Week 5 left the West Virginia Mountaineers' NFL alumni scattered across a busy slate, with some taking clear steps forward and others stuck in rough stretches.
Geno Smith helped the New York Jets get a much-needed win in a 17-12 grind over the Cleveland Browns. Smith completed 17-of-30 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown, and his early strike to Garrett Wilson ended up being the kind of play that mattered most in a game the Jets had to claw through. New York did just enough to earn its second victory of the season against a Browns defense that made everything difficult.
Up front, Zach Frazier and the Steelers turned in one of their better outings of the year against the Indianapolis Colts. Pittsburgh kept Aaron Rodgers upright for most of the game, allowing just one sack, and the run game had room to breathe as Jaylen Warren averaged more than 6 yards per carry. Over the last three games, that Steelers offensive line has clearly been trending in the right direction.
On the West Coast, the 49ers kept rolling at 5-0, and their offensive line played a major part in that against the Seattle Seahawks. Brock Purdy was sacked for the first time this season, but the run blocking held firm, and McKivitz helped open things up for Christian McCaffrey, who averaged 6.2 yards per carry.
Not every result was so clean. The Arizona Cardinals were hammered by the Detroit Lions, 45-21, and Jahmyr Gibbs piled up more than 200 scrimmage yards while tearing through Arizona’s defense.
Dante Stills had a tougher day as well, posting his lowest defensive grade of the season from Pro Football Focus with a 44.1. For Stills and the Cardinals, consistency remains the issue.
Rasul Douglas, meanwhile, is settling into a bigger role with the Washington Commanders. In recent weeks, he has worked his way into one of the starting outside corner spots, and he continued to stand out in Washington’s tie with the Giants. Even with plenty of offense in that game, Douglas remained one of the few steady points on a defense that has otherwise struggled.
In Other News...
Rich Rodriguez Sends A Clear Message To WVU's Struggling Defense
West Virginias defense has put Rich Rodriguez in a familiar spot lately, and not in a good way. After the Mountaineers gave up too much yardage and too many points in recent conference games, Rodriguez made it clear he expects more, saying the unit has to get better as the season goes on through coaching, adjustments in personnel and a sharper attention to fundamentals.
Rodriguez and his staff have already spent plenty of time digging through game film, and the next step looks like changes in the defensive backfield. For a team trying to steady itself in conference play, the message is less about panic than urgency, with the Mountaineers coaching staff looking for answers before the problems on that side of the ball become even harder to fix. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Fans Can Now Lock In Seats Before Key Games Fill Up
West Virginia fans who have been waiting to plan their winter around basketball now have a fresh chance to get in early. Single-game tickets for all WVU womens home games are on sale to the general public, and mens basketball has opened up nonconference single-game options along with Big 12 mini packs, giving supporters a few different ways to lock in seats before the busiest dates arrive.
The mens Pick Your Own mini packages let fans choose from a set of specified opponents, with pricing starting at $90 for a three-game package and $125 for a five-game plan. On the womens side, general admission begins at $12, with additional pricing tiers and Coca-Cola Family Day ticket packages also available, making this a practical entry point for fans who want more than just one marquee night on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Faces A Tough Mirror Matchup Against Cincinnati
Saturdays matchup has the feel of a stylistic test as much as a Big 12 game, with Cincinnati and West Virginia both leaning into the run. Scott Satterfield pointed to the overlap between the two offenses this week, noting how much both teams want to establish the ground game and use mobility at quarterback to stress defenses. He also singled out Cam Cook and West Virginias quarterback as part of a group that can make a defense work for every stop.
For the Mountaineers, the challenge is being on the other side of the same kind of pressure they try to create. Satterfield described West Virginias offensive line as physical and said defending a team built around a mobile quarterback and a strong run game is never simple. In a game with two teams so similar in approach, small edges up front and in open-field tackling could end up deciding which side gets to dictate the pace. [Read more 🡒]