The 2025 WVU defense has struggled through the entire season, outside of solid efforts against FCS opponent Robert Morris and Group of 5 opponent Ohio. The newest challenge for the WVU's defense is an explosive BYU running back who will run all over the Mountaineers on Friday if they are not prepared.
Leading the way for the BYU Cougars' rushing attack is LJ Martin. Martin has rushed for 400 yards on 55 carries through the first four games of the 2025 season and has also added one rushing touchdown. That has Martin rushing for 100 yards per game and an explosive 7.3 yards per rush.
An El Paso, Texas, native, Martin has gotten better in each season at the collegiate level and is now in his third season. In 2023, Martin rushed for 518 yards on 109 carries, good for 4.8 yards per rush. In his second season, recorded 718 rushing yards on 137 carries, increasing his yards per rush from his first from 4.8 to 5.2 in his second season. He's even shown signs of improvement through four games this year, going from 5.2 yards per rush to 7.3 in his third season.
All this is to say that Martin is a very capable rusher, and the WVU defense needs to be sound in their rushing gaps and rally to the ball to keep Martin from breaking explosive runs. Hopefully, Alley has mixed some things up to help this WVU defense stop the run, as the WVU run defense has been suspect at best to start the season.
Opponents are averaging 178 rushing yards per game against Zac Alley’s defense, which ranks the Mountaineers as the 93rd-ranked rushing defense in the FBS. Opponents are averaging 4.3 yards per rush against the WVU defense as well. Those numbers do not bode well for the Mountaineers, as they will go head-to-head against one of the best running backs they will see all season on Friday in the Cougars’ Martin.
"We didn't get any knock back these past couple games, we got knocked off the ball...[we need to] play in their yard, chew on their grass," Alley said.
Outside of Martin, starting quarterback Bear Bachmeier has found the endzone four times via his legs, adding to Martin’s one rushing touchdown. Bachmeier is a solid rushing threat himself with 163 rushing yards on 37 carries, posting 4.3 yards per rush.
WVU will travel to Provo, Utah, on Friday and will try to gameplan how to stop Martin and the Cougars’ rushing attack.