Kpogba stepped up against UCF, when he knew WVU needed him
In a single play that changed the complexion of WVU's 41-28 victory over UCF on Saturday, senior linebacker Lee Kpogba shot the gap and forced the Mountaineers' fourth takeaway in a moment where the team needed their leader to step up to significantly impact the game.
Late in the third quarter in a three-point game at 24-21, Kpogba fired out of a cannon and crushed the UCF quarterback, John Rhys Plumlee, knocking the ball free before it was recovered by defensive lineman Jalen Thornton. This marked the signal caller's fourth turnover of the day in a crucial moment.
This play would go on to change the game for the Mountaineers, as they would tack on two more touchdowns in a row to go up by 17 points and finish with a 13-point win.
As the quarterback of the defense at the middle linebacker position, Kpogba knew West Virginia was in a tight spot and he felt he needed to make to play when he got an opportunity to blitz.
"I knew the way the game was going. I knew we needed a play to change the game so I wanted to get the ball out when I did and I had an opportunity," Kpogba said. "You don't get to come free on blitzes too many times, so when I did get free I wanted to make the most of it. I got pressure on one but I didn't get home."
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When breaking down his strip sack, Kpogba was focused on making the tackle but also being aggressive through the ball, which ended up being a recipe for a turnover.
"On one hand you want to secure the tackle, but on one hand [you want to] just be aggressive and simultaneous with both when you bring them together," Kpogba said. "Just being aggressive through the ball and attacking."
Although the middle linebacker position doesn't get many chances to rush the passer, Kpogba was sent on that same blitz quite a few times on Saturday and he said that the defense finally got the right situation to make a play when he forced a fumble.
"We had actually run that blitz a couple of times before and we came and didn't really get the look we had wanted," Kpogba said. "Then, we ran it that time and we got what we expected them to do and I came free so I put my hands to the ball and it came out. He never saw me."
He would go on to finish the game with a stellar performance, where Kpogba led the team in total tackles with eight, along with five solo stops, one tackle for loss and the crucial sack, finishing with 70-80 snaps on the field in WVU's victory.
Kpogba said that the four takeaways for his group against UCF wasn't a coincidence since he knew there would be a chance for his blitzes to force a mistake and the defense behind him knew that too.
"It was really just something I saw at that moment," Kpogba said. "We knew they'd give us chances to take the ball away."
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