Why Ben Cutter is Suddenly One of WVU’s Most Important Players

Zac Alley needs a big season from his veteran linebacker.

WVU Athletics Communications

If you know West Virginia defensive coordinator Zac Alley, you know he puts a lot on his linebackers. When his unit has success, it's usually because he has strong play from that group of backers.

Unfortunately for Alley, there are a bunch of new faces in that room, just like there are scattered all over the Mountaineers' defense. But there is one returner who has played a bunch of football and needs to become a reliable force in the second level. That player is senior Ben Cutter.

“Absolutely," Alley said after a spring practice when asked if it was a big deal to retain Cutter this offseason. "I got on Cutt today because I told him you’ve got to be the old man of the group. You’ve got to know everything that everybody does on every play. That’s your expectation. That’s what we expect from him — to be that type of All-American, captain, call everybody out, tell everybody what to do every play type of guy."

While every position is held to a high standard, the linebackers are his baby. He works directly with them, so when something goes awry, and it's because of that second level, it stings a little deeper.

Reid Carrico and Chase Wilson did a fine job a year ago learning the scheme on the fly. Cutter is in a slightly different position because he has experience in the system and knows what is expected of him now that it's his turn to be the vocal leader.

"There’s some other guys that have been in college football for a while, and they help with that," Cutter said. "But yeah, just setting the tone, letting everybody know how we practice and what we need to do each day to prepare, getting in the film room and stuff like that.

“We got to lead that defense out there. It’s a big role, but we’re happy to step into it and make sure everything’s running smoothly out there," he continued. "We have to set the front, get the call, get everybody lined up, make adjustments and checks, and make sure that we’re always in the right call, everybody’s on the same page.”

For the most part, Cutter did a fine job in pass coverage a year ago in his first year under Alley. Being more productive against the run and finishing plays is where he must improve this fall. Last season, he had a missed tackle rate of 18.4%, which is entirely too high. He needs to be in that 10-12% range, and if he is, the Mountaineers' front seven should be in decent shape.