This Mountaineers defense? Yeah, it’s pretty simple to say it ain’t worked. That’s not me talking, that’s defensive coordinator Zac Alley laying it bare this week, calling his group “the worst defense in college football.” After giving up just about 1,200 yards and a staggering 86 points in two brutal losses to Oklahoma State and Iowa State over the past two weeks, honestly, it’s hard to argue with him.
This Defense Has Absolutely Crashed on Takeoff
Look, the numbers don’t lie. Giving up those kind of yards and points in back-to-back games is a total disaster. Alley didn’t mince words, characterizing the unit as “Not that hard” and saying he doesn’t “plan to keep doing the same thing over and over again. That seems like insanity. We’ll cut it down and make sure they can execute.” You gotta respect the brutal honesty, even if it’s terrifying to hear about your own team. It’s the second year of this run, and while the offense might be good enough to hit 30 points often, this defense has absolutely crashed on takeoff. It makes you wonder how we got here, especially when you think about Rich Rodriguez’s history.
The Echoes of Rich Rod’s Past: A 30-Point Standard
It’s wild to think back a quarter of a century to Rich Rodriguez’s first go-around as head coach, back when Don Nehlen stepped down. That first year was a 3-8 trainwreck, but even then, his team scored 30 or more points twice. That set a standard, a “magic number.” By 2006, when they hit 30 points, Rodriguez had won 34 straight games. The only time they lost when scoring 30 or more during his entire run was a 44-34 defeat to No. 5 Louisville. He finished up 43-1 in such games before moving on. That’s the kind of offensive identity he built, where 30 points usually meant a W. Now, the offense *might* get there again, but will it be enough? The defense needs to make sure it is.
No Panic, Just a Plan, Rodriguez Says
Despite the defensive meltdown and the outside noise, Rodriguez says there’s no panic within the program. He insists there’s a plan in place and that they understand the right approach. “We look at everything, who you are playing, how they are playing, what you asking them to do,” he explained as preparations gear up for Saturday’s noon game against Arizona. He added that you should always be evaluating, “whether you are playing well or are playing poorly.” He’s even looking at the offense, making sure they’re playing the right guys and doing the right things, but admits the poor defensive play is bringing it “to the forefront.” It’s an “every week conversation,” he says. The fans might be screaming, but Rodriguez says he’s focused on that “inside noise,” not the internet speculation.
This Saturday, against Arizona, we’ll see what that plan looks like on the field. The defense *has* to show something different. It simply has to.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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