However you look at it, the 2020 season was a step forward for the West Virginia football program.

The Mountaineers’ regular season ended on Thursday afternoon when the team chose to pause all activities and cancel Saturday’s regular season finale against No. 11 Oklahoma, which had already been rescheduled, due to a COVID-19 surge among the team.

It was the first cancelation since earlier this season when schedules shifted from 12 games down to 10. Before then, the last WVU football game to be canceled was against NC State in 2018 due to safety concerns regarding Hurricane Florence.

Many within the program were looking forward to facing off against the Sooners following last week’s blowout loss to Iowa State — a 42-6 thrashing in which the Mountaineers’ defense allowed nearly 500 yards of total offense.

Despite the poor showing in what would become the final performance of the regular season, the season was not a total loss. On both sides of the ball, West Virginia showed tremendous growth from the previous year.

One year ago, the Mountaineers ended the 2019 season ranked dead last in the Big 12 in total offense. Right now, they sit at No. 5.

Running back Leddie Brown, who rushed for only 367 yards in 2019, more than doubled that number in 2020, ending the regular season just shy of 1,000. Statistically, he is one of the top running backs in the nation.

Jarret Doege also took a step forward. Doege, who only played in four games a season ago, averaged 204.5 yards per game in 2019. Yet, this season, he averaged 270 yards per game over his nine starts.

Defensively, West Virginia developed into one of the nation’s top teams. Propelled by graduate transfer Tony Fields, who led the Mountaineers in tackling nearly every game, the team currently has the Big 12’s best defense and second-best scoring defense.

Defensive back Alonzo Addae, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, also had a tremendous impact on the defense, ending the season ranked third on the team in tackles and tied for the team lead in interceptions.

While the team did see subtle successes this year, the Mountaineers are far from a complete team.

The only thing left on the schedule for the Mountaineers is a potential bowl game. With a record of 5-4 (4-4 in conference), they currently rank sixth in the Big 12. A bowl appearance this season would be the first of the Neal Brown era.

However, despite Brown’s willingness to jump at participating in a bowl game, that opportunity may also be in question.

Boston College, who finished their season with a 6-5 record, recently opted out of a potential bowl game. With cases of COVID-19 on the rise across the country, other schools may soon follow.

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