WVU Defense Needs to Prove Itself to Harshest Critics

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The WVU defense opened up the season allowing only 123 total yards and just three points. But despite their overpowering performance, they’re still a long way from proving themselves to their harshest critics.

When asked for their evaluations of the how the defense played in a 45-3 win over Robert Morris, both head coach Rich Rodriguez and defensive coordinator Zac Alley immediately qualified their effort.

The word “okay” was used frequently when describing what they saw from the defense on film. They know that what happened against an FCS school may not be an indicator of what to expect from the unit the rest of the season, granted they don’t just expect greatness, they demand it.

“I thought we were okay. Tackling was pretty good,” said Alley on Tuesday before adding in the qualifiers. “They weren’t able to really break anything so I thought the effort was good, because it’s not hard to get there when he’s three yards down the field.”

Still though, Alley did see glimpses of the “Hard Edge” style the coaching staff constantly preaches. “I thought our guys tried to play physical, tried to get back at the point of attack.”

To no surprise, Alley’s comments echoed what Rodriguez ‘s thoughts as well.

“Not much, we weren’t really challenged on defense,” expressed Rodriguez. “We gave up a couple third and 10s early, but outside of that, I thought we played pretty solid.  We weren’t really challenged. Zac (Alley) always does some stuff, but he didn’t do nearly the stuff he would typical do.”

The necessary effort was there, but Robert Morris’ offensive shortcomings and struggles were also on display. However, the Mountaineers’ defense, from the line, to the linebackers, all the way to the secondary will be tested on the road on Saturday.

Members of the WVU defense celebrate a fumble recovery in the 2025 season opener against Robert Morris. (WVSN photo by William Wotring)

Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro can do it all. He has a reputation of using his arm and legs to tear up quality defensives on a constant basis. Navarro was 21-of-31 for 239 yards and three touchdowns through the air with 93 yards on nine carries and another score on the ground, leading the Bobcat offense to 31 pints in a losing effort in Week 1 at Rutgers.

Fortunately for the WVU defense, they have multiple quarterbacks who can try to mimic Navarro some during practice. Alley even mentioned his plan to tell Scotty Fox or Khalil Wilkins to scramble more than usual when running the scout team in an effort to prepare the defense for Navarro’s tendency to take off.

For a related story, WV Sports Now’s Mike Asti offered his takeaways from Week 1.