WVU Can’t Stop Anyone, Yet It Can Still Beat Almost Anyone on the Schedule

It may feel like the West Virginia Mountaineers are in line for another long season, and that could very well be the case, but with the way this offense is humming, they'll still have a chance in every game they play.

Look, I'm well aware of how badly the defense has played and went in depth on it earlier this morning. Now, I'm going to do my best to give you the glass-half-full approach and explain why there is still hope for this season to not be a complete waste.

The Mountaineers have one of the best offenses in the country and, dare I say, one of the top QB/RB duos in the nation. After the first five weeks of the season, Cook (652 yards) and Hawkins (574 yards) are first and third, respectively, in the Big 12 in rushing. Had WVU limited ISU running back Aiden Florda to 21 fewer yards on Saturday, Hawkins would be second overall.

The offensive line is better, but still not where it needs to be. The deeper we get into the season, the better that unit should be, and that's when this unit will become nearly impossible to keep under 30 points in a game.

No one wants to have to win games 49-42 or 38-35, but that just might be what WVU has to do to win games this year. The good news is it's not like the offense is sputtering AND you have the worst defense in the Power Four — that would be a hell of a place to be in.

With the way this team can run the ball and hit on explosive plays in the passing game, the Mountaineers will have a chance to win very game it plays. Because of how egregious the defense is, it may mean you only win two or three more games the rest of the way, but the offense gives this team a fighting chance. All hope is not lost. It would absolutely be if both sides of the ball were struggling.

And to be honest, the special teams unit has been rock solid. They haven't had to cover many kicks, but when they have, they have done a good job of staying in their lane and not allowing anything to pop free. Bryan Hansen has a couple of shanks to his name, but he has more than made up for it with some absolute rockets off his foot. Jack Cassidy has been fantastic, and Matt Sieg has shown some flashes of big-play ability in the return game.

West Virginia is playing really good football in two of the three phases of the game right now. A year ago, it was none of the three. And I'd even add that before Saturday's outlier against Iowa State, they've been one of the least penalized teams in the country.

The defense is the problem.

It has ZERO to do with the passing game, special teams, or anything else. All this team needs is for them to step up and not be Swiss cheese against everything a team throws at them. At this point, I'm convinced that the defense doesn't even need to be a middle-of-the-pack unit in the Big 12 for them to win games.

Oct 3, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (3) watches his team play the Iowa State Cyclones during the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The offense is 20th in yards per game (458.8) and 27th in scoring (33.8). With that type of production, you just need to not be a complete and total disaster on defense. Believe it or not, this team can come out of that stigma. It's at least realistic as opposed to finishing, say, 8th in the league on defense.

Even Iowa State head coach Jimmy Rogers talked about how challenging it is to defend this offense, especially with Hawkins running the show.

"Give a lot of credit to Michael Hawkins, their quarterback there. He took over the game, honestly, for a period of time. We just couldn’t tackle him. What a hell of a player. He’s done that to everybody thus far, and he’s going to be hard for opposing teams to defend him because he’s a mismatch in open space.”

Getting the quarterback position right is not easy, and West Virginia fans know all about that, given the struggles there in recent years. Having a star at the position, in addition to one of the nation's best backs, will give you a chance every single week.

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