West Virginia football: Neal Brown proving he’s perfect man for job

West Virginia football looks to become contenders in the Big 12 again. For them to do so, they need to develop more on offense and defense.

When the West Virginia Mountaineers hired head coach Neal Brown to replace the departing Dana Holgorsen, they knew it would be some time for the program to consistently win again.

With a rough offseason due to spring training being canceled and some late surprising coaching turnover, it will take more time for the Mountaineers to recover.

Last season, they suffered their first losing season of 5-7 since 2013 when they went 4-8. The Mountaineers started the season with a 3-1 run that included a 44-27 win over NC State. West Virginia then suffered a five-game losing streak against four tough conference opponents followed by an embarrassing 38-17 loss at home to Texas Tech.

They finished the season with a 2-1 run with wins at Kansas State and at TCU. Brown wants his team to be more consistent during the season especially in games where they can win at home.

Since arriving in the Big 12, the Mountaineers have accounted for a 36-36 Big 12 record but have had some success in a couple of seasons. The departure of Holgorsen as head coach to take the same position with the Houston Cougars has not been easy for the program. They were starting to wonder if they could never get back to the 2016 season where West Virginia accumulated a 10-3 (7-2 Big 12) record where they finished tied for second place with Oklahoma State in the conference.

With so many young players and inexperience still hampering the team, they will use the remaining offseason to establish their key areas of concern. It doesn’t help the Mountaineers that they have mutually departed with defensive coordinator Vic Koenning after accusations of player mistreatments.

There will be some difficulties for the Mountaineers this season unless they can overcome the obstacles of an unusual and troublesome offseason.