BlueGold News Weekly: Sept. 9 — WVU looks for improvement ahead of UT Martin matchup
Rodriguez said West Virginia left 77 second-half yards on the field after Coastal Carolina adjusted to stop the run.
- West Virginia opened its season with a 31-24 victory over Coastal Carolina last Saturday, though head coach Rich Rodriguez admitted on Tuesday he became too conservative with playcalling during the second half.
- The Mountaineers' offense stagnated after halftime, managing just 77 yards and seven points while attempting only five passes as the staff prioritized draining the clock to secure the narrow lead.
- Coastal Carolina quarterback Deuce Bailey threw for 373 yards by extending plays outside the pocket, exploiting containment gaps that forced the Mountaineers to prioritize defensive discipline in practice this week.
- Edge rusher Darius Wiley will miss the remainder of the 2026 season following a severe injury, and Rodriguez held an immediate staff meeting after the game to address avoidable mistakes.
- The Mountaineers will host UT Martin in Morgantown this Saturday, looking to build on positives while refining defensive execution against the Skyhawks after Week 1 errors.
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thesportsleader.comRich Rodriguez wants cleaner effort as West Virginia hosts UT Martin
West Virginia will look to build on plenty of positives and work through the mistakes it made in Week 1 when it hosts UT Martin on Saturday afternoon in Morgantown, W.Va.The Mountaineers opened their season with a 31-24 home win over Coastal Carolina last Saturday. Michael Hawkins Jr. amassed 235 yards (132 yards and a touchdown through the air, plus 103 yards and a TD rushing) in his West Virginia debut, and Cam Cook rambled for 142 rushing yar…
Notebook: Rodriguez says offense should have been more aggressive in second half; WVU will look for several players to step up in Wiley's absence
West Virginia had nearly all of its offensive production over the first two quarters in Saturday's season-opening win against Coastal Carolina. Looking back on it, head coach Rich Rodriguez says, "we kind of played it maybe too close to the vest in the second half with that lead."
COLUMN: WVU's defensive breakdown leads to post-game coaches meeting
MORGANTOWN — West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez admits he was mad enough after surviving by a touchdown in a 31-24 victory over Coastal Carolina Saturday afternoon that he couldn't contain himself from calling a rare staff meeting immediately after…
WVU football’s Rich Rodriguez admits need for more aggressive playcalling in poor showing in second half against Coastal Carolina
MORGANTOWN — West Virginia football’s offense in the first half against Coastal Carolina couldn’t have gone any better. The Mountaineers had 24 points, 336 total yards of offense and averaged 7.5 yards per play. The ground attack, which is supposed to be the strength, had 223 yards on offense. Everything was going according to plan. […]
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