Eugene Napoleon: Don’t Hit the Panic Button on WVU Just Yet

The opener was good, and then it wasn't. Frustration is reasonable, but there's still time to get things fixed.

Sep 5, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers offensive lineman Nick Krahe (52) during a huddle during the second quarter against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the immediate aftermath of the season opener, there was full-on panic from a large portion of the West Virginia fan base, and rightfully so. You just beat a Group of Six team by seven that is in the first year of a new era. I'm even guilty of overreacting and harshly grading that one, if I'm being honest.

After rewatching it and letting those thoughts stew in my head, I came away from it still believing that this WVU team still has what it takes to reach bowl eligibility and then some. Former WVU running back Eugene Napoleon felt the same way and detailed his thoughts on the game that was a true tale of two halves, in this week's episode of The Walk Thru Game Day Show.

Don't hit that panic button just yet!

West Virginia University head coach Rich Rodriguez | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

“What we saw in this first game it’s typical of what you’re going to see, and I know other people will say, ‘Well, we watched other first games didn’t look like that.’ But it’s typical of what you’re going to see with a turned over roster, and I know everybody has a turned over roster, but everybody’s team is built differently. I don’t think we’re going to see what happened in the second half of this football game as opposed to what happened in the first half for the rest of the season," Eugene said. "I personally think we’ll probably see a nice blend of what happened in the first half with every now and again a glimpse of what happened in the second half. A glimpse.

"Here’s the reasoning as to why. Rich and his staff full well know that you cannot go 11 games and not get better at every phase of this game throughout the entire season. We know this. Rich has been doing this a long time. He understands the way this goes. It’s almost a slow burn. I think this game he’s going to open it up a little bit more. I think you’ll see a little bit more exotic fronts to get ready for I think a really good Virginia football team. Pause for the cause. Relax a little bit. Don’t get your school clothes all ruffled up about this second half. I don’t think you hit the alarm button just yet. I really do think they’ll learn from it. I think this is a teachable moment in film. And I think they’ll make the correct adjustments, in my opinion.”

Gene is spot on here

West Virginia University quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

When WVU was actually running some offense and not just stubbornly running into a heavily loaded box, they were dominating. They moved the line of scrimmage, found some success through the air, and could've very easily scored 31 points if it weren't for the fumble through the back of the end zone.

Defensively, they locked Coastal down in the first half, and as defensive coordinator Zac Alley mentioned in his presser earlier this week, there was "some complacency" once they got out to the big 24-0 lead.

They were able to generate 35+ pressures on QB Deuce Bailey, but, of course, struggled to keep contain, which allowed many of those big plays and touchdowns to happen. That's a fairly easy thing to get fixed, and if they do, they'll be just fine, looking more like the version of the team we saw in the first 30 minutes of that game.