MAILBAG: Staff Changes, Rapid Rebuilds, Stuck in 2002, Defensive Solution + More

Before we open up Part 2 of this week's mailbag, I just want to give a huge shout-out to each of you who submitted questions.

I love seeing the questions pour in and getting a chance to give you my thoughts on things you want to know. The fact that we have done a two-parter back-to-back weeks is crazy, yet awesome. Let's keep the momentum rolling, and maybe the football team will recapture some this weekend.

From @Coogs57:

Q: Will Arizona score 50 next week?

A: You know, I honestly feel weird saying no, haha. It's THAT bad, and Arizona's offense is THAT good. This is very similar to the Oklahoma State passing attack we saw two weeks ago, and we all saw how that went. It's possible, but the low-mid 40s are more likely.

From @nwright00:

Q: Do you think Zac Alley can legitimately get this defense to at least be competitive?

A: Can he? Yes. Will he? Meh. I haven't seen anything thus far that suggests there's a chance they can turn things around in time to get on a heater and win a bunch of games down the stretch. The good thing is, they have one of the top offenses in the league, so really, all you are asking them to do is just not be what they are right now — an absolute disaster.

From @BobbyTurkaleno:

Q: How can a football program fail to hire a competent DC and utterly fail at recruiting the DB position for a decade-plus? This team has given the fans NOTHING to be hopeful for far too long.

A: To be honest, everyone loved the Alley hire. Even those covering Oklahoma thought it was a big loss for them at the time, and he didn't even have full control of the defense because of Brent Venables, of course. I think it's a matter of him trying to be too creative, and that's a hard hole to dig yourself out of. And as far as defensive backs go, I'm not really sure. It's definitely a problem, and identifying talent has been a big issue for multiple staffs. A lot of whiffs there, particularly in the transfer portal.

From @wvufan2023:

Q: When will fans stop hearing the excuses from the staff after every loss and they actually fix the problem instead of just saying coach speak?

A: Coach speak is called that for a reason. It's never going to change. You'll keep hearing the same stuff all year, every year, unfortunately. But hey, these guys are really conscientious, and he's not the same coach he was yesterday or 20 years ago, though...if you know, you know.

From @Kellerrr6:

Q: At what point is firing the defensive coaching staff mid-season a real possibility? At minimum, defensive backs coaches? Potentially, Alley himself. Serious question. This is without a doubt the worst defense in the conference, and probably the entire Power 4.

A: Firing the entire defensive staff mid-season is impossible since you're not going to be able to just fill multiple spots and install a new scheme on the fly. Even canning Alley mid-season seems unlikely. If a move is made, it probably won't come until the end of the regular season. Perhaps Alley moves on from an assistant, but that too probably doesn't happen during the year.

From @MrEd315:

Q: What key teaching moments should come from this loss?

A: Discipline, discipline, discipline. That comes in a variety of forms, too. Bad eyes, overplaying things defensively, avoidable penalties- you name it. It just felt like a sloppy product across the board in the first half and remained so defensively in the second half. Eyes HAVE to be in the right spot or big plays happen, and there was a whole lot of that on Saturday.

From @WV_Opossum2:

Q: What is the exact number of defensive missed assignments? Are guys flubbing up plays, or are they actually doing exactly what the coach has taught/told them to do?

A: I think it depends on what you consider a missed assignment. Not knowing where to be, or knowing where to be and not doing what you are coached to do. Both are "flubbing up plays"; some are just unintentional but still hurt you. I believe Alley has clouded their minds a bit with how much he has put in since they landed on campus, and so much so that even when they are in base, it's a little foggy. We've heard him say multiple times that they are calling a lot of their base stuff and they are "making stuff up" on those calls. That, to me, shows they don't know what their responsibility is all the time.

From @TAD_2002:

Q: Sure. How come SO many can teams can do in one year what we can’t manage to do in 8?

A: Great question. Don't know the answer. There is a lot that goes into it. Getting the right head coach, the right coordinators, the right staff... identifying the right talent that fits what you do, and then developing them. So far, I think there's a mix of misevaluations and poor coaching. When you are the worst defense in the Power Four, it can't just be one or the other.

From @Cojseese:

Q: Did Epps step out of bounds before the fumble!?

A: You know...he might have. It was so close. To be honest, when it happened live, I didn't even notice it. I was so hyper-focused on him trying to make something happen and then seeing the ball pop out. I didn't realize it until people started talking about it on X. In that situation, you just have to make it a point to get out of bounds, especially with three timeouts still in your back pocket.

From @OldGoldNBlu:

Q: At what point do we admit that RR is stuck in 2002 and that this program is out-coached in nearly every aspect, game after game? 4-8, incoming.

A: Let's see how the rest of the season pans out. I think we are all reactionary to what we most recently witnessed, which is understandable since it's the last thing we have to go on. That being said, we all believed that this program had turned a corner after beating Virginia. I think they get two or more wins, but if not, oh boy.

From @Trey_Ebc11:

Q: With how atrocious the defense is, are we on pace for another 4-5 win year? We can’t stop a blowing dryer sheet, whether it be the pass or the run. DJ is in quite the slump; the O-line isn’t near as dominant as we thought. Overall, just a terrible 2 weeks.

A: Four? No. Five? Maybe. I just think too highly of this offense for them to win only one more game. They will be in more shootouts, and they'll find a way to come out on top of a couple of those, especially if the other team turns the ball over. I totally understand feeling that way, but there are still a few wins out there to get.

From @WVUBUMDITTY:

Q: Still think there's no way WVU makes a DC change before Alley's 3 years? A lot of today's issues were definitely coaching.

A: Oh yeah, there's a chance. I said I don't think there is a chance UNLESS the defense we saw against Oklahoma State is what we see for the rest of the year. Well, that might happen, haha. If this continues and there is zero improvement, yeah, there will be consideration for a change for sure.

To participate in next week's mailbag, send me a DM on X (@Callihan_) reply to my tweet asking for submissions on Saturday, or place your question in the comments section under my poston Facebook.

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