MAILBAG: Zac Alley's Future, Predictable Offense, Scotty Fox, + More

Good Monday morning, Mountaineer fans! It's time to crack open this week's West Virginia On SI mailbag.

Because we had so many questions pouring in, we are going to chop this week's mailbag into two, possibly three stories. So if your question is not included in today's, hang tight, I'll get to yours tomorrow or Wednesday.

From @stephdrenmag:

Q: Why didn’t we consider playing Scotty Fox tonight?

A: This is NOT a Mike Hawkins Jr. problem. He dropped back 32 times and was met with pressure 15 times. That's 46% of the time he had someone in his grill. Factor in that there were three drops on the night (two by Epps and one by Bray), and Rich Rod calling a very predictable offense; it's hard to throw it. You have to have somewhat of a balanced approach to keep them guessing and also to get Hawkins in rhythm. I believe that's partially why he was a little off on some throws — the way the game was called, he couldn't get going. Inserting Fox creates more problems than solutions.

From @golfbloggercom:

Q: Why does Zac Alley still have a job?

A: He is on a three-year deal, and in a time when every dollar means a little more, patience is going to be needed...with everyone. I understand it's frustrating after an embarrassing effort, but the reality is, he's not going to can anyone during the season. I don't think anything will change either at the end of the year unless there's just no hope.

From @TheMotor55:

Q: Where was the adjustment? You know what Oklahoma State was, and you let them do what they do.

A: Great question. I'd love to know. I'm not sure how you could watch Mestemaker beat you with that dime look and allow him to just sit back there and pick you apart while Caleb Hawkins is running into a light box and not coming out of it. I thought the best way to limit this offense was to do the exact opposite — load the box and heat him up while stuffing the ground game.

From @curtisd0316:

Q: Why were no adjustments made on either side of the ball?

A: Defensively, look at the above question. Offensively, I think it was the pure lack of not having a balanced attack (at all) in the first half. Sure, it worked for two quarters, but their coaches and players are too good to allow that to happen again in the second half. If you don't throw it, you are going to be stymied, which is what happened in the second half.

From @BrannonKrieg:

Q: How long are we gonna employ Zac Alley?

A: Well, he is in year two of a three-year deal. He will absolutely get all three years unless what happened Saturday happens every single game, which I don't foresee happening. Oklahoma State is really good offensively, and that's by far the best unit they will face all year. Doesn't make it excusable; it's just the facts. They need to put more money into the defensive side of the ball, and I fully expect them to do that next offseason, giving Alley more to work with.

From @wvujim_:

Q: What curse needs to be reversed on WVU football?

A: Great question, Jim! Hope you're doing well! It's been a minute. But that might be the best question in the history of the mailbag because I am not sure anyone knows the answer. All they had to do was win a home game at night in front of a juiced-up crowd to end an eight-year drought of not being ranked. Now, they'll have to get on a roll to get back in the conversation. Still a lot of ball left to be played, though.

From @coalcountrywvu:

Q: It never ends does it?

A: Saturday night was bad, but if we take a step back, you'll see progress. You'll see a 3-1 record. With one more win, they'll match last year's win total with over half of the season left. The Cignetti era was brutal, and they came out of it. I know that was a long time ago and a different era of college sports, but I have confidence they will come out of this seven-year funk soon, and there's still a chance they turn the corner this year.

From @Robert_VanceMD:

Q: Zac Alley's defenses were not great at OU. Why would you think they would be ok here?

A: He was only at Oklahoma for one year, and during that season, they were 19th in the country in total defense. Plus, that was against SEC competition and let's be real, those teams are far more talented than the ones that exist in the Big 12. Now, the defense is Brent Venables' baby, so he certainly had his fingerprints all over that, but Alley definitely played a part as well. Believe it or not, Zac is very well-respected around college football. Sometimes, I think he gets in his own way trying to do too much.

From @mhess311:

Q: What's more disappointing? Not even being surprised that we got smacked at home in prime time, or watching another school in year 1 of a new coach have more success than us.

A: Ooh, that's a tough one. I might surprise you here, but I'll go with losing the home game in prime time. The fan base deserves better. An electric atmosphere, a great turnout by the crowd, who definitely played a factor — yeah, I'm going with that. Let's not forget, this team beat No. 6 Oregon, who just turned around and beat No. 12 USC. Not every first-year coach is going to be fighting an uphill battle. Sometimes, you'll get the perfect storm of a great quarterback, solid playmakers around him, and you get Curt Cignetti type of stuff. It's still early to say that about Eric Morris, but he is well on his way to having that kind of year.

From @j_tennant:

Q: Does nobody see the progress? Why do we pretend that winning 3 early games in the second year means that WVU is somehow all the way back, and then want the coach gone the next game? Is there no in-between anymore?

A: I think the issue is that there is no progress on the defensive side. It's been the same problem year after year, coach after coach, coordinator after coordinator. It's an exhausting situation to some degree. Some folks may say there is only progress in the run game, but you can't just throw that out and act like it doesn't count. It absolutely counts, especially when that is the backbone of this offense. They need to trust Mike Hawkins Jr. more, and when that happens, this thing will really open up.

From @Voigtke:

Q: Why did we continue to put a safety on the guy with 200 yards receiving?

A: I think the issue was more about playing six DBs and rushing three. Mestemaker was bothered what? Once all day? The fact that he was carving them up and STILL wouldn't come out of that look is what boggled my mind.

From @MmaMountaineer:

Q: The game shifted the moment Hawkins threw that INT that was tipped. Defense is absolutely atrocious, and I think it may be time to either get rid of Zac Alley or find the type of talent he needs. We figured out our offense; now we have to figure out our defense. Thoughts?

A: Yeah, as mentioned in the above questions, I don't think Zac is going anywhere. Does he need to be better? Absolutely. Does he need more talent? Absolutely. Both things can be true at once. Just go back and look at what those guys who are playing heavy snaps did a year ago. It's not like they had a bunch of all-conference performers coming in from the Group of Six level. A handful, yes, but they didn't spend nearly enough on that side of the ball, which is obvious.

From @inevitablerich:

Q: Hot topic to bring up, Schuyler: do we stop using Country Roads? Other teams are just up and deciding that they can do whatever the hell they want to do with our songs. (If you haven’t seen it yet) OK, St. players sang our song at the top of their lungs in the locker rooms.

A: No. Keep using it. It's tradition, and you're not going to stop because someone else sings it. Just like how Pitt isn't going to stop singing Sweet Caroline although WVU fans have their own twist to it. Virginia Tech isn't going to stop playing Enter Sandman if a team beats them; they'll blare it in the locker room after beating them. It's just a part of college football. Win the game, and that doesn't happen.

From @jriley322:

Q: Every time we face a physical team, we get manhandled! Everything has changed but 1 thing. Mike Joseph! Coaches, players, schemes. It’s all changed but him. Is that the underlying problem?

A: I don't think so, personally. It's more about recruiting and coaching than it is about the strength staff. They are small on the defensive line, don't have speed/athleticism at linebacker, and don't have experience at corner.

From @harriman21159:

Q: For defense, do you think the issue was more lack of a pass rush/pressures/sacks, or is the secondary just that bad at covering? You’ve got your hands full with the mailbag this week lol

A: I sure do, considering this is the first time I've ever had to make this multiple stories, haha. The secondary was awful, but the lack of pressure was a problem, too. You can't ask a vulnerable secondary to hold up for that long and expect good things to happen. Very surprised they didn't go with more four-down looks.

From @tannicabinder:

Q: What’s the answer for outside zone on defense AND when will we take advantage of press coverage with no safety over top on offense?

A: Tackling better would sure as heck go a long way. 18 missed tackles in this one, which doubled their previous season's high. Playing a light box didn't help the cause either, in my opinion. Caleb Hawkins alone forced 11 missed tackles. Offensively, I'd love to tell you it will happen, but I just don't have confidence in Rich balancing out this offense.

From @Mountyfan:

Q: Where does Zac Alley rank among Big 12 DCs in pay?

A: Of the salaries I was able to find, he is the highest-paid annually. That said, there are still over half the league I'm unsure about. Arizona State, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, and UCF I don't have figures for and Baylor, BYU, and TCU are private schools, so their salaries aren’t publicly available.

From @OcalaVic:

Q: I know they love his running ability, but they really need to work on his progressions. Will they, or will they let him do what he does?

A: The thing with this offense is it's not really a progression offense. You're reading half of the field more than anything and taking the better of the two or three options given to you. That said, I don't know if they will allow him to do his thing. By not allowing Hawkins to throw it, they are handcuffing the full potential of this offense. Yeah, cool, they ran for 330+ yards, but it resulted in only 24 points because Oklahoma State bowed up in the second half and gave them trouble against the pass, only because they knew it was coming. It doesn't matter how many yards you rack up, it comes down to points. To score more, there has to be some sort of balance. Even if it's 65/35 towards the run. It just can't be the 78% it is right now.

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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