Dylan Tonkery knew well before the kickoff of the Liberty Bowl that the four quarters in front of him would be the final he would play in as a member of the West Virginia University football team. What he did not know was how much the ending would mean to him.

 

Sure, the win was a big deal for the former Bridgeport High School all-state running back. Certainly, going out with your biggest game of the season statistic wise and the most tackles of your five-year stay in Morgantown was big too.

 

There was something else, however, that resonated with Tonkery when the scoreboard hit zero. It was something he always liked, but it meant a little bit more this time around.

 

“Getting a win in my final game was something that meant a lot to me, but the one thing that stood out when you’re getting the win and knowing it’s your final game sink in that really made it all come together,” said Tonkery. “I heard Country Roads when it was over. When you hear that, it’s always a good day. That day, it was about as good as it could get.”

 

Indeed, it was Tonkery was part of his first bowl win as a member of the Mountaineers in the 24-21 win against Army.

 

It was not Tonkery’s first bowl game as he took part in WVU’s 30-14 loss to Utah in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. He was injured in the Camping World Bowl against Syracuse where the Mountaineers fell by a 34-18 score.

 

On Dec. 31 against Army, he suited up as one of 42 players on the Mountaineer roster that had at least one game of starting experience in 2020. No one had more than Tonkery with 32 starts in 41 games played. During his time in Morgantown, Tonkery started at the spear, the mike, the will, and bandit positions behinds WVU’s defensive line.

 

The redshirt senior linebacker started seven of the 10 games during the COVID-19 shortened year, a season after starting 11 of 12 games in Coach Neal Brown’s first year. His final start, as one might imagine, was the sweetest.

 

“I was happy finishing out with a strong performance; it was stronger than I had played in any other game that year,” said Tonkery.

 

Yet Tonkery could play again in 2021. Due to COVID-19, the NCAA gave every player an extra year of eligibility. While several WVU seniors have opted to take advantage of the ruling, Tonkery knew his time was up.

 

“I’ve been there for so long, and I was ready to be done in football. There’s not a future at the next level for me, but I was able to come here and accomplish what I wanted to do on the field by being a contributor and off the field by graduating,” said Tonkery, who has already earned a degree in land management. “COVID changed a lot of things, but it didn’t change my mind about coming back and I’m okay with that.”

 

COVID did do one thing for Tonkery and likely every other player that suited up in an NCAA football contest this past year. It created an atmosphere he or his teammates had never witnessed.

 

“That first game was the weirdest,” said Tonkery. “You’re on the home sidelines looking over and there is no one in the stands at all and, on top of that, they’re pumping in noise.

 

“Once you get out there, you don’t notice the noise too much because you zone out, but when you’re on the sidelines you noticed,” he continued. “The big difference was when someone scored and there wasn’t a roar that you could feel. It was different and added something to a career I won’t forget.”

 

Tonkery added something else to his career in 2020. He turned in a play that he described as “easily” his most memorable. It came on Halloween, in Morgantown against Kansas State.

 

“There was nothing close to that moment,” said Tonkery.

 

The play in question came with roughly 8 minutes to go in the third quarter. And it affectively put the game in the win column.

 

“We were running a blitz and I cut inside and felt the lineman pushing out,” said Tonkery. “We’re told that if they’re pushing out, they are setting up a screen. I planted my foot and went back into coverage and the ball got tipped and landed right into my chest.”

 

It was at that time Tonkery became the runner he was on a BHS offense that helped produce three straight state championships. The 6’0, 220-pounder was off to the races for an 18-yard pick-six that helped put WVU in front 34-10 with 7:51 to go in the third quarter.

 

The score put a smile on Coach Brown’s face as well, who raved about it after the contest.

 

“Nobody deserves that pick-six more than Dylan Tonkery,” Brown said. “As good a teammate as we have in our football program. Completely unselfish, team guy, coachable, his teammates love him. I was super fired up for Tonk to get that pick-six.”

 

Tonkery was too.

 

“That was pretty nice,” said Tonkery, who was swarmed by his teammates after the score.

 

Among them, were plenty of familiar faces – including players from Fairmont Senior who before coming to Morgantown would likely have not be seen in the same situation.

 

“I’ve been there a while with three of them, the Stills brothers (Darius and Dante) and Jake (Abbott), the longest … I hang out with Jake all the time,” said Tonkery. “That hatred we had playing each other in high school is long gone. I’m friends with all of them and these are guys we wouldn’t even have thought of talking to because it was that competitive. I’m glad that’s changed. I’m leaving here with a lot of friends I didn’t have before I got here, and that’s certainly a good thing.”

 

Tonkery will also leave the program with 120 tackles. He will leave with 16.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, along with a pair of fumble recoveries and a forced fumble to go along with his pick six.

 

“The numbers are nice, but the entire experience was a good thing, and it started with everything I learned at Bridgeport. That gave me a chance to come here and play,” said Tonkery. “I’m happy with how things turned out. I wouldn’t change anything.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo (WVU Communications) shows Dylan Tonkery with his pick-six against Kansas State, while he's shown, far left with his BHS teammates Dante Bonamico, center, and Noah Drummond after the Liberty Bowl win against Army. Third photo (WVU Communications) shows Tonkery with one of his 11 tackles against Army. In the fourth photo (WVU Communications), teammates celebrate with Tonkery after his pick six vs. Kansas State. The fifth picture shows Tonkery with former Fairmont Senior standout, WVU All-American and future NFL player Darius Stills (photo by Ben Queen of Ben Queen Photography). Bottom photo (WVU Communications and by Brent Kepner) shows Tonkery bringing out the state flag prior to a past home game.