Justin Jackson: WVU defense comes up big against Virginia
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MORGANTOWN - The headlines will be about WVU quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. today, deservedly so.
He danced, dashed and befuddled No. 25 Virginia on Saturday night inside Bank of America Stadium to the tune of 190 yards passing and 123 yards on the ground. He accounted for five touchdowns, and along the way put his name on the national scene.
Cam Cook added to his already star power with 123 rushing yards of his own.
And with WVU's 38-27 victory over the Cavaliers, analysts and talking heads around the country are going to be asking themselves all this week whether or not head coach Rich Rodriguez just got the Mountaineers back onto the college football map.
That's all great.
It was Zac Alley and his WVU defense that won this game, though. It's been a long long time since a WVU defense came up this big in a game that actually had some national relevance.
Over the last seven years, it was generally WVU's defense that took the heat for the Mountaineers' woes.
Not on this night in Charlotte, N.C.
"They hit us with some stuff and hit us with some big runs," WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said afterward. "There was no panic. I was probably panicking more than the players were, because I was wanting to get some three-and-outs and stuff like that."
Alley made adjustments on the fly like NASCAR pit crews change tires. His defense kept taking jabs and body blows for the first 15 minutes of the game, only to flip the script and begin landing some major haymakers the rest of the way.
Here's what we're talking about: Virginia's overly experienced offensive line was supposed to be the difference in this game.
Those five guys on the Cavaliers' line combine for 31 years’ worth of college football games, a Justin Bieber - also 31-years old - if you will.
And they were all in tune during that first quarter. If Alley had his defensive line slanting to the left, the Cavaliers were trapping and running to the right. Pulling guards and tight ends were constantly making their mark on WVU's defenders on the edge and the Cavaliers made things look really easy in rushing for 113 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries.
That's an average of 8.1 yards per carry, folks.
Then came the rest of the game. Over the final three quarters, Virginia added only 44 rushing yards to their total. Cavs quarterback Beau Pribula began to feel the pressure and he took some real shots. He was sacked three times and was hurried an additional four times.
"I thought we were uneven at times, but they were never panicked," Rodriguez said. "Coach Alley and the defensive staff made a few adjustments here and there. They have an experienced offensive line, it's hard to trick those guys. Our guys kept plugging in there. I thought at the end of the third quarter and the fourth quarter, we made some really key stops and took the momentum over."
Defensive back Nick Taylor - up until his targeting call with 42 seconds remaining in the game - was a difference maker. He blew up Virginia running back Jekail Middlebrook out in the flat to force a three-and-out.
We would say that hit made the statement that this WVU defense has, indeed, arrived, yet that wouldn't do the proper justice to the one he leveled upon Virginia tight end John Rogers in the fourth quarter.
West Virginia will not see another offensive line with that amount of experience the rest of the season. Pribula is a pretty good dude, too, and he spent three quarters running for his life basically.
This WVU defense - if it continues to show the aggressiveness it showed Saturday - is good enough to help the Mountaineers make a move up the Big 12 standings.
That aggressiveness was on display at the 9:51 mark of the fourth quarter. WVU led, 28-21, and it was anyone's ballgame still. Virginia was at the WVU 13 and faced a third-and-seven.
Alley sent seven guys - SEVEN! - on a blitz and linebacker Ashton Woods got through for the sack. Virginia missed the field goal attempt and that was it.
When most would have played eight in coverage, Alley sent the house. That's the type of caution-to-the-wind type of thinking that just may make a big difference this season.