As WVU football ran off the field following a disappointing 48-14 loss against Utah on Saturday, senior linebacker Chase Wilson saw some of his teammates walking off the field in a dejected manner. It was a tough loss, and no one from the fans to Rodriguez himself were happy with the final result. But Wilson made a point to let this fellow teammates know that such behavior isn't acceptable.
It's a small thing, one that many players or coaches might not even take notice of. A lot of people would have never even seen the transgression, and the game was over, after all. But when asked about the exchange following the loss, Wilson reiterated the point to the media and to the fans that regardless of how WVU performs or what the final score of a game is, he's not looking to tolerate or enable people hanging their heads when things don't go according to plan for the Mountaineers.
"We don't need to hang our heads, we don't need to be acting about, 'woe is me', or receiving any sympathy. You know, we're going to lose with pride and we're going to win with pride," Wilson said.
"Hard edge is not something that only comes around when you win or when things are good. It's a way of how we do things all the time. The same way you run on the field before the game when it's 0-0, we're going to run off the field."
It's a mentality that will serve the Mountaineers well as the season stretches on, as they fell below .500 with seven games remaining on their slate after Saturday's tough defeat. And if the Mountaineers begin to give in to pity and sorrow about their performance now, it could be a long year. Wilson realizes that, and understands that such an outlook isn't sustainable within the culture Rodriguez is trying to establish.
But Wilson also realizes that he and his teammates need to get better on the field too. You can count him among many surrounding the program who were vocal about Saturday's effort not being up to snuff, and he fully believes the issue is more the team not doing the right things in the right places rather than a lack of talent or buy-in to the culture.
"I still think that we did not play our best football tonight," Wilson said. "I don't know if it was much of the guys not buying in. I think guys are bought into the culture that we have. I just think it came down to football stuff tonight. You know, execution and executing the game plan."