This weekend, Robert Morris faces one of its toughest challenges of the season. The Colonials travel to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. By all aspects, the matchup heavily leans in favor of the Mountaineers. WVU, a Big 12 program, enters the game with a clear advantage in resources, depth, speed, resources, and physicality. For Robert Morris, an FCS school, the question at hand is how to stay competitive against a program of WVU’s caliber.
Handle the Atmosphere
The Colonials must be able to contend with the game-day environment in Morgantown. RMU’s Joe Walton Stadium houses a capacity of 3,000 people. WVU, on the other hand, can hold 60,000 people at Milan Puskar Stadium.
West Virginia University is known to not only have a strong fanbase, but a particularly rowdy student section. WVU’s 19,000 undergrads compared to RMU’s 3,000 might be slightly overwhelming for the players, and maybe even the coaches.
Establish the Run Game Early
Other than learning to block out the Mountaineer fanbase, RMU must discover their ability to run the ball with urgency.
WVU Head Coach Rich Rodriguez has emphasized how important mental and physical strength is to be a part of his team. It has been noted that the entire two-hour practice is spent creating overwhelming scenarios for the defense. Rodriguez focuses on keeping the tempo high for four quarters. Considering his slogan is “hard-edge,” RMU will need to show up ready to match this intensity with unrelenting effort.
Seeing as WVU will be extremely physically fit offensively, RMU will need to find ways to creatively establish its run game. Creative play-calling will help the Colonials limit WVU’s offensive possessions which will eat up time on the clock. If Robert Morris is unable to find these creative running patterns and becomes predictable, WVU’s defensive will quickly be able to take control of the game.
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Limit Explosive Plays
Defensively, Robert Morris has to focus on preventing WVU’s big plays. Rodriguez has recently noted the quarterbacks have been facing struggles, making the same mistakes consistently in practice. Without specifying who or what mistakes have been made, it is up to the Colonials to find these pitfalls quickly.
Even with these inconsistencies, though, the talent is still more than prevalent to create explosive moments downfield. Rodriguez has also been vocal about all wide receivers learning the inside and outside positions, meaning the Mountaineers will be hard to defend.
For the Colonials, tackling in space and being disciplined in the secondary will be critical. Allowing the Mountaineers to repeatedly score would be a quick loss for the Colonials but forcing them to make long drives could increase mistakes and turnovers.
Don’t let the Mountaineers get Comfortable
WVU’s depth chart has been recently released and quickly became headline news. Rodriguez has not explicitly labeled an official starter at the quarterback position. Instead, the quarterback spot has five different players listed on the depth chart, starting with Nicco Marchiol, a redshirt junior. Marchiol is one of the few returning players, followed by Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson, Charlotte transfer Max Brown, Scotty Fox Jr. (freshman), and Khalil Wilkins (redshirt freshman).
Rodriguez has been very vocal that all five listed quarterbacks will receive playing time against Robert Morris on Saturday.
The Colonials should focus on this uncertainty in the QB position, and refrain from allowing the players who take on the challenge to get comfortable. RMU must stay alert for the different styles of play that come from each QB. By staying alert, the Colonials can attempt to disrupt the rhythm of the new QBs, many of which are altogether inexperienced to the Big 12. Preventing WVU’s signal callers from finding their confidence could keep the game closer for longer than expected.
Conclusion
Robert Morris enters the weekend with the odds stacked against them, but there are ways to remain competitive. If the Colonials can handle the pressure of such an intense stadium, along with putting themselves in position to challenge the Mountaineers, they have a running chance. Even in a difficult matchup, discipline and creativity can make a difference in the outcome.
