Storylines to Keep an Eye On for WVU Football at Houston

The latest challenge for WVU in pursuit of their first conference win is a matchup with Houston in the center of the Lone Star State. As Mountaineer Nation knows all too well, the last time these programs met saw Houston upset a much better West Virginia team. The hope for WVU is to flip the script this season.

Rich Rodriguez Reveals Most Frustrating Part of WVU’s 2025 Season

Rich Rodriguez isn’t one to hide frustration. It’s just not in his DNA to hold back, something that’s been evident throughout the 2025 season.

A list of what frustrates Rodriguez about how the season has unfolded knows no limit. West Virginia’s 2-6 record and 0-4 mark in Big 12 play is frustrating. The fact his team has been blown out by several conference opponents is beyond frustrating. The injuries he’s had to endure is, of course, frustrating, even though Rodriguez won’t let the injuries be an excuse for poor play. Watching his team make fundamental mistakes during games after more buttoned up all week in practice is crazy frustrating.

However, there’s something else that’s brought his frustration to another level at times. A lack of effort. Loafing. These are the things that are the most frustrating part of the season for Rodriguez.

“That’s probably the most frustrating part because that’s supposed to be a given from day one. If there’s one time a guy is not playing as hard as he possibly could, that’s one time way too many,” said a clearly frustrated Rodriguez during his weekly press conference ahead of his team’s trip to Houston.

Rich Rodriguez, Zac Alley Get Candid When Talking About Jimmori Robinson

Lost in the improved play of the defense against TCU was the absence of Jimmori Robinson. The hyped up transfer addition failed to earn a single snap in West Virginia’s 23-17 loss.

After saying he expected more from Robinson the prior week, Rodriguez was again asked to talk about Robinson during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

In the interest of transparency, Rodriguez then revealed that last week “wasn’t a great week” for Robinson as far as preparation. He then added that Robinson also had “some other stuff” going on, hinting his mind may have been elsewhere.

“Last week wasn’t a great week for him, as far as preparation… Hopefully, this week, he’ll be able to be totally in all our preparation, and he can have a bigger role Saturday,” said Rodriguez.

WVU defensive coordinator Zac Alley echoed Rodriguez’s sentiment, but did say that Robinson was engaged on Sunday and doesn’t envision any issues this week.

Rich Rodriguez Explains What’s Holding WVU WR Cam Vaughn Back

As far as current players the WVU football staff believes they can win with, Cam Vaughn is at the top of the list. Even with that being the case, Rodriguez still feels Vaughn has room to grow as a player.

When asked what can help fully unleash Vaughn, who made six receptions for 85 yards against TCU, Rodriguez wasn’t shy about detailing what his top receiver can work on.

“There’s also areas he’s got to get better at. He’s only been at the position a couple years. He’s got the ability to make a lot of plays so we’re trying to get him disciplined to the point we gotta throw it to him all the time,” said Rodriguez on Tuesday.

He then pointed to route running, consistency, coming off the ball and recognizing coverage as areas that are holding Vaughn back.

But of course, Rodriguez thinks highly of Vaughn’s potential and wants to see him become great.

More on the Matchup….

At the open of the week, DaftKings has the Mountaineers as a 14.5-point underdog while FanDuel has Houston as Houston as a 15.5-point favorite.

The Mountaineers will try to claim their first conference win of the season against a 7-1 team that’s riding a three-game win streak.

While WVU is in the midst of enduring one of the worst seasons in program history, Houston has managed to become a surprise contender. The Cougars are coming off a 24-16 win over Arizona State and have only lost once all season, a 35-11 defeat to Texas Tech.

West Virginia is on the heels of their fifth-straight loss. On Saturday, WVU lost 23-17 to TCU in their closest loss of their losing skid. The Mountaineers last win came on Sept. 13 in a comeback victory over the rival Pitt Panthers in the Backyard Brawl.

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