WVU football: Chris Chugunov probably played his last game

Chris Chugunov was to be the back up quarterback for the WVU football team this season. He only played the last three games out of necessity.

If Will Grier doesn’t get hurt, the WVU football team probably makes a game out of the Texas, Oklahoma and Utah match ups. The dropoff from Grier to Chugunov was drastic and took the Mountaineers out of the game completely.

Chugunov was overmatched against the Longhorns, Sooners and Utes and never could piece together a successful drive in either of the games. Chugunov lacked any positive consistency because of his inability to find open receivers. He overthrew too many receivers and his accuracy was just horrid.

Chugunov just didn’t have the same football IQ as Grier and he showed that he shouldn’t be playing for a Power 5 team. In high school, Chugunov had solid numbers, according to WVUsports.com. He helped his team qualify for the New Jersey state championship and had a four-year career with 6,308 passing yards and 47 touchdowns with five games of 300 yards or more.

The Mountaineers will likely never have to have Chugunov play another game. Grier will be back and healthy for next season and the WVU football team will have Jack Allison as the immediate backup. Beyond the two-deep is David Israel, who was actually listed as Chugunov’s backup in the bowl game. He is being redshirted, though, so he will have three years of eligibility starting next season after beginning his college career in junior college.

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Israel probably should have played a bit against Utah, but that would have burned his redshirt. But if Chugunov was hurt, Israel would have had to step in and play anyway. If that was to be the case, it seems that head coach Dana Holgorsen and the coaching staff were prepared to have Israel play some against Utah. He should have, anyway, because the game was very winnable and Chugunov appeared to be in over his head.

If Chugunov’s goal over the next few years is to see meaningful time as a starting quarterback, he should transfer to a lower-level school. He may be able to make an impact for a FCS or Division II team. Pitt had quarterback Ben DiNucci, who made several starts this season, transfer. The situation between DiNucci and Chugunov is kind of similar because neither were that highly recruited by other Division I teams.

Next: 30 best games in WVU football history

It’s time for West Virginia to move forward and forget about this most recent embarrassing loss. Chugunov probably wants to do the same. He can truly move on if he can find a way to make an impact for another college football program.