West Virginia hasn’t exactly built its 2-0 start on lockdown defense, and the numbers make that plain.
The Mountaineers have beaten Coastal Carolina 31-24 and Tennessee-Martin 52-7, but they’ve also given up 371.5 points per game, a figure that leaves them 99th nationally. The issues show up in the air, too: West Virginia is 123rd out of 138 FBS teams in passing yards allowed per game at 271.5, and 99th in pass efficiency defense at 137.87.
That’s the opening Virginia can see heading into Saturday night’s non-conference matchup in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. Still, the Cavaliers can’t afford to treat this defense like a soft landing. West Virginia has a few players who can make the night uncomfortable, and three names stand out.
The first is defensive lineman Henson, who is listed behind Corey McIntyre but has been the more disruptive presence so far. The Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College transfer has only five tackles, but three of them have gone for loss. At 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, he brings surprising quickness for his size, and that could create problems for center Drake Metcalf and guards Noah Josey and Malikan Thomas inside.
That matters because Virginia has done much of its damage on the ground between the tackles, including quarterback draws from Beau Pribula. If the Cavaliers want that to keep working, their veteran front has to keep Henson from wrecking the middle of the run game.
Linebacker Patterson is another one to keep in view. He arrives in Morgantown after a stop at UNLV last season, and he also spent time at UCLA as a teammate of Virginia receiver Rico Flores Jr. Patterson has settled in quickly, leading the Mountaineers with 14 tackles, including one sack, through two games.
At 6-2 and 235 pounds, he gives West Virginia a player who can cover a lot of ground, the kind of sideline-to-sideline presence Virginia knows well in Kam Robinson. Des Kitchings may try to work around that range with motion, reverses and counter plays.
Then there’s Latimer, who also has a connection to a Cavalier. He and Virginia cornerback Omillio Agard were teammates last season in Wisconsin’s secondary.
Latimer isn’t big by prototype standards at 5-9 and 188 pounds, but he has shown a knack for finding the football while rotating between nickel back and safety. He has nine tackles in two games and forced a fumble in West Virginia’s win over Tennessee-Martin last week.
In Other News...
Virginia's First Loss Exposed A Problem Fans Won't Ignore
Virginias first loss of the season came with a jolt, as No. 25 Virginia fell 38-27 to West Virginia in the Dukes Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium. The Cavaliers had to contend with a Mountaineers team that looked sharper in key moments and carried the edge under Rich Rodriguez, whose squad moved to 3-0 after handling the stage from start to finish.
The bigger concern for Virginia was how quickly the game tilted once West Virginia found its rhythm offensively. Michael Hawkins was the engine throughout the afternoon, keeping the Cavaliers under pressure with a mix of passing and running production that made the Mountaineers difficult to contain. For a Virginia team trying to establish itself early in the season, this was the kind of loss that raises questions beyond the final score, especially with the margin for error already shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Just Relived A Problem Cavaliers Fans Know Too Well
Virginias non-conference meeting with West Virginia ended with many of the same frustrations Cavaliers fans have seen before, as the Mountaineers controlled the game in a 38-27 loss for Tony Elliotts team. West Virginia was better on the ground, better in total yards and steadier in key moments, while Virginias offense never found enough rhythm to keep pace for long stretches.
The bigger concern was how often Virginia was put on its heels. The Cavaliers defense allowed 437 yards, and West Virginias Michael Hawkins Jr. kept the pressure on throughout with a performance that tilted the game in the Mountaineers favor. Virginia also struggled to sustain drives, converting only six of 16 third downs, which left too many possessions ending without the answers needed to change the flow. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Let This Rival Game Slip Away In A Hurry
West Virginia had Virginia in a game with plenty of emotion and even more urgency, and the difference came down to a quarterback who kept finding answers. Michael Hawkins Jr. was sharp from the start in the Dukes Mayo Classic, throwing two touchdown passes and repeatedly creating problems with his legs as the Mountaineers handed No. 25 Virginia a 38-27 loss and spoiled a chance to build on an early-season ranking.
Virginia, now 2-1, had its moments but could never quite wrestle control back once the game began tilting West Virginias way. The Mountaineers improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2018, a sign of how much momentum they are carrying, while the Cavaliers are left sorting out what slipped away in a rivalry setting that moved fast and turned into a familiar kind of frustration. [Read more 🡒]