The West Virginia Mountaineers have reached a point defensively where head coach Rich Rodriguez understands exactly why fans are frustrated.
West Virginia surrendered 577 yards of total offense in its 45-42 loss to Iowa State on Oct. 3, the latest troubling performance from a defense that has suddenly become the Mountaineers’ biggest problem. After watching his team allow 609 yards against Oklahoma State one week earlier, Rodriguez admitted some of what he’s witnessing has left even him stunned.
“It’s stuff like I hadn’t seen in years,” Rodriguez said following the loss.
For a coach with decades of experience at the college level, that’s a significant admission. But Rodriguez didn’t stop there. He directly acknowledged the people watching from home and in the stands who are becoming increasingly frustrated with how his team is performing defensively.
Rich Rodriguez Understands WVU Fans’ Frustration
Rodriguez knows West Virginia fans expect better, and he made it clear that their frustration isn’t much different from his own.
“I’m challenging everybody and the staff, but this is, I’m sure if I’m a Mountaineer fan, it’s hard to watch because it’s hard for me to watch,” Rodriguez said. “We gotta give them credit, but we’re going to play some guys with some really good offenses. We need to shore it up for sure.”
That’s an important message from Rodriguez after consecutive losses. There was plenty for West Virginia fans to like offensively against Iowa State. The Mountaineers scored 42 points and produced 496 yards of total offense, giving themselves more than enough production to leave Ames with a victory. The defense simply couldn’t finish the job.
Iowa State accumulated 577 yards and 29 first downs while scoring 45 points. It was particularly painful because WVU repeatedly needed just one stop late in the game to change the outcome. Instead, another opponent consistently found answers against West Virginia’s defense.
The larger concern is that this wasn’t an isolated performance. Oklahoma State accumulated 609 yards in a 41-24 win over WVU one week earlier. Add the two performances together and West Virginia has surrendered 1,186 yards over its last two games. That’s not sustainable if the Mountaineers want to compete in the Big 12.
Rodriguez’s comments also put additional pressure on defensive coordinator Zac Alley and the rest of West Virginia’s defensive staff to find answers quickly. The head coach didn’t pin the struggles on one individual, instead saying he was challenging “everybody and the staff.” That’s an important distinction.
Players have to execute, coaches have to put them in better positions and Rodriguez ultimately oversees all of it. His willingness to acknowledge how ugly things have looked won’t solve the problem, but it does show WVU fans that their head coach isn’t pretending everything is fine.
Perhaps the most concerning part of Rodriguez’s comments is what comes next. As he acknowledged, West Virginia still has talented offenses waiting on its schedule. If the Mountaineers can’t correct their defensive issues, performances like the last two could become increasingly difficult to overcome.
WVU fans don’t need Rodriguez to tell them the defense has been hard to watch. They’ve seen it themselves. But after another painful loss, Rodriguez made one thing clear: He’s seeing it, too.
Rich Rodriguez Sends Empathetic Message to WVU Fans After ‘Hard to Watch’ Showing