MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The success for WVU so far this season can be pinpointed to one stat in particular — opponent rushing yards.
In the two losses, the Mountaineers have given up nearly 400 rushing yards combined — 203 yards at Oklahoma State and 179 last week at Texas Tech. In the four wins, WVU (4-2, 3-2 Big 12) is allowing an average of just 51.3 yards per game on the ground, including 44 on Saturday to Kansas State. Coming in, the Wildcats were averaging 129 rushing yards per game.
Head coach Neal Brown doesn’t believe there is a magic wand to stopping the run — it’s all a matter of effort. With the top performances coming at home, the defense is feeding off the atmosphere, albeit a lesser environment due to COVID-19.
“We had good matchups and we were just relentless in our pursuit,” Brown said. “Our linebackers got to their fits really well, and even our safeties really shined. I just thought we were physical and played with a lot of energy, and I know that sounds simple, but a lot of times with defense, if you play physical, you fly around, you’ve got a chance.
“We played with a lot of energy and a lot of physicality today.”
Mike linebacker Tony Fields, who missed most of last week’s game at Texas Tech after being ejected for targeting, returned with a vengeance, leading WVU in tackles with 15.
Watching film, it was clear the Wildcats, especially with a true freshman at quarterback in Will Howard, needed to rely on their running game, specifically Deuce Vaughn.
“From the film I watched last week, their run game was the best they had,” Fields said. Vaughn “is a great back, [Harry Trotter] is a great back, and I said to myself that I wanted to hold them between 75-100 yards. We held them under 50, so that’s even better.”
Tonkery finally finds the end zone
It’s hard to turn Kansas State over under coach Chris Klieman, but the Mountaineers were able to do it three times with interceptions by Nicktroy Fortune, Sean Mahone and Dylan Tonkery — the first in each of their careers.
Tonkery’s, though, landed into his waiting arms after it was tipped on a screen pass, and he rumbled 18 yards into the end zone for a touchdown that put WVU up 34-10 in the third quarter.
A redshirt-senior from Bridgeport, Tonkery has appeared in 37 games, and as his career winds down, Brown was excited to see a West Virginia native find the end zone.
“I’m so happy for Tonkery to get that in the end zone,” Brown said. “He’s one of our own, so that was a great moment.”
Smith becoming Mr. Third Down
True freshman wide receiver Reese Smith isn’t playing a lot, but when he does, he’s making the most of it.
Last week at Texas Tech, both of his catches were first-down grabs on third down. On Saturday, he appeared in just two plays, but both were catches on third down that also wound up being first downs.
“He’s dependable,” Brown said. “He’s a great practice player, he’s well-invested, has as good of hands as anyone on our football team, he’s quick out of the breaks, he makes good decisions. There’s a lot of trust there and he’ll continue to grow and improve.”
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