MORGANTOWN – West Virginia University knows Texas Tech likes turning its football games into track meets.
The Red Raiders have run more plays so far this season than everyone in the Football Subdivision save for the University of Texas-San Antonio and Syracuse. They institute a high-tempo offense, getting to the line of scrimmage quickly and getting back to it quickly when the previous play is over.
WVU’s defense is ready to run Saturday when it visits Texas Tech at noon in the teams’ regular-season finale (FS1).
On top of being ready for a fast pace, defensive coordinator Jeff Koonz said the defense must be in sync and ready for each play, because they’ll be coming in rapid succession.
“It’s just communication,” he said. “They’re trying to get you off balance. You’ve got to get your call in. They can get their call in and they’re trying to get it in faster than you can get yours in. And if they can change the math pre-snap and make you work, that’s what they’re trying to do.”
The Red Raiders (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) have run 864 plays over 11 games, an average of nearly 79 plays per game. In comparison, the Mountaineers (6-5, 5-3 Big 12) average about 68 plays per game which ties them with Georgia Tech for 52nd nationally.
That has allowed Texas Tech to rank 17th nationally at 450 offensive yards per game and tie for 12th nationally at 37.4 points per game. That could be a problem for a WVU defense that despite an improved performance in a 31-21 win last week over UCF, still sits tied for 95th nationally allowing 29.2 points per game and ranked 97th at 396 yards allowed per game.
“We’ve got to get in line with their tempo,” head coach Neal Brown said. “That’s where they feast. If they get their tempo going, that usually happens after a made first (down) or a really positive play on first down. I think the first play of drives are going to be critical downs for us.”
Linebacker Josiah Trotter agreed that communication on defense will be critical. That has been an issue for the unit in previous games, though players have said it has improved under Koonz, who was promoted to defensive coordinator midseason after Jordan Lesley was fired.
“When you try to go tempo, you’re trying to get it across the board where everyone is on the same page,” he said. “If you can’t get that part across, where you’re communicating, that can hurt you really bad, whether it’s a blown coverage or maybe a misfit in a run gap.
“The biggest thing in going tempo is just getting the call in, making the call and everybody knowing to get set and ready to play.”
Milum plans to play in bowl
Senior offensive lineman Wyatt Milum’s future could be very bright. After getting an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, Milum was named a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, given each year to the top interior lineman, offense or defense, in college football. He’s also projected to be a high NFL draft pick.
Yet none of those honors are deterring him from participating in whatever bowl game the Mountaineers play. WVU’s win over UCF gave the team its bowl-eligibility-clinching sixth win.
Top players around the country each year will opt out of bowl games to save their health. WVU quarterback Will Grier did it in the 2018 Camping World Bowl, and linebacker Tony Fields did it in the 2020 Liberty Bowl. Yet Milum doesn’t want to miss an opportunity for one last game with his teammates.
“Yeah, I want to finish the season with the guys,” Milum said Monday. “I feel like that’s the right thing to do. That’s just my personal opinion. I want to play in the bowl game, so that’s what I’m planning to do.”
Straw earned Big 12 honor
After another standout performance, punter Oliver Straw was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday.
Straw, from Melbourne, Australia, averaged 50 yards per punt on his four punts against UCF, with a long of 57. It marked the first time Straw has averaged 50 yards a punt on multiple punts in a game while at WVU. Two of his punts landed inside UCF’s 20-yard line and he booted multiple punts of at least 50 yards for the first time this season.
Brown lauded Straw’s work, especially considering his struggles against Baylor, where he averaged a season-low 29.7 yards per punt.
“We won the field position battle handily,” Brown said. “I thought Ollie bounced back. The (punt) from our end zone was a bomb, and I thought he really bounced back and hit the ball.”
Straw averaged 43.4 yards per punt on the season.
— Story by Derek Redd
