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MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — After watching the film for the third time, one thing is painfully clear: West Virginia’s offensive line was flat-out bad in Week 1 against Robert Morris. There’s no sugarcoating it—this unit looked overwhelmed, disorganized, and unable to impose its will against an FCS opponent they should have dominated.
The numbers back up what the eyes saw. The highest Pro Football Focus grade came from center Nick Krahe at just 69.5—barely scraping into average territory. Everyone else on the line graded worse. That tells you everything about how inconsistent and ineffective the group was from start to finish.
Star running back Jahiem White never had a chance to showcase his explosiveness. Every handoff seemed to end with him dodging defenders in the backfield or getting swallowed up before he could hit the second level. White’s talent is unquestionable, but without a crease to run through, even the most dynamic backs look ordinary.
Quarterback Nicco Marchiol had it just as bad. The pocket collapsed almost instantly on nearly every dropback. Instead of scanning the field and progressing through reads, Marchiol was forced to scramble, throw off balance, or eat a sack. That’s not a recipe for offensive success, and it certainly doesn’t allow him to build confidence as the new leader of this team.
Rich Rodriguez has built his reputation on explosive offenses powered by physical, nasty offensive lines. What WVU put on tape against Robert Morris doesn’t even come close to that standard. Rodriguez will demand better, and you can bet this week’s practices will be brutal for the big men up front.
The line doesn’t have the luxury of time. Sure, they escaped with a win against Robert Morris, but if this same performance shows up in Week 3 against Pitt, the Mountaineers will be embarrassed. Pitt’s defensive front is far more talented, disciplined, and physical. If West Virginia doesn’t make drastic improvements in both technique and communication, Nicco and Jahiem will once again be left stranded.
It’s only Week 1, but the film doesn’t lie. The offensive line was a liability, not an asset. If WVU wants to live up to Rich Rodriguez’s vision of building one of the nation’s best programs, it starts in the trenches—and this group has to get a whole lot better, fast.
