The West Virginia Mountaineers got back in the win column this past weekend with a 49-14 over UAlbany — a much-needed “W” after their 34-12 shellacking at the hands of Penn State in Week 1.
However, WVU’s defensive performance didn’t exactly instill confidence in the Mountaineer faithful, as Great Danes’ quarterback Myles Burkett threw for over 300 yards, connecting with six different receivers for gains of 20 yards or more.
That’s likely not going to be enough to get you beat by an FCS team — as was the case here — but with some of the matchups still ahead of West Virginia in 2024, it’s certainly something that is raising red flags amongst the fan base. However, defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley doesn’t seem too concerned about things at this point in time.
“The pass coverage, like, here’s the thing, I’m not down on our guys or feel any different way about them. We’re not executing very, very simple things,” Lesley told the media. “I think a little bit of it is trying to do too much. A lot of times you go into a game like this and they think they’ve got to have three picks and they get all these things published about them, PFF grades or whatever it is and it’s like, do what you’re coached to do. It’s simple fixes, it’s easy things. Whether it’s playing the ball in the air, the depth/width, execution of your drop. It’s game two, it’s easy fixes.
“The sky’s not falling, it’s not panic time. It’s simple little bitty fixes and we’ll get it fixed. I mean, if we’re just going to play two games and shut it down it will make my fall a little easier, but we got a lot of season left.”
Lesley’s explanation does make a lot of sense, as the issues that WVU saw this past week are easily fixable and are likely just a result of inexperience that will be dealt with in time.
However, with the Backyard Brawl against Pitt this week, the anxiety is as high as ever. It’s a pivotal game for the Mountaineers, as the difference between a 2-1 start and a 1-2 start could set the trend for the rest of the 2024 season.
The Mountaineers and Panthers are scheduled to kick at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday from Acrisure Stadium, with coverage provided on ESPN2.
