The West Virginia Mountaineers still have Nick Saban in their corner after a painful first loss of the season.
Saban, a West Virginia native who has never hidden his connection to the Mountaineers, discussed WVU during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” After watching Rich Rodriguez’s team suffer a 41-24 loss to Oklahoma State, the legendary former Alabama coach offered some encouragement while also identifying what WVU needs to do moving forward.
“Well, I’m still a Mountaineer fan, so hopefully West Virginia can rebound from the tough loss last week,” Saban said. “They’re a running team, and they need to control the line of scrimmage to do that.”
For frustrated WVU fans, Saban’s message is worth remembering after one bad Saturday.
Nick Saban Still Believes in WVU’s Identity
West Virginia entered its Big 12 opener undefeated before Oklahoma State handed the Mountaineers their first loss. The final score was ugly, but WVU’s biggest offensive strength didn’t suddenly disappear.
The Mountaineers rushed for 334 yards against Oklahoma State. Cam Cook exploded for 193 yards on 29 carries, while quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. added 102 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
That makes Saban’s assessment particularly interesting. West Virginia clearly can run the football. The challenge for Rodriguez is making that strength powerful enough to dictate games, particularly when the Mountaineers face better Big 12 competition and need their passing game and defense to complement it.
Saban’s comments also carry a little more weight for WVU fans because he isn’t discussing the program as a detached national analyst.
He grew up in West Virginia, played at Monongah High School and has repeatedly spoken publicly about his connection to his home state. Even after building one of the greatest coaching careers in college football history elsewhere, Saban still calls himself a Mountaineer fan.
Now WVU gets an immediate opportunity to prove its first loss didn’t define its season. The Mountaineers travel to Iowa State on Oct. 3 looking to improve from 3-1 and earn their first Big 12 victory. Iowa State also enters the matchup coming off a conference loss, setting up an important early-season game for both programs.
Saban didn’t offer West Virginia some complicated formula for recovering. Control the line of scrimmage. Run the football. Get back to what this team does best. For a WVU team trying to respond to its first real dose of adversity, that might be exactly what it needs.
Nick Saban Sends Hopeful Message to WVU Fans After Painful Oklahoma State Loss