It turns out that the notion of a road trip to the defending MAC Champions being a trap game was not as "ridiculous" as Rich Rodriguez might have thought, as the WVU football team traveled to Athens on Saturday and suffered a 17-10 loss to the Ohio Bobcats. Here are some initial takeaways from what was a tough loss to stomach for the Mountaineers.
The Offensive Line Blues
If one thing was obvious to WVU fans on Saturday, it's that the Mountaineers' offensive line is not where it needs to be. The Mountaineers failed to control the line of scrimmage on offense at any point during the game against Ohio, and were held to a disappointing 250 total yards – including just 72 rushing yards.
A Rich Rodriguez offense is based heavily on the ability to run the ball, which means some sort of ability to control the line of scrimmage is a necessity. If the Mountaineers can't muster that ability, it will be a long season.
Zac Alley's Rule Of Thumb Doesn't Hold True
Zac Alley made a point during the first week of preseason camp to share with the media that his goal is for his team to force three turnovers during every practice – the logic being that you usually are able to win if you pull out three takeaways on defense. He later confirmed he holds the team to the same standard when it comes to forcing turnovers in games, as well.
The Mountaineers did manage to force three turnovers, all of them interceptions, but in the end it didn't matter. Despite the defense creating numerous opportunities for the offense, WVU could not muster quite enough offense to get the job done and pull out a win.
The Floor Lowers
One big thing you probably noticed if you watched the entirety of the game against Ohio is that the Mountaineers struggled mightily against a Group of 6 opponent just one week after losing three fumbles and carrying just a 10-3 lead into halftime against FCS opponent Robert Morris.
That could have been written off as first game jitters or just taking some time to get into the flow of game action after the offseason. But after watching the team struggle the way they did against another team at a lower level of Division 1 football, it's clear that unless Rodriguez can get things cleaned up, fans should probably lower their expectations for the 2025 season as the Mountaineers have nothing but power conference opponents remaining on the schedule.