West Virginia football: 3 takeaways from Eastern Kentucky beat down
By Phil Poling
West Virginia football kicked off the 2020 season with a bang, beating Eastern Kentucky 56-10. What did we learn about the Mountaineers?
Not many were giving the Eastern Kentucky Colonels a chance prior to kickoff at Milan Puskar Stadium, and the Mountaineers showed exactly why on the first possession of the game.
They marched right down the field for a score, covering 82 yards in just four plays. Running back Leddie Brown ripped off a 38-yard run to start the drive before capping it off with a 10-yard scamper for the ‘Eers first score of the season. It was all downhill for the Colonels from there.
We saw a number of Mountaineers on the field, too, some out of necessity, though. Prior to kickoff, Mike Casazza of 247Sports reported that 11 Mountaineers were suspended — and emphasized it wasn’t COVID-19-related — three of whom were starters: center Chase Behrndt, left tackle Junior Uzebu, and wide receiver T.J. Simmons.
But backup quarterback Austin Kendall took the first snap of the second half, relieving Jarret Doege of his duties after completing 19-of-25 passes for 228 yards and three scores in the first half. It was a 42-7 score at the break, so no need for the ‘Eers to flirt with injury to their starters.
It was a bit unusual not hearing the Mountaineer Maniacs, but the WVU sideline did their best to hype themselves up, jumping around on kickoffs and swarming teammates on the sidelines who made a big play.
What does the 2020 season-opener tell us about West Virginia? They won’t meet another team like EKU this season, but we can still learn things from this 56-10 outing.