Another Blow: West Virginia Loses Linebacker to Season-Ending Injury

The injury bug must have built its nest in Morgantown this offseason because the West Virginia football team has been hit with injuries left and right, really, since the beginning of the season. On Monday night, WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez revealed the unfortunate news about redshirt freshman linebacker Ashton Woods.

"He was really coming along at linebacker and on special teams. He's got a shoulder surgery, I think tomorrow, so he'll be out for the season."

Woods primarily served as Reid Carrico's backup at the MIKE linebacker position, but did play some at the WILL as well. He had a rough game in the loss to Ohio, missing four tackles, but bounced back in limited action against Pitt in the Backyard Brawl. His pass coverage needs to improve, and if he can finish off tackles more consistently, he has a chance to be a real player here. Unfortunately, he won't have the remaining six games to continue to grow and develop. A timeline for the recovery was not given, so as of now, we're unsure if he'll be ready in time to participate in spring ball.

In six games this season, Woods accounted for 15 tackles, all of which came on defense. According to Pro Football Focus, he had an overall grade of 54.3, a run defense grade of 63.5, a 58 in pass rush, 55.2 in pass coverage, and 41.5 in tackling. Seven missed tackles in six games is way too much, especially for a player as talented as he is.

Next man up

With Woods on the shelf, Ben Bogle will slide into the No. 2 spot at the MIKE. Junior Ben Cutter could also see some action there while also backing up Chase Wilson at the WILL. Although he's only appeared in 107 defensive snaps on the season, Bogle has been pretty reliable when in the game. He has 12 tackles, three pressures, two QB hits, one hurry, and zero missed tackles. Like Woods, he'll need to improve in coverage, but he's been rock solid against the run thus far.

Next man up

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