WVU opened their 2026 slate on Saturday against Coastal Carolina. And whileit wasn't as dominant a winas many fans had hoped for, the Mountaineers did leave Milan Puskar Stadium with a 31-24 win. There were some flashes of a high ceiling for the Mountaineers this coming season. But there were also causes for concern. Here are three questions the program must answer heading into Week 2.
What's going on with West Virginia's pass defense?
The West Virginia Mountaineers gave up 373 passing yards to Coastal Carolina on Saturday. No Matter how good their rising quarterback Deuce Bailey may be, that's not going to cut it. This team needs to figure out what's happening in the secondary, and in pass coverage as a whole.
Bailey went 21-for-37 for 373 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. It might not necessarily fair the team's pass defense had as many holes as a slice of Swiss cheese, but it might not be far off either. Chams Diagne posted a PFF coverage grade of 51.8, and allowed three receptions on six targets.
Geimere Latimer had a 59.2 coverage grade according to PFF, and allowed two receptions on four targets. Kamari Wilson was targeted four times and gave up three receptions. Andrew Powdrell and Matt Sieg were targeted three times apiece and gave up receptions on each of those plays. Linebacker Ashton Woods allowed two receptions on three targets. This is the most pressing concern moving forward.
Was the second-half offensive lag conservative play-calling by Rich Rodriguez, or a glimpse of future struggles?
There were times in the first-half where West Virginia's offense resembled what head coach Rich Rodriguez put on the field during his wildly successful first stint with the Mountaineers, accumulating 223 rushing yards and 24 points in the opening two quarters – and if it wasn't for a fumble diving for the pylon that turned into a touch back, it would have been 31 points.
But then came the second half of action. Only 77 of the team's 413 total offensive yards – that 18.6% of the yardage gained, for those bad at math – came in the second half of the game. West Virginia scored just seven points in the final 24 minutes. The offense that looked so deadly at the beginning of the game was suddenly anemic.
But there's reason to believe Rodriguez was holding something back. The play-calling was much more Neal Brown than Rich Rodriguez – playing not to lose instead of to win. Those who are familiar with Rodriguez's offense could tell the playbook was being utilized very deeply. He's also not typically a conservative enough play-caller to make the decision to kneel out the clock with almost a minute remaining in the first half.
Rich likely won't admit it, but it's reasonable to believe he knows how good Virginia's defense looked in Week 0, and saw his offense can execute his game plan in the first half against Coastal. That was enough for him to put the offense on ice, not putting much on film with his current crop of talent for their Virginia to see ahead of Week 3.
But the second-half also looked reminiscent of how the offense looked last season when it struggled heavily, and it's also possible that what caused last year's struggles wasn't solely the talent level, and glimpses of those issues were rising to the surface as the game played out. And the season could play out in vastly different ways depending on which scenario is more true.
How can you continue to get Matt Sieg involved in the game?
Matt Sieg struggled in his first game as a true freshman in coverage, which was noted above. But it was also easy to see he's a high-IQ football player with a competitive edge and a knack for making plays.
He was in position to recover a fumble in the second quarter, and then made a leaping dive to prevent a punt from rolling into the end zone in the third quarter, allowing a teammate to down it at the one-yard line. Those are the types of plays you expect from a wiley, hard-nosed veteran – not someone in their first collegiate game as a true freshman.
Sieg is definitely going to be a playmaker for the Mountaineers, and whether it's on offense, defense, or special teams, Rodriguez and his staff need to continue to find way to let him make an impact.
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