MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — On a West Virginia defense littered with youth and inexperience, defensive line seniors Reese Donahue and Reuben Jones are the glue that try to keep it all together up front.
With almost all freshmen forced to play in the secondary because of injuries and suspensions in last Saturday’s loss at Iowa State, the duo likely played their best games of the season through six games.
“Reese Donahue played his first game of the year,” coach Neal Brown said. “He had a sack and was really active, and the same can be said for Reuben Jones.”
Donahue has been around the program for four years, while Jones is a grad transfer from Michigan. Despite this being his first year in Morgantown, Jones has been around the block a time or two. He’s been a vocal leader, and Donahue lets his play do the talking.
That’s why their showing against the Cyclones was important to the rest of the defense.
“Both guys play with unbelievable effort and that’s where their success comes from,” defensive line coach Jordan Lesley said. “I think last week, what they did better than anything, was they played really smart. They rushed the passer really smart and they gave themselves opportunities. Their effort, their toughness, their football awareness and their savvy — that’s what you’re going to have when you’ve got to older guys out there. Really more than anything, those two guys just play hard.”
Jones showed his frustration after the Iowa State game — the defense as a whole struggled in the red zone, especially in the second half in the 38-14 loss — Jones knows what’s happening behind him, especially in the secondary. Several true freshman were thrust into the lineup, and even at linebacker, depth issues are rearing its ugly head after VanDarius Cowan went down with a knee injury.
However, Jones needs some of his teammates on defense to also step up, regardless of how long they’ve been with the program.
“I try to talk to the guys — I try to get them going as much as I can as a leader on the team,” Jones said. “But I also feel like one person can’t do the whole thing. Two people can’t do the whole thing. When it comes to leadership, it has to be across the board. Especially in the young guys, too, you’ve got older guys who aren’t playing that much, so those young guys have to be like, ‘OK, we’re gonna get this done. We’re about to score, we’re about to stop them,’ stuff like that. You’ve got to take that type of mentality across the board.”
Donahue also doesn’t want the youth movement to be an excuse. He believes all of the young players are capable of making an impact because if they weren’t, they wouldn’t be here.
“I don’t feel as if we are playing with one hand tied behind our back,” Donahue said. “Of course it would be great to have all of those guys back, and the depth. But Tykee Smith, a true freshman, stepped up and made a big play, and that doesn’t mean anyone else can’t do that.”
But as a defensive lineman, Donahue knows its part of his job to help out the secondary as much as he can.
“Tae Mayo was in the back on that, and the whole stadium looks at him and says ‘Oh, that’s his fault.’ It’s not,” Donahue said of the last ISU touchdown. “The D-line didn’t rush hard enough. The D-line didn’t transition. Linebackers could have bumped off. It’s a collective effort. Ultimately, we are a team.”
