FRISCO, Texas (AP) — West Virginia’s first game after hiring Rich Rodriguez as head coach again will be in a bowl — just like it was the first time 24 years ago.
But Rodriguez won’t coach the Mountaineers (6-6) in the Frisco Bowl on Tuesday night against 25th-ranked Memphis (10-2). Offensive coordinator Chad Scott will serve as the interim head coach in place of Neal Brown, who was fired after going 37-35 over six seasons.
“These players didn’t ask to be in this position, and the resiliency they’re showing right now is phenomenal,” said Scott, who has been OC for two seasons and on the WVU staff for six. “The attitude, effort and energy they’re putting in is phenomenal.”
The Mountaineers lost 52-15 at Texas Tech in their regular-season finale, the day before Brown was fired. Quarterback Garrett Greene is among 21 seniors looking to finish with a winning season.
“The season obviously didn’t go the way that we had hoped,” Greene said, who then reflected on that last game. “For me personally, I don’t want that to be the last experience that I have playing.”
Memphis already has consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time in its 109-season history. This is the Tigers’ 11th consecutive year to make a bowl — the longest current streak by a Group of Five team, though they didn’t get to play in the 2021 Hawaii Bowl after Hawaii withdrew a day before the game because of a COVID-19 outbreak, injuries and transfers.
Henigan finishing what he started
Seth Henigan is the only current four-year FBS starting quarterback to spend all four seasons at the same school. He is the Memphis career leader with 13,972 yards passing and 102 touchdowns, both breaking Brady White’s record. Henigan is two TD passes from matching the American Athletic Conference record.
His final game for the Tigers comes just over 20 miles from his hometown of Denton, Texas.
“I feel like it’s happened so fast,” Henigan said. “I feel like I was just a true freshman yesterday asking Brady White for advice. And now I’m Brady White.”
Mountain high in last bowl after Rodriguez hire
Rodriguez also didn’t coach the bowl game the first time he became the Mountaineers head coach.
He was hired in 2000 to replace retiring College Football Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen, who got the last of his 202 career victories in West Virginia’s 49-38 win over Ole Miss in the Music City Bowl. That was the Mountaineers’ first bowl win since 1984, ending a eight-game bowl losing streak.
Rodriguez was 60-26 over seven seasons at West Virginia. He has since been at Michigan, Arizona and Jacksonville State.
Big scorers and bowl winners
Memphis has scored at least 20 points in 39 consecutive games, by far the longest active streak, since November 2021.
The second-longest active streak is Miami’s 16 in a row.
Fifth-year Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield is 3-0 in bowl games. The Tigers played in their home stadium at the end of last season when beating another Big 12 team, 36-26 over Iowa State in the Liberty Bowl.
Mountaineers missing a top tackler
Freshman linebacker Josiah Trotter hasn’t ruled out a return to West Virginia, but won’t play in the bowl game after entering the transfer portal and visiting at least one other school.
Trotter, the son of former NFL All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, is second on the Mountaineers with 92 tackles. He didn’t play as a true freshman last season after a leg injury in his spring practice.
Great margins
Memphis has lost only two fumbles all season and leads the nation with 14 fumble recoveries — four by linebacker Chandler Martin, also their leader with 94 tackles and seven sacks.
Memphis’ plus-16 turnover margin is one behind FBS leader James Madison at plus-17.
