MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Rich Rodriguez looked and sounded like a coach who had just about seen enough following West Virginia’s loss to Iowa State.
There was no attempt to sugarcoat what happened defensively. There were no excuses. There wasn’t even much of an explanation. At times, Rodriguez almost seemed at a loss for words trying to describe just how poorly his defense has played over the last two weeks.
“Just poor,” Rodriguez said when asked whether tackling or communication was the biggest problem. “Two games in a row that’s atrocious defense.”
That pretty much sums it up.
After allowing 609 yards of total offense against Oklahoma State last weekend, West Virginia followed that performance by surrendering 577 yards and 29 first downs to Iowa State. Even worse, when the Mountaineers desperately needed their defense to make one play and get off the field, they couldn’t do it.
“29 first downs, 577 yards, two game-winning drives,” Rodriguez said. “All we needed was a stop. It’s just…” Rodriguez paused before adding, “Ugh. It’s hard to watch.”
That pause probably said as much as anything Rodriguez said during his entire postgame press conference.
This is a coach who has spent the last two years talking about building the hardest-working, toughest and most disciplined football program in America. Right now, his defense looks like the exact opposite. West Virginia has now allowed 1,186 yards of total offense over the last two games, and Rodriguez clearly understands that what we are watching simply isn’t acceptable.
“I thought we were fixing some of those issues, but it certainly didn’t look like it,” Rodriguez said. “We got to do a better job.”
Rodriguez seemed particularly furious about the two long touchdown passes West Virginia allowed against Iowa State. These weren’t incredible plays where the Cyclones simply beat great coverage. According to Rodriguez, these were basic defensive breakdowns that shouldn’t be happening at this level.
“You have got to be kidding,” Rodriguez said. “One was a zone coverage where there was just no reason. The other one, he just didn’t watch his man. It’s stuff that I haven’t seen in years.”
That is a pretty incredible statement.
Not “we need to execute better.” Not “we need to clean some things up.” Rodriguez said these were mistakes he hasn’t seen in years.
And he made it clear that everyone involved with the defense is going to be evaluated.
“I’m challenging everybody. I’m challenging the staff,” Rodriguez said. “I’m sure, if you’re a Mountaineer fan, this is hard to watch, because it’s hard for me to watch.”
That “challenging the staff” comment is going to get a lot of attention, and it should.
Defensive coordinator Zac Alley was already under enormous pressure after West Virginia surrendered 609 yards against Oklahoma State. Now his defense has followed that performance by giving up another 577. That doesn’t mean Rodriguez is preparing to make a coaching change, but it certainly sounds like patience is wearing thin.
Rodriguez also acknowledged that West Virginia was rotating players defensively in an attempt to find somebody who could make a difference. When asked about playing so many guys, his answer again showed his frustration.
“Yeah, looked like it. Just trying to find a way,” Rodriguez said before letting out another exasperated, “Pfft… sheez.”
Sometimes body language and tone tell you more than a perfectly constructed answer ever could. Rodriguez looked disgusted with what he had just watched.
And the problems weren’t limited to the defense.
West Virginia was undisciplined throughout the game, committing costly penalties that repeatedly put the Mountaineers in difficult situations.
“We were too undisciplined,” Rodriguez said. “Not coached well enough to give us a chance. Penalties were atrocious. Some were warranted. Some were kind of close. Pass interference on long yardage situations. A couple of illegal procedures. You have to be better than that and you have to stop somebody in order to win the game.”
West Virginia still had an opportunity to force overtime late. The Mountaineers crossed midfield and only needed to get into field-goal range before DJ Epps lost the football while fighting for additional yardage.
Rodriguez wasn’t interested in piling on Epps afterward.
“I think DJ is just trying to make a play,” Rodriguez said. “You have to be careful spinning around and stuff like that, but he was just trying to make a play. Felt good. We were across midfield, just needed a field goal to tie it. Didn’t happen and give them credit.”
The fumble ended the game, but it wasn’t the reason West Virginia lost it.
The Mountaineers lost because they couldn’t stop Iowa State.
And that is now becoming a major problem for Rodriguez and this football program.
“We got to play better football in all aspects, but we certainly got some key problems to a level that I haven’t seen in a while,” Rodriguez said. “We got to fix that in a hurry.”
He’s right about the last part.
West Virginia has to fix it in a hurry.
Because the offenses on the upcoming schedule are only going to get better, and if the Mountaineers continue playing defense like they have over the last two weeks, this season could unravel very quickly.
Rodriguez has spent his entire return to Morgantown preaching toughness, discipline and a hard edge. Following this performance, he didn’t sound like a coach who believes his team is anywhere close to meeting that standard defensively.
He sounded furious.
And after watching West Virginia surrender 1,186 yards in two games, he has every reason to be.
