FSU football opponent preview: West Virginia building on late-season surge

Neal Brown is well-respected as an offensive coach, but he didn't have much to work with in 2019. As WVSports.com managing editor Keenan Cummings described in the video above, former Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen left the cupboard bare when he left for Houston following the 2018 season.

Brown's offense ranked 116th nationally in scoring offense at 20.6 points per game, and it was particularly ineffective in the final seven games of the season. While posting a 2-5 record in those games, WVU averaged just 16.6 points.

The biggest issues were on the offensive line and in the backfield. The Mountaineers allowed 94 tackles loss, which ranked 118th in the country, and the vast majority of those came on running plays. WVU's top two running backs averaged 3.4 and 3.3 yards per carry, respectively. The question is whether the O-Line will be much improved in 2020, as the Mountaineers have to replace both starting tackles and one guard.

West Virginia's passing game was much more effective, averaging 248.7 yards per game in a spread offensive attack. And that was with two different quarterbacks taking turns running the show. Austin Kendall, who is now a senior, started nine games and has the edge in experience. But junior Jarret Doege took over late in the season and likely has the inside track on the starting job this fall. Doege completed 65.8 percent of his passes, made fewer mistakes and led the Mountaineers to wins in two of his three starts.

Whoever takes the snaps will have a very nice stable of receivers to work with. Redshirt sophomore Sam James and senior T.J. Simmons combined to catch 104 passes for over 1,100 yards last season, with six touchdowns. Several other experienced skill players will return as well.

How FSU matches up: FSU should have a substantial advantage up front, as the Seminoles' strength on defense should be its defensive line, while the Mountaineers have had major issues in the trenches. If West Virginia's quarterbacks have time to operate, this will be a good test for FSU's secondary, which is extremely talented but looking to prove it can play better than it did last season. The edge goes to the Seminoles.