Climbing the Mountain: West Virginia’s Ascent from Obscurity to Greatness

[Piercewise1]

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2021: 4-8  |  4-5  |  T-6^th (of 10)
2022: 3-9  |  1-8  |  10^th (of 10)

 

“I don't think WVU is gonna be any good next year either.  It's going to be like a 4 season rebuild” (8/27/22) - @smackemz

The Mountaineers trudged off the field in Ames, their heads lowered in defeat. The Iowa State Cyclones had dominated the game, out-rushing them 261 to 50 en route to a 34-12 victory. While West Virginia entered the game with no chance of ending outside the basement in the Big XII, the 22-point loss cemented their standing as one of the worst teams in the FBS.

It was the program’s 9^th defeat of the season, and 17^th since the start of the sim. Some had been close – consecutive 4-point losses to Kansas State and Kansas in weeks 4 & 5; 8 points to Baylor; 10 points to TCU – but something always went wrong. The team couldn’t put together a consistent performance for 60 minutes, and so the losses piled up. Frustration grew in Morgantown, and nowhere more acutely than the head coach’s office.

“Can WVU improve from 123” (12/19/22)

“WVU basically has an FCS roster right now” (6/2/23)

The 2023 season began with some glimmers of hope. The team cruised to victory over The Citadel, then defeated Army 30-20 thanks to 272 all-purpose yards from Craig Guzman. But things started to fall apart against AI-coached Louisiana; despite forcing 3 turnovers and getting 3 rushing touchdowns from Guzman, they lost 28-21. These themes would continue throughout the season: the offense was sometimes exciting but too inconsistent, while the defense could log interceptions but couldn’t stop the run. The team would exceed 20 points only once the rest of the season, and would lose their last 6 games to finish 3-9 for the second consecutive year.

“Breaking news.  WVU is bad because their coach doesn't know how things work” (7/13/23)

“No one tag me about wvu. Can't stand to even watch em anymore” (8/5/23)

“I've been waiting literal years for WVU not to be terrible here” (9/8/23)

2023: 3-9  |  1-8  |  13^th (of 14)

Despite the previous season’s many disappointments, there was optimism for the program as it entered 2024. The roster situation had improved thanks to excellent recruiting and significant playtime for younger athletes. QB Dzanan Reid had a full year of snaps under his belt, sophomore blue-chip recruits Riley Jennings and Robert Cabral were starting side-by-side on the defensive line, while Mike Johnson (another 4* sophomore) brought pressure off the edge. Around them, the best of the old guard were ready for a final push, notably senior receivers Chad Dolis, Kevin Purcell, and Leo Gilbert.

 

2024 Roster Rank:

36th (Piercewise1)
41st (SageBow)
68th (tsweezy)

 

“With the right OOC scheduling - could this be the year wvu breaks into the bowl ranks” (11/14/23)

“I'm excited about WVU. With this OOC schedule and our conference schedule. I'm officially aiming for our first bowl birth” (1/2/24)

“Historically the Mountaineers have been a bottom 5 team, from a talent perspective, but going into the 2024 season many of these publications have WVU climbing into the top half of the simCFB world.” (2/2/24) 

Excitement hit a fever pitch before the season even started, when West Virginia scored on the final play of a spring scrimmage to shock Tennessee 31-30. While it wasn’t an “official” game, Tennessee was playing their prospective starters as a program that was already being talked about as having a top-5 team this year. The victory gave even the most jaded Mountaineer fans hope that this season could finally have a different outcome. Voters responded by ranking West Virginia #17 in the preseason poll.

After a warmup victory over FCS opponent Mercer to open the regular season, the Mountaineers got their first real test in week 2 when they traveled to Bloomington to face the Indiana Hoosiers. In a duel of young quarterbacks, Reid came out on top with 284 yards and 3 touchdowns. More importantly, the team finally played a complete game; they built a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and the defense held it for most of the game. When Indiana scored in the fourth to cut the lead to 21-15, Reid led a 7-play, 69-yard drive to seal the game. He found Leo Gilbert for 18 yards to convert a key 3^rd and 14, then hit Dolis on a wheel route for a 49-yard touchdown. For extra bragging rights, the defense stopped Indiana on the goal line on the last play of the game to clinch the 29-15 victory.

 “Today's win over Indiana is WVU's very first OOC win over a P5 program” (5/4/24)

The Mountaineers were listed #11 entering their contest with top-ranked Baylor, but the defense had no answer for Travis Knebel (few did) who scored 6 times. Reid did his best, throwing 45 times for 494 yards, but his team fell 68-25. They’d reclaim their winning ways the next week against Arizona, with Guzman again logging a trio of touchdown runs in a 35-16 victory.

Week 5 featured a wild game against Iowa State. Reid threw 4 touchdowns in just over 2 quarters of play as the Mountaineers built a 38-3 lead. With the score 45-20 in the fourth, Reid and many other starters on both sides of the ball were pulled to give some playing time to the backups. In a whirlwind of events, the Cyclones scored 3 times in just over ten minutes, adding a 2-point conversion after the final touchdown to bring them within a field goal at 45-42. Thankfully the hands team recovered the ensuing kickoff for the Mountaineers and they ran out the clock, preserving the victory and preventing what would have been the largest comeback in SimFBA history.

“At 4-1. WVU has tied their record for most wins in a season” 5/26/24

The team played with fire again in week 6, and this time they were the ones getting burned. In a back-and-forth game with Texas Tech that included 4 lead changes and 2 ties, kicker Victor Pugh hit a field goal with 6:32 remaining to give West Virginia a 31-28 advantage. SS Dante Smith nabbed an interception on the Red Raider’s next play, but after two incompletions and a sack the offense was forced off the field. They punted on their next drive as well, and Texas Tech used the final 1:40 to drive 66 yards in only 5 plays for a go-ahead touchdown. Reid had only one play from his own 28-yard line, and miraculously his Hail Mary found Chad Dolis downfield at the Tech 12-yard line. But Dolis was swarmed by defenders and the Raiders escaped with the upset victory.

West Virginia entered their next game against Oklahoma State unranked for the first time all year, while the Cowboys had risen to #10. But Dzanan Reid out-dueled his opponent, throwing for 445 yards and 5 touchdowns on just 17 completions (33 attempts) to lead the Mountaineers to a 38-27 victory. In textbook Vertical offensive style, his TD passes covered 25, 45, 45, 50, and 40 yards.

A victory over Kansas State followed, in the same style as the Indiana game: West Virginia built a two-touchdown lead, the Wildcats put together a late drive to close the gap, and Reid responded with another touchdown to put the game away. The victory meant the Mountaineers were bowl-eligible for the first time, and they were only getting started. With the offense clicking, the team blasted through the remainder of their schedule: they logged double-digit victories over Kansas, UCF, and Cincinnati to finish Big XII play with a conference record of 10-2 (tying TCU for 2^nd place), then blew out South Florida 37-10 for their biggest FBS margin of victory in program history.

“WVU has 9 wins this season.  They have a chance to get their 10th this week. 10 wins would match the program total coming into the season” 7/24/24

2024: 10-2  |  7-2  |  T-2^nd (of 16)

That’s right – in a single season, West Virginia won as many games (10) as they had in all previous seasons combined. They did even better against Big XII opponents, logging 7 conference wins vs 6 in the first three seasons. And the accomplishments didn’t stop there:

•    Sophomore QB Dzanan Reid led the conference in passing yards and passing TDs (and ranked 11th and 7th nationally)

•    Senior WRs Kevin Purcell and Chad Dolis were ranked 1st and 2nd in the conference in receiving yards (and top 20 nationally)

•    Senior ILB Bradley Castillo finished 3rd in the conference in tackles, with 80

•    @smackemz was named the Big XII Coach of the Year

 

There are many hills yet to climb for this program: their top 4 receivers are all graduating, along with both starting offensive tackles, both outside linebackers, and their top safety. The conference is stacked with user-coached teams, particularly at the top with Baylor and TCU. But the team retains a solid core of young talent, starting with Reid and now adding blue chip receivers Geordi LaForge (5* Route Runner) and Graham Schow (4* Speed), both of whom are good enough to see the field as true freshmen. The defense returns 8 starters as well, a huge boost for a unit that allowed 25.5 points per game. 

But before turning their attention to next year, West Virginia awaits news of their very first bowl appearance. It’s a well-deserved honor for a team (and a coach) that trudged uphill through the mud for 3 seasons to reach their first peak.

Enjoy the view, Mountaineers. You’ve earned it.

[smackemz]

I love the documentation of my negative Nancy attitude lollll

[Wahoo]

On 8/1/2024 at 1:38 PM, Piercewise1 said:

But before turning their attention to next year, West Virginia awaits news of their very first bowl appearance. 

* Their very first playoff appearance!