Consistently winning games against opponents with much more talent on paper is one of the best ways college head coaches can quickly rise up the ranks and make a name for themselves.

While the Mountaineers will stroll into Austin this Saturday as 6.5-point underdogs to face a Texas team that appears much more talented on paper, West Virginia head coach Neal Brown has developed a knack for being able to come out victorious as a heavy underdog in a hostile environment.

In just his second year at the helm for West Virginia, Brown is still waiting for a program-defining road upset for his Mountaineers. His extensive track record as head coach at Troy University shows that he is plenty capable of pulling one off. 

During a 2017 campaign where Brown led Troy to a program-record 11 wins and a Sun Belt Conference championship, he ended LSU’s 49-game home nonconference winning streak with a 24-21 win over the heavily favored Tigers in Baton Rouge.

Brown again showcased his ability to win against a more talented opponent on the road when his Trojans shocked the heavily favored Nebraska Cornhuskers 24-19 in front of 89,360 fans at Memorial Stadium in 2018. 

Although it came in a losing effort, Brown showed that his team should never be counted out as a road underdog when his far less talented Troy squad narrowly lost to eventual national champions Clemson 30-24 during his second year as head coach in 2016. 

West Virginia signed head coach Neal Brown to a six-year, $19 million dollar contract in 2019 with the hopes that he would be able to come out victorious in road matchups like the one he will be coaching in on Saturday against Texas. 

Being able to win tough road games isn’t the only thing that Brown has proven to be highly skilled at throughout his 18-year coaching career, though. The coach from Danville, Kentucky, has also proven to be a highly effective offensive mastermind. 

Before his tenure at Troy, where he became one of six FBS head coaches to win 10 or more games in 2016, 2017 and 2018, he was exceptional in his role as offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky in 2013-2014. 

In 2014, the Wildcats scored 21 offensive touchdowns in SEC play, a drastic improvement from when the Wildcats only scored 21 touchdowns combined in the two years before Brown took over. 

Brown also proved to be effective against Big 12 defenses during his stint as Texas Tech’s offensive coordinator in 2010-2012. 

Using his signature “NASCAR spread” offense — where his offenses aim to snap the ball just eight seconds after the previous play to catch the defense off guard — the Red Raiders ranked in the nation’s top seven teams in passing offense, top 15 in total offense and top 25 in scoring offense throughout his three-year tenure.     

While the Mountaineers will be heavy underdogs against Texas on the road, Neal Brown’s proven effectiveness in these kinds of situations combined with his ability to run a powerful offense make Saturday’s matchup anything but a sure victory for the Longhorns.