AMES, Iowa — The whispers are getting louder. West Virginia trails Iowa State 21-14 at halftime in Ames, and after what happened against Oklahoma State last weekend, the first 30 minutes have done absolutely nothing to quiet the growing frustration surrounding defensive coordinator Zac Alley. If anything, they have only added fuel to it. This was supposed to be the bounce-back game for West Virginia’s defense. After allowing Oklahoma State to pile up 609 yards of total offense last week, the Mountaineers needed to come out against Iowa State and show that performance was an aberration. Instead, through one half, we’re seeing too many of the same problems.
Iowa State has already scored 21 points, including three touchdowns that looked far too easy. That would be concerning against anyone, but it’s especially troubling considering the offense West Virginia is facing. Iowa State entered this game as one of the worst offenses in the Big 12. This isn’t an offensive juggernaut that should be expected to march up and down the field against West Virginia. This was supposed to be the matchup where the Mountaineer defense got back on track. Instead, Iowa State has 21 points and the lead after 30 minutes.
I’ve defended Zac Alley, and I’m still not saying West Virginia should fire him. I thought some of the criticism following the Oklahoma State game went too far. Alley didn’t suddenly forget how to coach football, and there are legitimate personnel concerns with this West Virginia defense. The Mountaineers didn’t exactly load up on proven defensive difference-makers through the transfer portal this offseason, and a lot of the resources went toward rebuilding the offense. Alley has been asked to make it work with what he has, and that absolutely has to be considered when evaluating him.
But there comes a point where that explanation can only go so far. Alley is making big money, reportedly around $1.3 million per year, and when you’re being compensated like that to coordinate a defense, you’re expected to find answers. You’re expected to make adjustments, put your players in positions to succeed and, most importantly, get stops. Right now, West Virginia simply isn’t getting enough of them.
What makes this so frustrating is that we’ve already seen what this defense can look like when everything is clicking. West Virginia played very well defensively against Virginia. The Mountaineers were aggressive, physical and disciplined. That performance is one of the biggest reasons I’ve been reluctant to put everything that has gone wrong defensively on Alley. But you can’t follow that up by giving up 609 yards to Oklahoma State and then allow one of the Big 12’s worst offenses to put 21 points on the board in the first half the following week without people starting to ask serious questions.
And that’s exactly where we are now. This isn’t me saying Zac Alley needs to be fired because West Virginia is down seven points at halftime. That would be ridiculous. There are still 30 minutes of football remaining, and Alley has an opportunity to completely change the conversation. In fact, this second half might tell us quite a bit about him. Good defensive coordinators make adjustments. Whatever Iowa State found in the first half, Alley needs to take it away. If there are communication problems, fix them. If players are confused or out of position, simplify things. If Iowa State is exploiting a particular matchup, find another way to defend it.
The larger concern isn’t simply that Iowa State scored 21 points. It’s what those 21 points represent coming immediately after what happened against Oklahoma State. One terrible defensive performance can happen. When it starts happening again seven days later against a considerably less threatening offense, it begins looking like a trend. And if Iowa State comes out in the second half and continues moving the football with relative ease, the conversation surrounding Alley is going to get much louder.
Mountaineer fans understand that this roster isn’t perfect. They understand that Rich Rodriguez is still building this program and that there are going to be growing pains along the way. But they also expect West Virginia to play competent defense, particularly against an offense that has struggled as much as Iowa State’s has this season. When your defensive coordinator is making more than a million dollars per year, expectations are naturally going to be higher.
There are still 30 minutes left for Alley and this defense to respond. West Virginia could come out of the locker room, shut Iowa State down in the second half and make all of this criticism look premature. If that happens, Alley deserves credit for making the necessary adjustments. But if the Cyclones continue moving the football and West Virginia follows up last week’s 609-yard disaster with another poor defensive performance, the pressure is going to intensify quickly.
The “Fire Zac Alley” talk was mostly background noise before these last two games. It’s becoming harder to ignore now. The whispers are getting louder, and Zac Alley’s defense desperately needs to give Mountaineer fans a reason to quiet them down.
