(Photo by Wesley Hitt – Getty Images)
What a wild ride it was for WVU quarterback Austin Kendall. After going 3-6 as a starter in his first season after transferring from Oklahoma, a season in which he would lose his starting job, it would be more than a year later before he saw extended action again. When that moment finally came, he made the most of it.
Kendall would enter the second half of the Autozone Liberty Bowl and lead the Mountaineers to a 24-21 comeback win over the Army Black Knights. Despite his career in Morgantown not going as planned, he will forever have a place in the hearts of Mountaineer Nation for his improbable performance when his team needed him most.
Ever since he was replaced by Jarret Doege towards the end of the 2019 season, Kendall has been no stranger to criticism. Fans, including myself, doubted whether or not he should even go on with his collegiate career. Needless to say, at this moment in time, we should all be ashamed of ourselves. We wrote off one of the most talented players and best teammates on the WVU roster, and he proved us all wrong.
For this, we owe Austin Kendall an apology. Nothing will ever take back some of the absolutely insulting comments from the “best” our fanbase has to offer, but admitting where we were wrong will show that we appreciate everything he did during his time in the Old Gold & Blue.
Austin Kendall is a bowl game hero, and a Mountaineer. For this we thank him for everything he did for the program we love dearly, and wish him well in the future.
