Rich Rodriguez Isn't Waiting Until the Offseason to Fix WVU's Problems

When the defense has been as bad as it's been, it can be easy for a coach or a player to just kind of go through the motions and think, "We are what we are; we'll get it fixed next year."

I'm not insinuating that's what some on WVU's coaching staff or roster feel, but as far as the head ball coach is concerned, he wants it fixed right now, as he and everyone should.

"Our players had put ourselves in a position to win the game, a huge game on the road... and it's coaching. It starts with the coaching," he said about the loss to Texas Tech. "We should have had some things... we could have finished them off. We made the one big play on special teams with Matt (Seig) with the punt return, but other than that, our special teams was just okay, but that wasn't the difference. We've got to come up with a way to try to put all three phases together. It's frustrating, but our guys are trying. I don't think anybody's pointing fingers, and I won't let anyone point fingers on our sideline, but my job as a coach internally with our program is to point all the fingers, and it starts with pointing at ourselves. What can we do better as a coaching staff so we can fix that problem? You can say, 'Oh well, we'll fix it in the offseason.' No, we've got too much at stake; let's fix it now."

As far as the staff goes, don't expect any changes to be made there during the season. I've been flooded with questions regarding it, and understandably so. Rich Rod knows what needs to be fixed down the road, but right now, we're talking about what can be fixed to help this team win games this season.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Defensively, it still comes down to simplifying things. Sometimes less is better, especially in this day and age when almost everyone on the roster is new. Going as basic as basic gets is what will give that unit the best chance of being successful.

At 5-4 (3-4), the Mountaineers have no shot at the College Football Playoff or Big 12 Championship game at this point, but that doesn't mean there still isn't something to play for. Every time you take the field, you are being evaluated, be it by other schools around the country or scouts at the next level.

Sure, the goal of playing in Jerry's World can't be accomplished, but that doesn't mean it's okay to sleepwalk through the final three games. There are wins out there for this team to get, starting this weekend against Kansas.

If the Mountaineers take care of business against Kansas, they will clinch a spot in a bowl game. Then next week, they will have another opportunity against a ranked team in Houston. If you spring the upset there, you're at seven wins with two games to go to try and double the win total from a year ago.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the West Virginia Mountaineers

Add us as a preferred source on Google