Phil Steele isn’t backing off West Virginia.
Even after the Mountaineers’ defensive struggles against Oklahoma State last week, Steele said on the In the Gun Podcast this morning that he still expects West Virginia to get the job done against Iowa State. He pointed to the matchup, the points, and the fact that he still sees West Virginia as the better team.
“West Virginia disappointed me last week. I had them to get that win over Oklahoma State and felt pretty good in the third quarter when they were winning.
I was watching all the games and sort of said, ‘Okay, I think I got that West Virginia one,’ and every time I glanced, things weren’t good the rest of the game. They do need to rebound, and I think this is a good offense to go against.
Jaylen Raynor, decent quarterback; he’s nowhere near where Drew Mestemaker is. And defensively, Iowa State is solid.
You go back to Washington State last year, they had the No. 15 defense in the country, and this year, they’ve been playing good defense. Last week, though, showed some flaws against a mobile quarterback.
Utah led that thing 24-3 at the half, pretty much had it in control. And I think now taking on Michael Hawkins, Cam Cook, I think you might see them struggle a little bit.
They gave up 6.2 yards per carry to Utah. And now, West Virginia’s defense, not taking on the same type of offense that they matched up against last week.
You’ve got West Virginia as a dog here, and I think they’re the better team. Prior to the season, I had West Virginia a four-point favorite in the game, so I still think West Virginia comes out here with the win.
I like West Virginia plus the points to pull the upset.”
Steele’s confidence in the Mountaineers has held up despite last week’s result, and he made clear he sees this as a spot where West Virginia can bounce back.
He also weighed in on a full slate of other games this weekend, including:
#7 Alabama (4-0) at #16 Mississippi State (4-0)
#5 Ohio State (3-2) at #14 Iowa (4-0)
Florida (4-0) at #25 Missouri (3-1)
UCF (3-1) at #20 Houston (3-1)
MTSU (2-2) at Kansas (1-2)
#10 BYU (3-0) at TCU (2-2)
#12 Texas Tech (4-0) at Colorado (2-2)
Baylor (3-1) at Arizona State (2-1)
Cincy (4-0) at Arizona (3-1)
In Other News...
WVU Faces A Road Test That Could Expose One Costly Weakness
ESPNs SP+ model has West Virginia heading into a tricky true road test at Jack Trice Stadium, and the matchup carries extra weight because the projection system has already been wrong on the Mountaineers a few times lately. That alone does not decide anything on its own, but it does add another layer to a game that already looks uncomfortable for a team trying to prove it can travel well in Big 12 play.
The concern for West Virginia is less about one flashy matchup and more about whether its ground game and special teams can hold up in a hostile setting against Iowa State. When those parts of the game wobble, road assignments tend to get messy fast, and this one has the feel of a test that could reveal whether the Mountaineers have a fixable issue or a more stubborn weakness. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Faces A Familiar Road Test With Its Slide Suddenly In Focus
West Virginia heads to Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday for a noon kickoff against Iowa State, with the matchup set to air on TNT, truTV and HBO Max. It is the kind of road test that can sharpen the picture for both teams, since they enter at 6-6 and the Cyclones are a short 3.5-point favorite, a sign that neither side has much margin for error.
For the Mountaineers, the trip carries the feel of a familiar proving ground, the sort of place where recent frustrations can either keep snowballing or be interrupted in a hurry. The numbers and personnel notes leading into this one point to a game with plenty of details to sort through, but the bigger question remains whether WVU can stabilize its slide in an environment that rarely makes that easy. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Defense Suddenly Faces A Question Fans Were Dreading
West Virginias defense came out of its latest matchup with Oklahoma State under a harsh spotlight after failing to pressure the quarterback and giving up too many explosive plays. Rich Rodriguez did not hide the fact that the Mountaineers had problems on the back end and up front, pointing to issues with containment, coverage, and overall execution as the kind that can unravel a game quickly.
Zac Alleys scheme and how quickly the unit is adjusting to it now loom as the real concern for a team trying to keep building momentum. Rodriguez still sounded confident in the players, which leaves the Mountaineers at an interesting crossroads: the talent is there, but the defense has to show it can fit the system before opponents keep turning the same weaknesses into easy yardage. [Read more 🡒]