WVU’s Defense Got Shredded for 609 Yards

Normally, when you hold a team to 2/10 on third down and slam the door shut on them in the red zone, forcing them to kick four field goals, you are going to have a pretty good chance to win the game.

Add in that your offense rushed for 334 yards and had 29 first downs; you're probably winning that game 95% of the time, if not more. Well, that five or so percent chance of still coming up short happened to West Virginia on Saturday night against Oklahoma State because they allowed explosive play after explosive play.

This morning, we're going to look at some of the numbers (and issues) from that loss and whether or not it's something that can be fixed.

The explosives (all 16 of them)

Passing (15+ yards) - average of 19.5 yards per catch

Mestemaker > Bowick for 21 yards
Mestemaker > Coleman for 28 yards
Mestemaker > Young for 21 yards
Mestemaker > Bowick for 21 yards
Mestemaker > Barnes for 52 yards
Mestemaker > Lewis for 27 yards
Mestemaker > Young for 40 yards
Mestemaker > Young for 48 yards
Mestemaker > Young for 28 yards

Rushing (10+ yards) - average of 5.4 yards per carry

Hawkins for 31 yards
Hawkins for 12 yards
Adeyi for 10 yards
Adeyi for 14 yards
Hawkins for 22 yards
Hawkins for 11 yards

On average, a college defense gives up an explosive play on 14% of plays. If we remove the three kneel-downs at the end of the game, Oklahoma State recorded an explosive play on 24% of its plays. Holy YIKES! If that number held for an entire season, it would be one of the worst defenses in the country, if not the worst.

How and why the explosives happened

West Virginia University defensive coordinator Zac Alley | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Defensive coordinator Zac Alley threw a new wrinkle at Oklahoma State, but it didn't throw them off by any means. For really the first time this season, WVU showed a dime look, playing an extra safety and going with three down linemen. OSU head coach Eric Morris told reporters in the postgame press conference that they committed to the run early for that very reason.

“It was something they really hadn’t shown. They showed a little bit on tape, but obviously they were going to keep an umbrella and didn’t want Drew to beat them.”

The problem? Drew beat them. Time and time again. The secondary was not on the same page, looking completely lost and missing an overwhelming number of tackles. Eighteen, to be exact.

Instead of honing in on what they do well, Alley tried to catch Oklahoma State off guard, and it looked like it had WVU more flustered, not knowing where to be, what to do, and communicating as the ball was being snapped.

If this defense was full of veterans who have spent multiple years in the system, you can probably take this approach into a game and have success. Not with a group that's almost entirely new.

The silver lining + why it can be fixed

Sep 26, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) warms up prior to their game West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Looking at the glass half full (for just a moment because why not?)

This is most likely going to be the best offense West Virginia will face this season. They have some tough challenges ahead, but as far as a QB/RB duo goes and the explosive nature of their offense, I'd be shocked if WVU sees anything like that beast again during conference play.

Not that it will lessen this sting of what you just witnessed, but a quick reminder: Oregon gave up 12 explosive plays to this offense and 554 total yards. Oklahoma State's season opener against Tulsa could very well have been a fluke, and they may just be one of the best teams in the league.

Why it can be fixed

It may not look like what it did on Saturday, but every team is going to have a game or two where the tackling is just horrendously bad. That was the first time this season WVU played sloppily in that regard. They had nine missed tackles against Coastal Carolina, five against UT Martin, and seven against Virginia.

They've shown that they can rally to the ball and tackle, but more so against teams who are more committed to the run. Two of the next three games are against teams who want to be physical and try to run the football. Yeah, they may look at this tape and be more tempted to throw it, but at the end of the day, they will lean into their strength.

Obviously, the game plan "failed," as Rich Rodriguez said on Saturday night, and by the time they face Arizona in two weeks, a team that likes to play pitch and catch, they should have a better idea as to what to do and, more importantly, what NOT to do.

Also, this is still a fairly new system for the majority of contributors on that side of the ball. IF and this is a big IF- Alley starts to trim things down and just zero in on what they do well, this unit will improve. It may be a middle-of-the-road defense at best, and that's okay if the offense continues to hum along.

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