Things couldn’t have played out the way that quarterback Austin Kendall initially expected when he first elected to transfer to West Virginia in January of 2019.

After fighting to receive clearance to move from Oklahoma to play out his final two seasons in Morgantown in the first place, Kendall won the job in fall camp.

The North Carolina native started nine games during the 2019 season while tossing for just short of 2,000 yards and 12 touchdowns before he was replaced as the starter over the final three games of the season by Jarret Doege.

After another competition this fall, Kendall was officially supplanted as the starter and was limited to only one appearance in the season opener and 24 total snaps. With Doege holding onto the job throughout the year, it seemed that the book had closed on the career of Kendall with West Virginia after he already announced that this season would be his last in Morgantown.

That was until the Liberty Bowl.

Doege, who had committed two uncharacteristically bad turnovers, was not seeing the field well and the coaches made the decision to give Kendall, not freshman Garrett Greene, the ball in the second half.

“Austin practiced really well during bowl game prep and really well for about the last six weeks and we had confidence in him. I thought he came in in relief and did a nice job,” head coach Neal Brown said.

It wasn’t a major adjustment for those on the field because they rep with both quarterback in practice, but it was a fitting end for the time of Kendall in a West Virginia uniform.

It wasn’t perfect for Kendall, but he came into the game trailing 21-10 in the second half and led the Mountaineers to a touchdown on his first drive of the game. There was an obvious spark to the offense with his insertion into the lineup and the senior would lead West Virginia on another scoring drive in the fourth quarter to take a 24-21 lead that would serve as the game’s final score.

The final line had Kendall completing 8 of his 17 throws for 122 yards and a pair of scores. It wasn’t the best statistical effort, but it was enough to lead West Virginia to its first bowl win since 2016. Kendall provided the kickstart that the offense had been missing and it’s a testament to him as a player that he remained ready despite not seeing any action over the past eight games.

It wasn’t a surprise to his teammates who have watched Kendall handle the transition with grace. It’s not easy to lose your starting job at this late stage of your career, but he became the consummate teammate to Doege and tried in any way he could to elevate his play.

“He does a good job just being a good teammate to Doege he helps him out whenever he sees something Doege doesn’t see he helps him out with that,” wide receiver T.J. Simmons said. “He still practices hard, comes to work every day, ready to work and ready to put the work in. He puts in extra work every day regardless if he’s the starting quarterback or not.”

His ability to move around in the pocket was an asset to the offense and while he wasn’t necessarily a threat on the ground, he was able to extend plays to make some necessary throws.

“He handled adversity really well, had a good attitude. Was fun to coach and when his number got called, he made the most of it,” he said.

It was one final showing for Kendall and a fitting one given the unpredictable nature of 2020. It wasn’t quite the career he would have predicted, but it had a fitting ending.

“I felt like this being his last game that he should get some time out there on the field but when he got out there and made some plays it felt like last year,” Simmons said.

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