Guaranteed Rate Bowl: West Virginia

Jarret Doege

West Virginia Mountaineers

By Ron Sanzone

The Big 12’s West Virginia Mountaineers (6-6) had an up and down season but finished strong with consecutive wins against Texas and Kansas. Those late-season victories elevated the program to bowl eligibility and an invitation to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

West Virginia made its first appearance in the bowl in December 1998 with a 34-31 loss to Missouri when the bowl was still in Tucson. A subsequent appearance after the game moved to Phoenix brought a better result with a 43-42 victory over Arizona State in January 2016.

After a disappointing 2-4 start to its season, WVU won four of its last six games. Season highlights include defeating Virginia Tech 27-21 on September 18, Iowa State 38-31 on October 30, and Texas 31-23 on November 27.

“There were several times when I think people counted us out, and we were able to get off the mat and get to a bowl eligibility,” says head coach Neal Brown about the December 28 game.

A win against Minnesota would not only be the difference between a winning and losing record for the 2021 season, but would also mark backto-back bowl victories. West Virginia won last year’s Liberty Bowl against Army 24-21

Unlike last year, WVU has to prepare for a difficult opponent while making a quick adjustment in its coaching staff. Offensive analyst Kirk Ciarrocca departed for Minnesota on December 6, though he will not coach for the Golden Gophers during the bowl game.

Whatever adjustments the Mountaineers need to make in the wake of the news about Ciarrocca, the presence of redshirt senior quarterback Jarret Doege, who completed nearly 2/3 of his passes and threw for 2,908 yards this season, provides experience under center. Senior running back Leddie Brown, who rushed for 1,065 yards and scored 13 touchdowns, also bolsters the offense.

Defensively, WVU likes to confuse opposing offenses with multiple looks and schemes.

“The framework of what we do is a little bit different,” Brown says. “We move our front quite a bit. We mix it up between a four-down and a three-down. We align some three safety looks in the secondary, play traditional light backs.”

Wherever he lines up, first team all-conference selection Dante Stills will pose problems for Minnesota’s offense. The senior defensive lineman finished the regular season with 32 tackles, six for loss, and six sacks.

Season at a Glance West Virginia Mountaineers (6-6)

Sept. 4 @ Maryland L 30-24 Sept. 11 vs. LIU W 66-0 Sept. 18 vs. Virginia Tech W 27-21 Sept. 25 @ Oklahoma L 16-13 Oct. 2 vs. Texas Tech L 23-20 Oct. 9 @ Baylor L 45-20Oct. 23 @ TCU W 29-17 Oct. 30 Vs. Iowa State W 38-31 Nov. 6 vs. Oklahoma St. L 24-3 Nov. 13 @ Kansas State L 34-17 Nov. 20 vs. Texas W 31-23 Nov. 27 @ Kansas W 34-28