West Virginia’s defensive issues have gotten so deep that Rich Rodriguez is talking openly about “hard conversations” behind the scenes.
Rodriguez said on his radio show Monday night that the last two Sundays have been consumed by staff meetings, film study and a search for answers after another rough stretch on that side of the ball.
“Some of it is we've got to find something we can hang our hat on. We have no identity,” Rodriguez said on his radio show Monday night.
“There's nothing that we're hanging our hat on, and so we've got to find that as best as we can. We're moving guys around, we had some injuries, and that always creates a little bit of an issue.
But I'm convinced that we can play a whole lot better, and we're going to have to play a whole lot better. The solution is not just simplifying.
It's getting the guys to play fundamentally because their effort's not bad. It's not like they're loafing.
I don't see the urgency. I don't see the see-ball, get-ball (mentality).
They're pressing a little too much or whatever it is. It's been a lot of hard conversations with coaches and players in the last couple of days to get us to play better because you can't win games playing defense the way we're playing defense, so we've got to fix that.”
The Mountaineers have clearly reached the point where change is on the table, whether that means personnel, coaching, play-calling or some combination of all three. Whatever the fix is, doing the same thing again clearly isn’t going to cut it.
Defensive coordinator Zac Alley already showed a willingness to pare things down, telling the TNT TV crew last week that he cut the call sheet to 12 plays for the Cincinnati game. There were stretches where the defense looked better, but those moments never lasted long enough to turn into anything consistent.
If WVU’s defense doesn’t show real progress this week against TCU, Rodriguez and his staff may spend the bye week looking at bigger changes.
In Other News...
Rich Rodriguez Mourns A Loss That Hits Far Beyond WVU
The loss of West Virginia businessman Ike Morris is being felt well beyond the boardroom. Morris, who built a wide-ranging business portfolio that included Waco Oil & Gas Co., Inc. and Waco Foods LLC, was also known in the state for his philanthropy and for the personal ties he formed along the way, including a close relationship with West Virginia head football coach Rich Rodriguez.
Rodriguez released a statement mourning Morris death, a reminder that some figures matter to the Mountaineers community for reasons that reach past the sidelines. For WVU, this is the kind of news that lands as much in the heart as it does in the headlines, because Morris influence in West Virginia ran through business, charity and the people who knew him best. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Still Has Two Big Problems Heading Into TCU
Rich Rodriguez spent part of the buildup to TCU doing what coaches often do when the tape has been uneven: acknowledging both the challenge ahead and the issues at home. He praised TCUs defense and made clear West Virginias own defensive play still needs work, even as he pointed to players such as Zac Alley and Carsten with the expectation that theyll keep improving as the season moves forward.
The matchup now carries more than the usual Big 12 weight for the Mountaineers, because Rodriguez also took a broader view of what conference championship games mean and how much they matter. For West Virginia, though, the immediate concern is simpler and more urgent: the team has to tighten up on one side of the ball before TCU exposes the same problems again. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Hawkins Jr. Just Gave West Virginia Fans More Offensive Hope
Michael Hawkins Jr. gave West Virginia plenty to feel good about in Saturdays 45-42 win over Cincinnati, and the recognition followed quickly. The Mountaineers quarterback was named Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week after putting together one of the most complete outings in recent program memory, throwing for 464 yards and three touchdowns while also adding 77 rushing yards and two more scores.
For a West Virginia offense that has been looking for a dependable spark, Hawkins delivered one in a way the program has never seen before. He became the first quarterback in school history to pile up at least 450 passing yards and 75 rushing yards in the same game, and the honor marked his second Walter Camp Player of the Week award this season, a reminder that his ceiling is starting to look as real as his production. [Read more 🡒]