Getty Image / Brian Bahr
The West Virginia Mountaineers came into the season with some pretty high expectations after a solid 9-win campaign a year ago. Head Coach Neal Brown had his starting quarterback, Garrett Greene, back, as well as a bunch of other returners.
But, they sit at 3-3 after losing to Iowa State at home on Saturday night. Neal Brown is taking a lot of heat from the fan base, and he’s not handling it too well.
West Virginia lost 28-16 to Iowa State, and it was a really frustrating performance. On a play-to-play basis, they played with the undefeated Cyclones. But, huge mistakes and costly turnovers lost them the game. That falls on Neal Brown, as it does every head coach.
Ultimately, fans have a right to be upset. Yes, last year’s season was great. But, his only other winning season at WVU after getting the job prior to the 2019 season is the COVID year of 2020, going 6-4. West Virginia probably can’t be a powerhouse in this era. But, it’s a top-20 program all-time in terms of wins and they’ve had ten seasons of nine or more wins since 2000. Fans want to be competitive, and in the Big 12 they’re not at a resource disadvantage. Many want Neal Brown gone.
How did Neal Brown handle criticism from fans when asked about it at his Monday press conference? He said this.
“I get that they want to win. But what I would say is – did they have a good time? Did they enjoy it? It was a pretty good atmosphere. I’m assuming they had a pretty good time tailgating, so if they’re in the deal for enjoyment then I would come back. I looked at the weather and it’s going to be nice again.”
Come on, Neal. You just cannot say that. The fan base is going to like you even less.
West Virginia and Neal Brown have a can’t-miss game for their Big 12 title hopes this weekend at home against Kansas State. Lose that, and things are going to get testy.