Rich Rodriguez Labels Utah Loss ‘Disappointing’ and ‘Embarrassing’

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – There were two words Rich Rodriguez kept bringing up as he tried his best to put a 48-14 loss into words. He called West Virginia’s performance “disappointing” and “embarrassing.”

“Disappointing and embarrassing that we couldn’t execute,” said a somber Rodriguez as he opened up his postgame press conference following WVU’s second consecutive blowout loss.

Rodriguez kept his time with the media as short as possible, but pointed to a lack of execution as a reason for the “disappointing” and “embarrassing” play.

“It’s embarrassing how we failed to execute.”

And to encapsulate their poor play and lack of execution, the offense was only able to produce 85 passing yards – the program’s lowest total in a game since the 2023 Backyard Brawl. Defensively, West Virginia allowed 532 total yards to Utah, highlighted by a very efficient 21-for-27 day by Utes quarterback Devon Dampier.

Dampier threw for 237 yards and ran for 33 more while throwing four touchdowns. Seven Utah runners combined to rush for 232 yards on the ground.

When asked if the point differential would’ve been different if WVU had its full team available, Rodriguez made it clear he’s not using their injuries as an excuse.

But as Rodriguez knows all too well, nothing that happened against Utah, or even the prior week at Kansas – a 41-10 loss to the Jayhawks, matters now.

What matters is trying to get the problems fixed as much as possible in a short week. West Virginia will now prepare to head to Provo, Utah to take on BYU on Friday night.

Once that’s finished, Rodriguez’s team will finally enjoy a week off and get that much-needed bye.

Find more coverage of Rich Rodriguez and the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.