The 2022 season saw a lot of lows but it may have not been lower than Oklahoma’s loss in Morgantown.
The West Virginia Mountaineers finished 5-7 and 3-6 in the conference. They were ninth in the standings after the tie-breakers and were picked last in the expanded 14-team Big 12 this year by the media.
The Mountaineers return a decent amount from last season, ranking 66th in the nation in returning production, per ESPN (ESPN+). They bring back 60% of their offense, which ranked 57th a year ago, and 68% of their defense, which ranked 98th.
The offense loses starting quarterback J.T. Daniels who transferred out after the season after losing his job to Garrett Greene. Greene provided a spark in the Mountaineers’ win over Oklahoma with his athletic ability.
Greene threw for 493 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions while rushing for 276 yards and four touchdowns. He’s someone who struggled with accuracy issues completing only 55% of his passes. But he made enough plays with his legs to give West Virginia a chance down the stretch.
They had three running backs run for more than 400 yards a year ago, and they return two of them, Justin Johnson Jr. and C.J. Donaldson.
They had three receivers go over 500 yards, but none will return for WVU in 2023. They did add N.C. State Wolfpack transfer Devin Carter caught 25 passes for 406 yards and two scores in 2022.
Defensively they return their top three leaders in tackles Lee Kpogba, Aubrey Burks, and Marcis Floyd, in addition to three of the top five players in sacks for West Virginia. The big loss is the big man in the middle who lead them in sacks in Dante Stills. Stills was also second in tackles for loss with nine. He was a leader for that defense the last several years for West Virginia. His absence leaves a hole in the middle of the defense.
This is a make-or-break season for Neil Brown and Co. He was ranked last by CBS Sports in their head coaching rankings and is in win-or-else mode despite wins over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State last year. If there are not major improvements, this could be his last season in Morgantown.
Score Prediction: 45-10 Oklahoma
Predicted Record: 9-1
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