West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez did not begin his postgame press conference Saturday by discussing defensive adjustments or another disappointing Big 12 result. Instead, following the Mountaineers’ 52-31 home loss to Arizona, his first words were directed toward the people who continue showing up for his program.
The Mountaineers have now lost three consecutive games, falling to 3-3 overall and 0-3 in Big 12 play. Despite another productive offensive performance, West Virginia watched its defense struggle against an Arizona team that piled up 482 yards of offense.
“It’s really frustrating, but first off,” Rodriguez said. “I gotta thank our fans. They were fantastic. They showed up today, and I thought it was a great crowd. They tried to lift our defense up. They had great crowd noise, and we just didn’t reward them enough.”
Those words reveal something important about Rodriguez. He understands what West Virginia football means to the people who fill Milan Puskar Stadium, and he recognizes that their loyalty deserves something better than another afternoon of frustration.
WVU’s Defensive Struggles Are Becoming Impossible to Defend
Unfortunately, Saturday’s performance was hardly an isolated disaster. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, while the Wildcats averaged more than nine yards per play. West Virginia actually generated 522 yards of offense, including 303 rushing yards, but its offensive production wasn’t enough to overcome defensive breakdowns and costly turnovers.
The previous two weeks tell a similarly troubling story. Oklahoma State accumulated 609 total yards during its 41-24 victory in Morgantown on Sept. 26. One week later, Iowa State produced another 577 yards in a 45-42 victory, repeatedly answering West Virginia’s offensive touchdowns with scores of its own.
Across those three defeats, the Mountaineers have surrendered 1,668 total yards and 138 points. That is an alarming amount of production for any defense to allow, especially when the offense has shown it can consistently move the football.
Rodriguez deserves credit for acknowledging the fans rather than overlooking their commitment. His comments sounded like those of someone who genuinely understands the responsibility that comes with coaching at West Virginia. Mountaineer fans should appreciate how much this human being cares about trying to fix things for their football program.
However, those same fans surely aren’t satisfied with another grateful message after spending three consecutive weeks watching their offense keep them competitive while the defense gets destroyed. At some point, appreciation must turn into improvement, because WVU fans deserve both.
WVU’s Rich Rodriguez Gets Emotional With Mountaineer Fans After Arizona Loss: “They Tried”