You won't catch WVU football head coach Rich Rodriguez pulling any punches or making any excuses after another bad loss, this time against the UCF Knights, which keeps the Mountaineers winless in the Big 12 Conference and moves them to a dismal 2-5 overall through seven games of the season.
"We stunk in every phase, in every way," Rodriguez told the media during the postgame press conference following the game against UCF.
"Hell, we didn't do anything well. Looked slow. Out of position. Missed tackles. Didn't block. Hell, had two holding penalties on draw plays. That should never happen. Poorly coached. Poorly executed. Poorly played. Poorly everything."
It's hard to disagree with Rodriguez's assessment, as the West Virginia Mountaineers were outgained by almost 400 yards in the loss the the Knights and gave up over 38 points for the fourth consecutive game. It was another ugly loss in a string of ugly losses, and one that came against what many believed was the most winnable game remaining on the program's schedule
Now, WVU remains alongside Oklahoma State as the only two teams in Big 12 play without a conference win as the Mountaineers surpass the midway point of their season. But Rodriguez, despite how poorly the Mountaineers played against the Knights, doesn't seem to be giving up hope quite yet.
"You hope this is bottom," Rodriguez said of the team's current position.
Fans also hope that this is as low as it gets, and most were strongly unsatisfied with the effort put forth by the Mountaineers during Saturday's loss. But with multiple serious Big 12 championship contenders remaining on the schedule for WVU, it's hard to imagine that this truly is the bottom.