and has played well for Tennessee, starting 6 games at right tackle for the Volunteers as a Freshman.  He will have an outstanding collegiate career and will likely one day play professionally in the National Football League. I wish him the best in Knoxville, but he would have been a massive difference-maker for the West Virginia football program and for his entire home state.  Darnell Wright is truly the one that got away for the Mountaineers.

At the conclusion of the 2018 West Virginia University football season, Mountaineer fans were once again left with disappointment.  What could have potentially been a Big 12 Championship football team turned into an 8-4 football team that dropped their last three games of the season  Will Grier, David Sills and Gary Jennings all anchored what was one of the best offenses in the nation, arguably the best offense that WVU has ever had.  How could this team possibly fall off the way that it did at the end of the season?  The answer to that is two words...Dana Holgorsen. Again and again throughout his tenure, Holgorsen underachieved.  He never beat Oklahoma during his time with the Mountaineers, finishing 0-7 (later becoming 0-8 after an opening season loss to OU with Houston).  Outside of 2016 and the first three quarters of the 2018 season, Holgorsen never had the Mountaineers contending for a Big 12 Championship.  Things began to feel stale for fans and the program, and Holgorsen's decision to leave to coach the University of Houston was met with applause.  It was finally the fresh start many were yearning for. On January 4th, 2019, Athletic Director Shane Lyons made the announcement that Troy Head Football Coach Neal Brown would be the new leader of the Mountaineers.  After three straight 10-win seasons and an impressive 3-0 record in bowl games, it was shocking that Brown was still available.  Luckily for Lyons and the Mountainers, he was, and the match made in Almost Heaven was made.  Both fans and boosters alike have take to Coach Brown.  His friendly nature and very professional demeanor have been welcome warmly to the state of West Virginia.  This is a complete shift from the hot-headed, often "standoff-ish" nature of former Head Coach Dana Holgorsen.  This was exactly the type of man that the Mountaineers needed to lead them moving forward. Coming up on the conclusion of the 2019 season, both Dana Holgorsen and Neal Brown have compiled the same exact win-loss record, 4-7.  This was expected of Neal Brown considering how bare Holgorsen left the cupboard, but not so much of Holgorsen considering he had potential Heisman dark horse candidate D'Eriq King.  King called it quits for the 2019 season after just four games and the season quickly began to fall apart for Holgorsen.  What began as what seemed to be a match made in heaven became a disaster.  Embarrassing sideline antics, as well as a player claiming that the coach was blatantly tanking for the season have all added up to what has been a very long season for the Cougars and Holgorsen. Meanwhile in Morgantown, Coach Brown go the Mountaineers off to what was a very promising 3-1 start.  Things appeared to be "climbing" up, until the gauntlet arrived.  Five consecutive losses followed for Brown and the Mountaineers until the streak was finally snapped with a 24-20 upset win over Kansas State.  Thought it has ultimately been a disappointing season in West Virginia, there are still plethora of bright spots to be excited for.  The Mountaineers will return the bulk of both their offense and defense for the 2020 season, and they have also found their quarterback in Jarret Doege. The "Trust the Climb" motto that has been used all over the social media during the duration of the season appears to have started to take shape.  The ascension of this football program has begun.  While Brown and Holgorsen have been identical in their first seasons at their new schools, Neal Brown has done a far better job of the two.  Showing progress in every single game this season, even with a chance to pull out a win over a few of the "top dogs" of the Big 12 before ultimately falling short.  Houston could potentially be faced with issues heading into the 2020 season with rumors surfacing that quarterback D'Eriq King could potentially transfer to a Power 5 and Group of 5 program. What has resulted so far in Houston is nothing more than a visor  wearing, bald-headed mess.  It was said during the introductory press conference in January for the Cougars that "an 8-4 record will get you fired."  If this is the case, then Holgorsen may want to go ahead and pack his bags. Two different personalities, two different hairstyles, two very different coaches.  Outside of offense, Holgorsen and Brown cannot be compared.  They are both unique in their own way, for very different reasons.  Neal Brown has shown that he has the manners and has shown to be likable enough to be a hit with the fans.  Top that off with a southern charm straight from Kentucky, Coach Brown is the full package.  Red Bull-fueled, foul-mouthed, raspy-voiced, and habitual cougher during press conferences, Dana Holgorsen may not be so lucky.  Once thought to be the solution for the Cougars, he may have just brought more issues with him.  As Mountaineer fans we should be thankful that Shane Lyons made the move to not extend Dana, ultimately leading to his departure.  At least now we can say, "Houston, his is YOUR problem now."

For teams that haven't sniffed the Top 25 during the season, it's interesting to see where they stack up against other underachieving teams in the country. In the CBS Sports 130, every team is ranked from #1 (the 11-0 Ohio State Buckeyes) to #130 (1-11 Massachusetts).  For what's it worth, I disagreed with both, ranking LSU as a clear #1 and the dismal, 0-11 Akron Zips as #130. The West Virginia Mountaineers came in as the 94th ranked team in nation.  With a 4-7 record, the Mountaineers certainly have not had a great season, but they certainly should be ranked higher in this (absolutely meaningless) poll. A 4-7 record in the Big 12 is far more respectable than a 4-7 record in the American Athletic Conference.  The Houston Cougars, for instance, are ranked 85th with the same 4-7 record and inexplicably shot up 12 spots in the rankings after beating 3-8 Tulsa.  To say that Dana Holgorsen's Houston team has had a better season than the Mountaineers is simply wrong. Other noteworthy rankings include Texas Tech ranked 84th with a 4-7 record in the same conference, Troy University ranked 89th with a 5-6 record and Tulsa ranked just ahead of the Mountaineers with a 3-8 record.  Kansas (3-8) is the only team ranked below West Virginia at 109th out of 130 teams in the country. For a look at the full rankings:  https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/rankings/cbs-sports-ranking/

Jarret Doege is the real deal.  In his two starts and one quarter this season,  Doege has thrown for 660 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The most impressive part of Doege's brief experience as the quarterback of the Mountaineers is that he hasn't made any bad throws or mental mistakes.  He is confident in the pocket, an excellent downfield passer, deceptively elusive and he is experienced.   With two full seasons remaining, Doege has already started 19 collegiate games (5 as a Freshman and 12 as a Sophomore at Bowling Green and 2 at West Virginia) and Neal Brown already knows what he has in him.  Brown has a talented, extremely seasoned quarterback capable of leading the Mountaineers for the next two seasons, and he really doesn't need to see him play against TCU in the team's finale to know that. Playing Doege in the final game obviously gives the Mountaineers the best chance to win, but it's also a risky proposition that simply isn't worth it.  A win against TCU would be great, but it's also completely and utterly meaningless, and an injury to Doege would set the Mountaineers back another season. Trey Lowe, the Redshirt Freshman from Collierville, Tennessee, is currently the 3rd string quarterback for the West Virginia Mountaineers behind starter Jarret Doege and Austin Kendall.  Just as Neal Brown knows what he has from Doege, he knows what Austin Kendall offers.  No one knows what Trey Lowe brings to the table and West Virginia really needs a viable backup quarterback in case Doege is injured at some point next season.  Kendall is a step backwards and Freshman Garrett Greene won't be ready yet.  Trey Lowe makes the most sense as Doege's backup for the next two seasons. During his high school career, Lowe finished as the all-time passing leader at Bolivar High with 5,568 yards and 53 passing touchdowns and he rushed for 25 career touchdowns and had 78 total touchdowns Lowe is an exceptional athlete, but many have questioned Lowe's ability to throw the ball downfield.  During his brief time last season and the downs he's played this year, he has not been given the opportunity to throw the ball, which has led to questions whether he was a capable passer or not. That is until former West Virginia wide receiver Ricky Johns, who recently entered the transfer portal, posted a video from a WVU practice revealing that Trey Lowe's arm is an absolute weapon and his ability to throw downfield should not be questioned: https://twitter.com/ricky_johns8/status/1195439374172864512?s=20 Although this is just practice and it's unclear who is playing defensively, Trey Lowe can absolutely throw the ball downfield and he put the ball precisely where it needed to be to be caught by the wide receiver. Hopefully Trey Lowe remains in Morgantown and continues to grow within Neal Brown's system because he clearly has the talent to be a truly great quarterback for the Mountaineers.  To keep him in Morgantown, Brown must give him a real chance to prove himself and there is no better opportunity than West Virginia's final game against TCU.

Last time I placed a huge bet on the Mountaineers, I wagered with my heart and lost an exorbitant amount of money in the process.  I love the Mountaineers more than life itself and I'm an admitted homer and undying optimist for things West Virginia University.  It's my home, it's my alma mater, it means everything to me. Often times, I put what I want to happen before what I really think will happen.  This was certainly the case when West Virginia was beaten by Iowa State earlier in the season and I lost more money than I'm willing to admit. With that said, the West Virginia Mountaineers are a different team now with Jarret Doege running the offense and they will absolutely beat Oklahoma State Saturday at noon in Morgantown, and I'm willing to put another colossal amount of money on it.  The obvious question is, "How much?" That won't be revealed but it's substantial and it's actually a very good bet. Following the announcement that Oklahoma State starting quarterback Spencer Sanders had surgery on his thumb and would be out for the remainder of the season, the Cowboys immediately went from 7.5 point to 5.5 point favorites over the Mountaineers. The initial 7.5 point line was a bit high considering Jarret Doege's outstanding performance last week against Kansas State on the road and Oklahoma State's terrible pass defense, which ranks 116th out of 130 teams nationally, giving up 273.1 yards per game this season.  Doege will take advantage of this and Sam James (and company) will come up with another big game as the Mountaineers easily cover and beat the Oklahoma State Cowboys today. With Oklahoma State's starter out and Jarret Doege going against a weak pass defense in the team's final home game, it feels less like a possible win and more like a probable win.

To go bowling, West Virginia needs to end the season on a three-game winning streak. The Mountaineers got one-third of the way there with a 24-20 upset at Kansas State. Today, WVU tries to make it two-thirds of the way towards bowl eligibility when the Mountaineers host No. 21 Oklahoma State in their home finale. WVU's chances got a boost with the announcement that Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing thumb surgery earlier in the week. While a change at signal caller figures to hamper OSU, the Mountaineers move to Jarrett Doege as starting quarterback last week jump-started the WVU offense. Doege's presence behind center should help what has been a season-long middling passing game. Unfortunately, there's not much Doege can do about the Mountaineers anemic running game. If that doesn't improve, and don't expect that it will, WVU will struggle to get past OSU. Oklahoma State 24 West Virginia 17