Week one for WVU football is firmly in the rearview mirror as they will now set their sights on facing Ohio University on Sept. 6. Read more: What I’m Buying and Selling After WVU’s Week 1 Performance
While you must never dwell on past mistakes or relish too much on previous successes, it’s always good to take a step back and assess how the team is looking after each game.
We will start that weekly assessment by going over who, or what, exactly I am buying and selling regarding West Virginia football.
Buyers
Rich Rod Hype
First things first, I can comfortably say I am buying the Rich Rodriguez hype. After his long-awaited return, the excitement swirling around his comeback didn’t disappoint on gameday.
The 57,093 fans in attendance can back that up. For a middle-of-the-day game against an inferior Robert Morris team, the Mountaineer faithful came out in droves.
The stadium was packed, especially the student section, which was a growing concern for Wren Baker and the rest of the athletic department. Few fans left early, even after a lackluster first-half performance.
It’s just the first game of his second tenure at WVU, but week one proved that Rodriguez has rekindled the spark of West Virginia football.
QB Depth
It seems that Rodriguez was correct in saying that WVU possesses a deep quarterback room.
Throughout fall camp, Rodriguez continued to harp on how all of their quarterbacks possess qualities that could help the team win. He also said that none of them created a whole lot of separation between each other.
While that statement might have been debunked with Nicco Marchiol’s excellent showing, week one still proved that WVU has multiple signal callers they could turn to when called on.
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True freshman Scotty Fox Jr. showcased his game-breaking speed with a 59-yard touchdown run in just his third play as a Mountaineer. That play proved that he can be another dangerous piece to West Virginia’s offense.
Jaylen Henderson also got to show why he had so much hype around him after he announced his transfer to WVU. In a small sample size, Henderson also showcased his rushing ability by running for 40 yards in just two attempts.
As of now, Marchiol has surely won the starting job. However, with the performance of Fox and Henderson, WVU proved that the team, in fact, can use a multiple QB system this year.
Zac Alley’s Defense
One of the biggest moves Rodriguez made after his arrival at West Virginia was hiring Zac Alley as his defensive coordinator.
Before coming to WVU, Alley had made a name for himself as a young, innovative defensive play-caller. And it only took one game for Mountaineer fans to see why he garnered such high praise.
Alley’s defense allowed just 123 total yards of offense against Robert Morris. The run defense in particular was a good sign, with WVU only giving up 53 yards in that department.
It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. If you hold opposing offenses to barely 100 yards and give up just three third-down conversions, you’re having a pretty good day in the office as a defense.
Throughout the game, Alley’s multiple defensive looks gave RMU fits. With all the moving parts and disguised coverages, it created confusion all game long.
WVU will see more potent offenses as the season goes on, but Alley’s defense should remain a strength.
Sellers
Wide Receiver Concerns
Going into the season, one area of concern I had for WVU was its wide receiver room. The reason for this is that it is filled with a lot of unproven talent.
Well, week one certainly allowed for some of that unproven talent to be seen. Most notably with Jacksonville State transfer Cam Vaughn.
Vaughn, who had a very successful season last year with the Gamecocks, showed that he can still be the No. 1 receiver on a Power Four team. His seven catches for 126 yards and one touchdown not only let the Mountaineers, but it was also one of the best performances for a receiver across the nation.
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If he can continue that performance up, Vaughn will turn himself into one of the best receivers not just in the Big 12, but across all conferences.
His counterpart, Jaden Bray, also showed that he can be an effective second option in WVU’s passing attack. Even though the stat sheet won’t show it as much, Bray was continuously getting open and taking advantage of the opportunities he was given.
Other receivers will start to emerge more as the season continues, like Oran Singleton Jr and Rodney Gallagher III. But the one-two punch of Vaughn and Bray looks to be a deadly combination for opposing defenses.
Lack of Offensive Line Chemistry
A growing concern throughout fall camp was the offensive line. Specifically, with all the new additions, chemistry and continuity concerns were lingering.
While it was against a weaker opponent, I think you can put those concerns to bed for now. As a unit, the offensive line surrendered just one sack, which is a recipe for success.
They also allowed the WVU rushers to run for a staggering 393 yards. Whether it was the running backs or the quarterbacks, the offensive line was consistently creating open lanes and setting the initial push needed for long runs.
As the season progresses, they will see far better defensive lines that they will have to be ready for. But for a group that never played a game together, they showed a high level of chemistry and effectiveness.
More to Come
This was just the first installment of our weekly buyers and sellers list.
Make sure to come back every week after gameday to see the updated list of who I’m buying and selling when it comes to West Virginia football.
