Neal Brown Must Give Garrett Greene a Look at QB

Is it time for WVU to turn the page at quarterback?

West Virginia has a problem, and it's a big one. The quarterback position has been a bright spot for the Mountaineers throughout the years but the production out of that room since Neal Brown took over as head coach has been underwhelming, to say the least. 

Austin Kendall and Jack Allison weren't the answer, and now, you can add Doege to the list. I don't intend to be harsh, I'm just calling things as I see it and Doege is holding this offense back. His lack of mobility is a problem because defenses aren't worried about him pulling one of those reads out of the running back's belly and keeping it. They center their focus on Leddie Brown, as they should. When you don't have a mobile quarterback that can keep the defense honest, it really limits you in what you can do offensively. If you do have a pocket passer, he's got to be incredibly efficient with the football and consistently make good decisions to compensate for the lack of mobility. Doege hasn't done that.

Why throw the football aimlessly down the field into double coverage, off-balance, off your back foot, on first down? Doing any of that is a no-no, let alone putting them all together on one play. Throw the ball out of bounds and live to see another down. Later in the game, the Mountaineers were driving and had the ball around the Maryland 40. On 3rd and 2, Doege chucked a ball up 35 yards down the field without having a clue or where it was going and was nearly intercepted at the goal line. Again, another situation of throw the ball out of bounds, and go for it on 4th and short. Thankfully, the ball fell incomplete but that's a low-percentage throw that has a greater risk than reward. 

Doege's 2nd interception of the day came in the end zone when he tossed a ball toward the back corner of the end zone on a fade route where he just completely missed the throw. This one, I kind of put on Neal Brown because instead of throwing up a 50/50 ball, WVU could have gone to Leddie Brown on the ground or out of the backfield. WVU carved up Maryland's corners on that drive with a bunch of quick passes, so why change it up? Don't fix what's not broken.

I've never been a huge believer in Doege dating back to the end of the 2019 season. In fact, I was one of the few that said Austin Kendall was the better option. Kendall dealt with an injured hand throughout much of the season and the young receivers and offensive line didn't really come along until the end of the year, which benefitted Doege when he got his opportunity. For some reason, everyone thought Doege was the answer when in reality the offense wasn't much better than it was under Kendall, if at all. 

All offseason, the coaching staff praised Doege for his work ethic and how he became the team's most improved player. Again, not intending to be harsh but if the team's most improved player is a quarterback that is still careless with the football and leads the offense to just three points in the 2nd half against a mediocre Maryland team, it's going to be a long season. 

What is more telling is how Brown has not budged with the QB position and thought about turning the offense over to redshirt freshman Garrett Greene. Does experience matter? Sure it does. But the only way for a quarterback to gain experience is to actually play the game. Doege, although more experienced than Greene, has not improved. The offense has a few nice drives in the first half and then shifts into neutral in the 2nd half. It's a reoccurring theme that has to come to an end if WVU wants any chance of making a bowl game.

Brown not turning to Greene could be a sign that Greene is nowhere near ready and that's just as bad. Regardless, Brown has to do what's best for the offense. If Doege moves the offense better then it is what it is. You're just going to have to rely on your defense to play exceptionally well on a weekly basis. Doege has reached his peak. He's not an upper-tier Big 12 quarterback no matter how you look at it. That's not to say that Garrett Greene is but at this point, what do you have to lose?

I don't get paid to coach so my opinion may not hold much weight but if I were Neal Brown, Greene has to play next week against Long Island. The results won't necessarily matter since it is Long Island, a team that just lost 48-10 to Florida International, but he still needs to see the field. Throw him out there, see what he can and can't do. Greene doesn't have to take over full reigns of the offense just yet but seeing his athleticism on full display could intrigue the coaching staff into inserting him in meaningful games in certain packages.

If WVU doesn't get the quarterback situation ironed out over the next week, they could be staring straight into a 1-3 record to begin the season.

You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us Twitter:

Facebook - @WVUonSI

Twitter - @SI_WVU and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.