To say WVU Football’s loss to No. 5 Texas Tech was bad is an understatement. In fact, the Mountaineers rewrote the program record books in the wrong way on Saturday. Read more: Historically bad: a loss nearly 134 years in the making
Preface
Everyone knew it would take a miracle for WVU (4-8, 2-7) to pull the upset against TTU (11-1, 8-1)… But it was so much worse than expected.
Here’s the kicker. You’d have to go all the way back to Dec. 28, 1891, to find a worse WVU home loss than Saturday’s 49-point drubbing. The Mountaineers fell 72-0 to Washington & Jefferson in WVU’s inaugural game as a program.
Facing the facts
WVU had no chance walking into Saturday’s contest, but the team laid down from the opening snap. Three-and-outs, lackadaisical tackling, you name it. Nothing worked.
If anything, Texas Tech exposed every negative aspect of the 2025 Mountaineers. The Red Raiders dissected the home team in front of a sizable crowd of 44,250, given the circumstances.
“Our problems didn’t just arise this week,” WVU Head Coach Rich Rodriguez said. “It’s been there all season.”
The 8th season under Rodriguez featured high highs and the lowest of lows. The veteran coach claims to know what comes next for his squad going into a crucial offseason.
“I’ve done this long enough to know our problems,” Rodriguez said. “I know how to fix our problems, and it’s painful to do it but we’ll do it.”
Year two under Rodriguez will be a pivotal one in the program’s lore.
Featured woes
Every time WVU found the smallest spark, it was ripped away moments later. The best example of such was a trick play that featured WR Cam Vaughn finding Grayson Barnes through the air. TTU forced an interception on the next play.
Frankly, the game was over from the first snap. 40 recognized players on senior day ended their time with the Mountaineers in historically poor fashion.
Related: WVU closes out season flat with 49-0 loss to Texas Tech
The quarterback carousel appeared in the second half, as Khalil Wilkins and Max Brown came in for the Mountaineers. Texas Tech also put in backups, but for a different reason.
The Red Raiders, no matter who was under center, racked up 572 total yards of offense. WVU managed to pick up 180 yards, which still feels like a high number given the performance.
WVU’s woes, mixed with the efficiency of the No. 5 team in the country, created a recipe for disaster. Boy, did it ever come to fruition in the season finale.
What’s next?
All the negativity aside, there are positives to take from the 2025 season. That’s not to say the excuses will remain valid in 2026.
There is nothing that can be done about injuries. But the excuses regarding recruiting and NIL are out the window, considering the staff will have a full year to put in work.
There are signs of life in the recruiting department, with the flip of Kevin Brown earlier in November. Only time will tell how the supporting cast is created. More importantly, who stays from the 2025 squad?
Final wrap
WVU experienced the worst home loss since the program’s inaugural contest in 1891 on Saturday, and the first home shutout loss in 22 years. Let’s forget about this one.
WV Sports Nation will post a “season in review” in the coming days. Stay up to date with WV Sports Nation for continued WVU Athletics coverage.
It still shocks me when I hear people continuing to blame Neal Brown for how bad this team has been. He had his share of problems but nothing like this and let’s not forget that in 4 of his 6 years, including the last 2, the team was preparing for a bowl at this time of year instead of looking for individual players to blame for this fiasco. Like everyone else I hope RR can fix it like he says because there’s sure no way to go but up.