MORGANTOWN — Nose tackles aren’t supposed to have games like West Virginia University’s Fatorma Mulbah did last Saturday against Cincinnati. It’s just not their usual job description.
They fill gaps. They close spaces. They force runners to go around and not through.
Mulbah did plenty of that against the Bearcats, but many times, when the runner tried to go around, Mulbah stopped him dead in his tracks.
The senior recorded an eye-popping 13 tackles from the nose position, leading the Mountaineers in their 31-24 win over the Bearcats. WVU’s resurgent defense will look for another big performance out of him this Saturday, when West Virginia hosts Baylor at 4 p.m. (ESPN2).
Mulbah, who transferred to WVU (5-4, 4-2 Big 12) from Penn State for the 2023 season, said there was no real secret in that performance.
“I would say just effort,” he said. “I think I played with good effort on Saturday, just effort and chasing the ball. It wasn’t anything crazy that I did or crazy shedding blocks. I just think it was effort.”
Head coach Neal Brown agreed with Mulbah that effort had plenty to do with his big day, but added that there was more than that. Brown pointed out that, against Cincinnati, Mulbah was able to record all those tackles without being found outside of his assigned gap. He also won the one-on-one matchups against the Bearcats’ offensive linemen to free himself to make the tackles.
“Some of it was fortunate,” Brown said. “That’s where the ball just hit. Some of it was (defensive lineman) Sean (Martin) was … really good putting the ball back toward him. But, yeah, he’s played really well.
“I think the message with Fatorma is if you prepare the right way and you play fundamental football, the ball will find you,” he added. “That’s the lesson, because he did a really good job just holding his point, playing his gap and doing his responsibility.”
Maintaining his responsibilities has been Mulbah’s calling card all season. Coaches have previously pegged him as the most consistent performer on defense, making sure WVU’s run defense – ranked 40th nationally at 125.44 yards allowed per game – remains stout.
Against Cincinnati, Mulbah went above and beyond, recording more than a third of his total tackles this season (35). His effort was matched by his strength and his size. Mulbah stands at 6-foot-4 and 304 pounds.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Koonz said that, while performances like Mulbah’s at a position like Mulbah’s may be uncommon, the defensive lineman stepped up to the challenge when it was presented to him.
“We have a saying, ‘The play doesn’t care who makes it.’ There is one ball and 11 defenders. Everybody has to do their part,” Koonz said. “(Mulbah) did his job at an elite level, and when the ball was run between the tackles … they ran the ball 43 times on us Saturday, both designed runs and passes, and if he’s not doing his job then we’re going to have a long day. He did it and he did it elite and 13 plays happened to come to him.”
WVU’s defense will need Mulbah’s help again this weekend, especially against a Baylor offense that has seen its run game improve immensely over its last three contests, all wins. Redshirt freshman running back Bryson Washington has gained 390 of his team-best 576 rushing yards and scored six of his seven touchdowns this season in Baylor’s last three games.
Mulbah believes there are more performances for WVU’s defensive unit like the one they offered last Saturday left in this season.
“I don’t think we had a complete game,” he said. “I think we’ve shown a little bit during the year, and we’re just trying to put it all together. I think we showed that on Saturday, but going forward, we’ll take it just one game. We’re showing what we’re capable of, and we just want to keep doing that over and over again.”
