Rich Rodriguez didn’t hide from the rough edges after West Virginia’s win over Coastal Carolina. On the season’s second Coaches Show Monday night, he spent much of the conversation talking through what bothered him, where the offense settled in, and the seriousness of DJ Wiley’s injury.
The bluntest message came on the defense. Rodriguez said the issues against Coastal weren’t mysterious at all.
“It was one of the first times I've ever had a staff meeting directly after the game. I wanted to have that meeting while I was still pissed off.
We know what we did wrong. A lot of the stuff was avoidable.
We lost contain 10 times that game and had stupid penalties that gave them first downs. The discipline part was the problem.”
He also took aim at the way his defense responded at times during the game.
“There were a few times when guys were on the ground on defense when they should've popped right back up. The ground should be a hot stove, when you touch it you get back up. We were treating it like a sofa.”
Rodriguez said the secondary’s problems came down more to what the players saw than where they were standing.
“We had bad eyes more than bad angles. We play match coverage a lot, which is kind of half man-half zone. There were a couple times when we matched the wrong way and had bad eye discipline.”
On the other side of the ball, he admitted he went a little safe in the second half.
“I got a little conservative. There were some times when they were bringing everybody towards the end of the game.
I could've just thrown a pass and probably scored a touchdown. But I was mad that they were just scrambling around on us so I just wanted to get the game over with.”
The first half, though, was a different story. Rodriguez said the offense found a groove and stayed there.
“We executed. Guys did what they were supposed to and we got in a rhythm.
The 72-yard run was inside zone and we just got a hat on a hat. Our receivers did a good job blocking downfield.”
Cam Cook’s workload also came up after he handled 30 rushing attempts. Rodriguez didn’t sound concerned about the number.
“He wasn't complaining, and the ball's not that heavy. Matter of fact, if we had the ball six more times he would've had 34 carries.
If we're blocking right, he might get 40 carries [in a game]. Amari Latimer needs to get some carries, too, though.
Chris Talley tweaked something pregame.”
He also said the offensive line still has room to grow, even if he liked parts of what he saw early.
“We wanted to play 10 guys, but we didn't. That was disappointing.
I thought they played pretty well, coming off the ball was OK, especially early. In the second half it wasn't as good as it can be.
Those guys will keep getting better, but we've got to play more.”
The most sobering update of the night came on DJ Wiley. Rodriguez called the injury severe and said Wiley will miss the rest of the season.
“It was severe. He had a great camp, he's a young guy who was gonna get going.
He's going to be out all year, guys like him who tear every ligament are usually out for a whole year, maybe more. The first surgery will hopefully be this Friday and hopefully that's the only one he needs.
The staff on the field did a great job. It's serious... you got to get it back in place quickly.
And Wiley handled it like a trooper.”
In Other News...
WVU Added A New DB But One Key Question Still Looms
West Virginia added another defensive back to its future plans this week when former Georgia defender JaCorey Thomas committed to join the program beginning in the 2026 season. Thomas got a look with the Carolina Panthers at rookie minicamp after going undrafted, but he did not sign an NFL contract, leaving his next stop pointed toward Morgantown instead.
For the Mountaineers, the move adds more depth to a position group that never stops needing it, even if Thomass exact timetable on the field is still unsettled. His arrival does not push anyone out of the current rotation, and the remaining question is when, not whether, he will actually suit up once he gets to campus. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Defensive Breakthrough Came With One Immediate Concern
West Virginia opened the season with the kind of defensive performance Zac Alley had been chasing, squeezing Coastal Carolina on the ground and sending constant heat at the quarterback. The Mountaineers produced 39 pressures, their most in Alleys 13 games, a notable jump for a defensive line that entered the year with plenty of inexperience and still managed to look disruptive from the start.
The problem for West Virginia is that the breakthrough came with a major health scare attached. Darius Wiley went down with a lower-body injury during the game and had to be carted off the field, leaving the Mountaineers waiting for an update on his condition. For a defense that finally flashed the activity and edge it wanted, the next question is whether it can keep that momentum if Wiley is forced to miss time. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Schedule Just Got More Interesting After Week One
Week Zero did not do West Virginia many favors on the schedule front, and the early returns across the Mountaineers upcoming opponents already have a different feel to them. The roundup of recent game performances showed how much can change in a hurry, with several future foes opening their seasons by setting the tone for what should be a more revealing stretch once the schedule gets rolling.
Oklahoma State and Cincinnati in particular now sit on opposite ends of the early conversation, which matters for a West Virginia team trying to judge where the real trouble spots might be. The Cowboys opener raised immediate questions about their polish, while Cincinnatis debut suggested a much higher ceiling at quarterback than some may have expected. For the Mountaineers, the bigger picture is still forming, but the first week at least gave a few upcoming matchups a little more edge. [Read more 🡒]