Takeaways: WVU’s Sobering Loss to Ohio Exposed Vulnerability of Team

Now that some time has passed after West Virginia’s sobering 17-10 loss to Ohio, let’s look at what actually happened in the game and what WVU needs to fix moving forward.

Of course, everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Mountaineers and a lot needs to change in a hurry or the 2025 season will go down as one of the worst in program history, possibly even worse than Rich Rodriguez first year one back in 2001.

Offense 

• Nicco Marchiol looked like he was running with weights attached to his ankles. The preseason concern about if his lack of true speed would be an issue came true.
• While Marchiol never appeared to be in control, the offensive line did him no favors. And if he was offered time, he then held the ball too long trying to find someone wide open, something that rarely occurs.
• The offense needs to feed Cam Vaughn more. Vaughn is the go-to guy deep, but he’s the best athlete on the team and has shown he can get his hands on the ball no matter the coverage. Vaughn should even be used on short routes if nothing is going right for the offense.
• The running back depth behind the injured Jahiem White is non existent. Clay Ash is a nice story, but is far from ready to the a featured back on a Power Four team.
• For maybe the most confusing play calls, tight end Jacob Barrick was targeted multiples. He’s a blocking tight end at best and not a reliable pass catcher. Rodriguez has been open about wanting his offense to use the tight end in the passing game more now than in years past, but West Virginia just simply doesn’t have a tight end with the hands to make those plays work, and Barrick is certainly not that guy.

Defense 

• This should go without saying, but the offense completely let the defense down.
• While the offense failed to ever find the rhythm they gained in the second half against Robert Morris, Zac Alley’s defense carried their aggressive style over from Week 1 to Week 2.
• Chase Wilson, who had one of the interceptions on Saturday, is a true leader, both on and off the field for the defense.
• WVU’s defense had the right gameplay for trying to stop Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro, causing him to play careless and make critical mistakes. The offense just couldn’t capitalize.
• The defense did tire out in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Bobcats to start finding success on the ground beyond Navarro’s scrambling. However, they were still making plays and the giant difference in time possession defends anyone who eventually tired out.
• Despite a different group of players from last year’s unit, the secondary is still the clear weakest of the defense.
• Alley once said he looks for his defense to force three or more turnovers every game and that is often an indicator of a team’s record. In Athens, Alley discovered that mentality won’t work with this offense.

To his credit, Rodriguez took accountability in the postgame press conference, saying he felt the team was under-prepared.

“I’m just very disappointed. It starts with me,” Rodriguez said. “I told the guys I failed them this week. I thought we had a good week of practice, thought we were ready to play and we weren’t. We didn’t execute. A lot of things to work on.”

Part of WVU’s struggles came while attempting to contain graduate quarterback Parker Navarro, who finished with 110 rushing yards, 247 passing yards and one passing touchdown. However, WVU forced him to throw three interceptions.

Rodriguez had high praise for him after the game.

“He’s phenomenal. I was a big worry coming in that he had everybody covered and, you know, there there were times where we kept him from going outside, but he ducked inside and scrambled,” he said. “And he’s just a phenomenal playmaker, and there’s no question. He’s pretty dynamic.”

Defense was the bright spot for WVU. On top of the three picks, the unit forced four punts, allowed only five third-down conversions on 14 attempts and generated three sacks.

“They played hard and played well enough for us to win, but when you lose, everybody loses and  we’re gonna take this and learn as much as we can,” Rodriguez said.

With a rivalry game approaching, Rodriguez emphasized the need to put the Ohio loss behind them.

“Whether you win or lose, after 24 hours, you gotta move on,” Rodriguez said. “I think the biggest thing we gotta do with the losses, and the wins, but the losses you gotta learn as much as you can from it. Like, everybody. I mean, players, coaches, and everybody in the club.”

Unfortunately for West Virginia, oddsmakers aren’t too optimistic and their chances of making that happen with a big win over their arch rival.

WVU is listed as a 4.5-point home underdog to the Pitt Panthers in the Backyard Brawl, set for this Saturday. Both FanDuel and DraftKings agree with the line opening the week at -4.5 in favor of Pitt.

Kickoff against Pitt is set for 3:30 p.m. this coming Saturday from Milan Puskar Stadium.

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