West Virginia’s opener looked comfortable for a half, then turned messy fast.
The Mountaineers were in position early to do exactly what they wanted: build a big enough cushion, then start getting younger players some real game reps. Instead, the second half brought a different story.
WVU’s offense opened with three straight three-and-outs, with some of that tied to conservative play-calling that Rich Rodriguez acknowledged. The defense wasn’t much cleaner.
It got sloppy - really sloppy - and Coastal Carolina found enough cracks to make things interesting.
The most damaging sequence came after WVU pinned the Chanticleers at their own 1-yard line. Even with that advantage, the Mountaineers let Coastal march 99 yards for a touchdown.
Three WVU penalties helped keep the drive alive, including one on third down while Coastal was still backed up near its own end zone. A stop there would have handed WVU a short field and a real chance to push the lead to 31-0.
Instead, the Chanticleers scored, WVU kept losing contain, and the game tightened into a one-score fight.
That finish lit a fuse under Rodriguez. After an eight-minute postgame press conference, he headed straight into what he believed was the first staff meeting ever held just 15 minutes after a game. On his radio show Monday night, he said the timing was intentional.
"Just got a few things going and made sure we watched the film that night while it was fresh in our minds, and our coaches are pretty conscientious too. We knew what we did wrong," Rodriguez said during his radio show on Monday night.
"The thing that bothered me...some of the first-game stuff we thought we would get, we got, but some of the stuff, a lot of it, was really avoidable and things that we have to harp on as coaches. And that's where I talk about discipline.
It's not a sometime thing; it's an all-the-time thing. And what I mean by discipline is not a guy acting like an egghead; it could be losing contain.
If I scream don't lose contain ten times in that game... I did it a hundred times.
We had stupid penalties, three of them on one drive that gave them first downs - things that should not happen. It's the same if our locker room's messy, if a guy is one minute late for workout or whatever it is; that can never happen.
I was a little surprised that we had discipline issues because our guys have been really discipline to this date. We'll get it fixed."
Rodriguez said he wanted to address it immediately because he was still angry about how the second half unfolded.
"I just wanted to do it while I was still pissed off. What I heard about and what I was reading about was Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban working together, and I guess Lane wasn't used to Coach Saban; when he sees something, he says something right away.
He tried to explain to him, 'When I get mad, I want to get it right then and get it over with, and you move on to the next thing.' Mrs.
Rita (Rodriguez) over there could tell you I do the same thing. Like if I see something, I say something right away, and then I move on from it.
It doesn't linger. I'm not one to write a note down and then wait until the next day when I feel better and say it.
I'd rather go ahead and get it out, whether it's to coaches or players, get it corrected, and move it on to the next thing."
For Rodriguez, the message was simple: nothing gets a pass, not with players and not with coaches. He wanted better on Saturday, and he made sure everyone in the building knew the second-half drop-off could not show up again.
In Other News...
West Virginia Just Lost A Young Piece Fans Were Counting On
Rich Rodriguez used the seasons second Coaches Show to revisit West Virginias loss to Coastal Carolina, and the list of concerns was familiar: discipline, defensive breakdowns and an offense that never quite settled in. He also touched on Cam Cooks workload and the play up front, two areas the staff has been trying to steady as the season moves along.
The bigger setback came with an update on Darius Wiley, whose severe leg injury will keep him out for the rest of the year. Wiley is scheduled for surgery, a tough blow for a young player fans had been hoping would become part of the solution as the Mountaineers try to sort out the details around them. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Suddenly Has A Defensive Front Problem It Cant Ignore
West Virginias defensive front took a hit it cant simply scheme around, with Darius Wiley now out for the season after suffering a severe lower-body injury, according to Rich Rodriguez. Its a tough blow because Wiley had already made his presence felt in the opener, giving the Mountaineers a useful interior piece at a spot where depth can disappear quickly.
Jeremiah Johnson and Tobi Haastrup are expected to see more snaps as WVU tries to absorb the loss and keep the rotation afloat. For a defense built to hold up against the run and stay sturdy up front, the challenge now is less about replacing one player than finding a reliable combination fast enough to keep the unit from feeling Wileys absence every week. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Already Faces A Cam Cook Workload Decision
Cam Cooks opening-night workload gave West Virginia an early answer about how much it trusts him. The ball-carrier handled 30 carries in the season opener, a clear sign the Mountaineers believe he is ready for a heavy role and durable enough to absorb it. For a team trying to settle into the season, that kind of usage says plenty about where the coaching staff sees its best chances of moving the offense.
Cook has been here before, though, and not just in a limited sample. His past games have shown that similar or even heavier workloads have not been an issue, which is why the real question now is less about whether he can handle the load and more about how West Virginia chooses to manage it going forward. The opener may have answered one part of the equation, but it also set up a workload decision the Mountaineers will have to keep weighing as the games stack up. [Read more 🡒]