Questions that West Virginia football must answer in Week 5 after Oklahoma State loss

The West Virginia Mountaineers are coming off a difficult defeat at the hands of Oklahoma State, but there won't be a weekend off anytime soon for Rich Rodriguez and his team. Now, the Mountaineers embark on their first true road trip of the season as they travel to face Iowa State in Week 5.

There are still questions about this team, perhaps even more than before after the recent loss, and we'll likely get answers to a few of them this week. Here are three of those questions we need answers to against the Cyclones.

1. Will West Virginia's passing attack be enough in the Big 12?

The West Virginia Mountaineers haven't done a ton with their passing game this season. The Mountainers have the most rushing yards of any FBS team this season, and the second-most rushing attempts. They've thrown the sixth-fewest red-zone passes despite ranking No. 30 nationally in red zone possessions.

Hawkins Jr. looked good when he did pass the ball in the first three games of the season – that's a fact, and it was backed up by the Pro Football Focus grades as well. But he looked much less efficient as a passer against Oklahoma State, and the Mountaineers struggled in pass protection as well. One-dimensional teams are much easier to beat, and whether or not West Virginia's pass game can compete in the Big 12 is yet to be determined.

2. Can Zac Alley figure out his defensive woes?

We'vespilled plenty of inkon the defense in the fall out from the Oklahoma State loss. How Rich Rodriguez wasn't happy with it. What the strategy was, and how it backfired. Why it just isn't acceptable. There's no need to dwell on all that here: you can go read about it if you haven't yet.

But it does pose one big question: can Zac Alley fix it? It was quarterback contain and pass coverage in Week 1. It was communication in Week 2. Against Oklahoma State, the overall game plan has been criticized. But however you analyze it and whatever various problems are there, if West Virginia wants to win more games, they must find an answer. This week, we'll find out if Alley has it in him.

3. How does this team handle adversity?

The Mountaineers started the season 3-0. That's something no West Virginia team has done since 2018. Last year, we learned whether or not the Mountaineers could deal with adversity slightly quicker, and the results were mixed.

Now, it's gut check time for the 2026 season, as West Virginia no longer has the momentum in their favorafter their first loss, and is about to make a road trip to a notoriously difficult environment. How West Virginia responds will say a lot about exactly what we can expect from them this season, and we'll get an answer one way or another this week.

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