NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
West Virginia is set to fire sixth-year coach Neal Brown, the school announced on Sunday. Brown’s ouster comes on the heels of a devastating 52-15 loss at Texas Tech to drop the Mountaineers to 6-6 on the season and Brown to 37-35 overall in Morgantown.
Ultimately, Brown’s undoing was a product of that mediocrity; his teams were rarely outright bad, but they were even more rarely able to punch up. The Mountaineers always won at least three Big 12 games and reached a bowl game in four of his final five seasons, but West Virginia posted more than six wins only once over that stretch. West Virginia joins Texas Tech and Rutgers as the only teams in the Power Four to not reach the AP Top 25 at any point since 2019.
“Coach Brown is a great person, and he has served as a tremendous ambassador for West Virginia University,” athletic director Wren Baker said in a statement. “He led our storied program with class and integrity and always put in the hard work necessary to allow for success. We are grateful to Neal, his wife, Brooke, and their children for their contributions to our University, community and state, and we wish them the very best in their next endeavor.”
Against Texas Tech, the wheels finally flew off for the Mountaineers. The Red Raiders took a 35-3 lead in the first half and cleared 569 total yards, including 188 yards and three touchdowns on the ground from star running back Tahj Brooks. It was the third loss of five touchdowns or more in the past three seasons.
Brown attempted to stem the bleeding earlier this season by firing defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley, who had been with Brown since his Troy days. However, the Mountaineers still went 2-2 post-Lesley and surrendered an average of 36.5 points per game.
“We will…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/west-virginia-fires-neal-brown-mountaineers-coach-led-team-to-just-two-winning-seasons-across-six-years/
Author : Shehan Jeyarajah
Publish date : 2024-12-01 21:38:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
