By Bill Nestor
The weather outside is frightful this time of year. Going outside and getting into a cold car is no fun, but modern technology has give us a gift – heated seats. Everyone loves them because they come in handy this time of year, but could you imagine if they were on all year long?
What a pain in the backside that would be – literally!
Well that is what West Virginia University’s Neal brown has had to endure throughout his entire tenure as the head coach of the football team. As a matter of fact, Brown had the heat turned up to an all-time high leading into this season. If the Mountaineers couldn’t produce, he’d be out of a job.
Heading into the regular season finale at Baylor, WVU had a respectable seven and four record. The battle with the Bears was a swing game that had a lot riding on the outcome. A loss would produce a seven and five record and that would not be enough to protect Brown’s position. Baylor outscored West Virginia 14 to nothing in the third quarter to erase a 13 point halftime deficit. The home team would add a field goal to take a four point lead with just seconds left.
The game outcome and Brown’s future were very much in doubt, and to make matters worse, the Mountaineers were playing without center Zach Frazier. Frazier, the former Fairmont Senior standout and heart and soul of the offensive line, had been injured and was on the sideline. With just 23 ticks on a fourth quarter clock remaining, Brown needed someone to step up and make a play. Just like when a student sitting in the front row has his hand up trying to reach the sky before the teacher even finished asking the question, quarterback Garrett Greene was ready.
Greene has been stepping up since the Houston game, and I hate to say that I told you so, but I did say that when he accepted responsibility for that loss, that he would become the leader of that team!
Greene fired a 29 yard touchdown pass to Jahiem White. That scoring strike won the game, moved WVU into fourth place in the Big East standings, made me look like I know what I’m talking about, and, most importantly, saved his coach’s job. His play has improved dramatically as the season progressed. He threw for 269 yards, rushed for 103, and accounted for four total touchdowns.
Greene has become a hot commodity around the country and would potentially have several suitors from big time programs. His vote of confidence in his head coach went a long way with the decision makers at the university. This would never have come into play years ago with the old college football rules. However, with the college game looking more like professional sports every day, Greene’s voice carries weight. Sometimes it is silence that speaks louder than words and, in this case, Greene waited to make his announcement,m which proved helpful to Brown.
This past Friday, West Virginia University vice president and Director of Athletics Wren Baker told Hoppy Kercheval that Brown will remain the head football coach of the Mountaineers in 2024. The very next day, Greene said that he was staying in Morgantown for his final season. It all worked out in the end and now Mountaineer Nation will have a bowl game and another season to watch Brown, Greene, and company.
Finally, Brown can control the heat himself and, after this season, he deserves to!