Heading into the 2019 college football season, the general consensus for fans of the Mountaineers was that Austin Kendall would take the starting quarterback position and run with it. After being named starter prior to the August 31st showdown with the James Madison Dukes, it appeared as if that was going to be the case.
Nine games and several subpar offensive showings later, Head Coach Neal Brown decided to go in a different direction. Just minutes before kickoff of the November 16th contest against the Kansas State Wildcats, it surfaced that Bowling Green transfer Jarret Doege would get his first career start. It was the breath of fresh air that the football team, as well as the fanbase, was yearning for. Not only did Doege bring new life into the Mountaineers, he lead them to a 24-20 upset victory over the then nationally ranked Wildcats. It was on that evening that the first star quarterback of the Neal Brown era was born.
Doege is a name that Mountaineer fans with a good memory may be familiar with. Jarret is the brother of former Texas Tech Red Raider quarterback Seth Doege, who all the way back in 2012 gave West Virginia their first Big 12 loss in a 49-14 thrashing. Passing for nearly 500 yards and 6 touchdown passes, Mountaineer fans surely never wanted to hear the name Doege again. Making it seem more of an even smaller world that we live in, the offensive coordinator for the Red Raiders at the time was none other than Head Coach Neal Brown himself. Nobody would have thought at the time that seven years later, Country Roads would lead both Doege and Brown home to begin the foundation of the coming golden age of Mountaineer football.
After his performance against the Wildcats, Doege started the final two games of the season. Giving the Oklahoma State Cowboys everything they could handle in a hard fought loss, and then knocking the TCU Horned Frogs out of bowl eligibility in the season finale, Doege continued his superb play in both games. One could argue that his up and down performance against the Horned Frogs could cause some concern moving forward, but the bright spots in the November 29th battle far outshined the hiccups. Doege finished his first season in Morgantown with a 65% completion rate, 818 passing yards, and a 7-3 TD-INT ratio over the course of four appearances. While these numbers may not jump off the page to one simply gazing over the box scores, Doege’s presence on the field simply gave a smoother feel to the Mountaineer offense.
For the time being, Head Coach Neal Brown has not fully committed to either Austin Kendall or Jarret Doege moving forward. Even recently saying that he must breakdown the film of both players before making a decision. Though it would come as a very baffling decision if Doege is not named starter. Mountaineer fans know that this is simply “coach talk” from Brown and that Doege is the guy moving forward. The anemic offensive performances with Kendall combined with his lousy arm strength are just not going to cut it in the Big 12. Doege is simply the most talented quarterback on this team and deserves to be the answer moving forward.
Standing at 6 feet, 2 inches tall, and weighing at just under 200 pounds, Jarret Doege has the perfect frame of a Big 12 gunslinger. Coupled with good pocket presence and the arm strength to push the ball down the field, Mountaineer fans are hoping these are all of the makings for there to be a return of high-flying, air raid offense in Morgantown. The most vital position in college football is the quarterback. Teams will only go as far as their quarterback will take them. This is obvious with the outstanding quarterbacks that lead LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, and Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff this season. It is no secret that those four teams would not be where they are without them. These are the heights that the passionate Mountaineer Nation hope Doege could lead them to over the course of the final two years of his collegiate career.
After his performance against the Wildcats, Doege started the final two games of the season. Giving the Oklahoma State Cowboys everything they could handle in a hard fought loss, and then knocking the TCU Horned Frogs out of bowl eligibility in the season finale, Doege continued his superb play in both games. One could argue that his up and down performance against the Horned Frogs could cause some concern moving forward, but the bright spots in the November 29th battle far outshined the hiccups. Doege finished his first season in Morgantown with a 65% completion rate, 818 passing yards, and a 7-3 TD-INT ratio over the course of four appearances. While these numbers may not jump off the page to one simply gazing over the box scores, Doege’s presence on the field simply gave a smoother feel to the Mountaineer offense.
After his performance against the Wildcats, Doege started the final two games of the season. Giving the Oklahoma State Cowboys everything they could handle in a hard fought loss, and then knocking the TCU Horned Frogs out of bowl eligibility in the season finale, Doege continued his superb play in both games. One could argue that his up and down performance against the Horned Frogs could cause some concern moving forward, but the bright spots in the November 29th battle far outshined the hiccups. Doege finished his first season in Morgantown with a 65% completion rate, 818 passing yards, and a 7-3 TD-INT ratio over the course of four appearances. While these numbers may not jump off the page to one simply gazing over the box scores, Doege’s presence on the field simply gave a smoother feel to the Mountaineer offense.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4244029/jarret-doege
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