WVU vs. UT Martin Shouldn't Be Close — But There's Still Plenty to Watch

If we are being honest, there are no keys to beating a team like UT Martin, with all due respect. It's just showing up, doing what you are supposed to do, and getting the starters out to get some youngsters in.

That said, there are still some things that we do need to see in this game before the Mountaineers head down to Charlotte next week for a major showdown with Virginia.

Keep...you know it...CONTAIN!

West Virginia University defensive lineman Zeke Durham-Campbell | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

If this wasn't the first thing I mentioned, I would be questioning myself. It's very clearly the number one thing that this team has to improve. The fact that they were able to get over 35 pressures on Coastal Carolina's Deuces Bailey on just 17 blitzes is impressive; that means you were causing havoc without having to bring extra resources. You did the hard part; now just finish the play. As Rich Rod said, it's a fixable issue. And if they do fix it today, that doesn't mean it's because they are playing an FCS team. That has nothing to do with it, whatsoever. If they had struggled to get pressure last week and then got a boatload of it today, yeah, you could say the opponent played a factor. Come in controlled and don't allow the QB to escape the pocket. If they fix that, the defense might be alright.

Open up the passing game some

West Virginia University quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

I'm not saying show your entire hand; just dip into that bag of passing plays a little more than you did last week. The last thing you want to do is head into the Virginia game with very few in-game reps and all of a sudden try to sling it around. I fully understand that you don't necessarily need to throw it more than 14 times in this game, and by limiting pass attempts, you're really going to have Virginia wondering what to actually game plan for in the air, but to me, the reps are more important. Save your best stuff for next week and beyond, but air it out a little bit and allow Mike Hawkins Jr. to develop some chemistry and trust with his receivers.

Eliminate the self-inflicted mistakes/FINISH!

Last week, part of the reason West Virginia wasn't able to put Coastal Carolina away was that they held their hand and guided them right down the field after pinning them on the one-yard line. Three penalties helped keep that drive alive for the Chants, although one of them was very questionable, in my opinion. The first, however, came on third down with Coastal still backed up. If they get that stop, WVU gets a short field to work with and likely puts that game well out of reach at 31-0.

There were some things that they needed to clean up offensively, too. Those three consecutive three-and-outs in the second half by WVU featured three penalties — a false start by center Wes King, a hold on tight end Cam Ball, and an unsportsmanlike penalty on wide receiver Jaden Bray. Penalties happen, but each of those was preventable, including the hold, which was just poor technique. Not to mention, there was also a Cam Cook fumble mixed in there as well that the Mountaineers hopped back on top of.

All of those things, combined with throwing the ball just three times in those three possessions, allowed Coastal to make it more interesting than it needed to be. This afternoon's game should never come close, but you still want to see this group keep their foot on the gas in the second half and play a full four quarters of football.

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