Sunday Morning Thoughts: Back to Reality?

MORGANTOWN, WV - West Virginia took the country by storm with an unexpected 4-1 (2-0) start to the 2023 season. The Mountaineers didn't look particularly sharp in some of those wins, but still, they found ways to win games. Now, they're finding ways to lose games in the fourth quarter, reverting back to the same issues of the previous four years under head coach Neal Brown.

The season isn't over by any means, but any hopes of making the Big 12 Championship in Dallas are essentially gone. WVU would need to win out and receive a ton of additional help. Talking conference title chances may have been a bit premature, but hey, you have to take each week's result for what it is. For WVU, now it's just about getting back in the win column as soon as possible before this second half of the season turns into a nightmare.

14...14...They picked you 14th... Remember that rally cry? Well, they may not finish 14th thanks to Cincinnati but they could finish pretty darn close to it if they don't clean some things up and find answers on the defensive side of the ball.

I don't think the loss to Houston carried over to this week, but I do think doubt has crept into this team's head. When things go a little sideways, there's not the same level of confidence on display as we saw through the first five weeks of the season.

When OSU muffed the first punt of the game, the Mountaineers fumbled it right back to them two plays later. When Preston Fox got leveled by his own teammate, Andrew Wilson-Lamp, the Cowboys found the end zone three plays later. They did not handle the sudden change of events well at all on either side.

Even after Greene made the wrong read and failed to convert the 4th & 2 late in the fourth quarter, WVU still had a chance as long as they were able to get a stop. What happened next? Ollie Gordon dashed his way to the end zone from 46 yards out and I'm not sure anyone got a hand on him. It's just another example of a lack of confidence from the defense.

So now that we're back to the reality of West Virginia not truly being a player in the Big 12 Conference, what is the ceiling for this team? Is it eight wins? Are seven wins still considered a successful year? I think if you asked the majority of the fanbase, they would say seven isn't enough. And after the red-hot start to the season going 3-4 in the final seven games would not be a good look for the trajectory of the program. But at the same time, seven is a number many didn't expect West Virginia to get anywhere near.

The last thing Neal Brown wants to do is live in a grey area at the end of November. By reaching eight wins, I assume that would secure his job in 2024. Anything less and it becomes a guessing game.

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