Owen Schmitt’s weekly gut check on West Virginia’s path to victory pointed straight at two things: offense that keeps forcing missed tackles and a defense that turns up the heat on Oklahoma State quarterback T. C. Mestemaker.
On the latest episode of “The Schmitt List” on In the Gun, the former WVU fullback broke out his usual inside-the-locker-room Rich Rodriguez imitation, then moved to the greaseboard and laid out what he sees as the formula for a Mountaineers win.
“I think offensively, it’s going off of last week with Cam Cook and the missed tackles forced. We got 15+, and we’ve got to stay high and mighty on those.
And then defensively, we need to hit this quarterback. They only have three total sacks (allowed) this year.
We need to match that, in my opinion, and get at least 12 or so hits on this guy and get him rattled. We have to do that this week in order to really set the tone and to what we want to do going forward for the rest of the season.”
Schmitt’s read lines up with what the matchup suggests. Mestemaker is athletic enough to run, but not the kind of quarterback who’s going to dodge trouble all afternoon. He has not forced a missed tackle this season, and last year he forced only five.
That matters because if West Virginia can collapse the pocket and get him uncomfortable, he’s not the kind of passer who can simply slip away and create something out of nothing the way Mike Hawkins Jr. can.
Mestemaker does get the ball out fast, but that doesn’t make him untouchable. Pressure can still speed up his decisions and alter his throws, especially if West Virginia brings numbers and lands clean shots. Add a loud home crowd and a quarterback trying to work through Zac Alley’s defense for the first time in front of 60,000 fans on the road, and the challenge gets a lot bigger.
Through three games, Mestemaker has already been charged with six turnover-worthy plays, second-most among Big 12 quarterbacks behind only Colorado’s Julian Lewis. If West Virginia can keep Oklahoma State behind the chains and keep the pressure coming, the Mountaineers can make this one a long afternoon for the Cowboys’ offense.
In Other News...
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Rogers arrival came after he was granted a preliminary injunction in Indiana that allowed his transfer to move forward, but there is still a question hanging over his immediate future. The uncertainty now is when hell actually be cleared to suit up for games, leaving WVU with another name in the mix and another layer to watch as the roster takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
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Zac Alley Sends West Virginia Defense A Clear Message After Win
West Virginia left the field with a 38-27 win over Virginia, but the mood on the defensive side was anything but celebratory. The Mountaineers had built a three-possession cushion late in the fourth quarter, yet the way Virginia kept pushing back clearly bothered defensive coordinator Zac Alley, who pointed to the lapse as a sign the unit still has work to do.
Alleys frustration was rooted in the final drive, where he said the defense lacked discipline and execution when the game should have been under control. For a team that wants to establish a tougher, more reliable identity, the message was plain: the standard has to hold from the opening snap through the end of the fourth quarter, not just in the stretches when the score looks safe. [Read more 🡒]