West Virginia starts their final stretch of the season on the road against Cincinnati on Saturday.
The Mountaineers and Bearcats are coming off a bye week, and Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield discussed what he expects this weekend.
"A West Virginia team that I think is a very, very solid team. They’ve lost four games against four really good football teams and coming off a big win at Arizona. We know how hard it is to travel out west, and they went out there and handled business, so we’ll know we’ll get their best shot when they come in here. I’ve faced Coach Brown many times at Troy and obviously last year. Got a lot of respect for him how he runs his program," Satterfield said.
Redemption
Satterfield was not shying away from the result that took place against these two teams last season.
West Virginia won 42-21 in Morgantown, but the score did not indicate how one-sided the game was.
"There was a lot that went wrong for us last year against West Virginia. it was towards the end of the season, not playing great, obviously. We go three and out, then they go score. We go three and out, then they go score. It was just a snowball in the first half and you look up and you’re down 28-7 before you can even blink. We didn’t do hardly anything right," Satterfield said.
Satterfield added he does not like to turn on the tape from that game because of how ugly it was for his team.
"We played arguably our worst game last year at West Virginia, I mean, it was awful. I hate watching that film this week from last year, so an opportunity to go back and hopefully go out there and play a much better football game this week. So we’re excited about that," Satterfield said.
Return of Jared Bartlett
There is a former Mountaineer who will be suiting up for Cincinnati on Saturday in Jared Bartlett.
Bartlett played in 50 career games as a Mountaineer, and this season, he has 42 total tackles, 8 TFLs, and 5.5 sacks. Satterfield said he doesn't expect anything to change for Bartlett just because of his familiarity and that it will be business as usual for him.
"He’s such a serious-minded individual, really just focused on what he has to do and his task. I’m sure inside for him, it’s a little something extra, probably. He knows a lot of those guys over there, but he’s not the type to be that kind of guy. He just wants to play ball and do the best he can. We’re excited he’s on our team, and he’s had a great year for us, and he’s been a really good leader for us, and he just needs to keep playing like he’s been playing and go out and be himself," Satterfield said.
Uncertainty at QB?
WVU's Garrett Greene is unlikely to play Saturday, and Satterfield said they have been preparing for the possibility of both quarterbacks, though they expect to see Nicco Marchiol under center for the Mountaineers.
"We anticipate playing the quarterback that played last week. Obviously, we’ve had this happen before throughout the season with different quarterbacks that have had to play, but I still feel like they’re going to run what they run on offense," Satterfield said.
He said there is going to be an emphasis on stopping the run and finding ways to do that.
"We got to be great in stopping the run this week, we know that. They’ve got some outstanding running backs, their offensive line is really good, and Neal (Brown) does a great job running the football. And obviously, they’ll throw it, but the main thing is to stop the run when you’re playing a West Virginia football team," Satterfield said.
Preparing for a new DC
Last week, WVU decided to make a change at the defensive coordinator position. In steps, Jeff Koonz, who served as the special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach.
Satterfield said just because there is a new coordinator doesn't mean he expects to see wholesale changes across the board, given they are two-thirds of the way into the season.
"I think the structure will be the same. It’s really hard to go in the middle of the season and just change a lot. Anytime you’re making a change like that over a period of time, you’re going to make the guys feel comfortable about whatever you’re trying to do, and that’s really for them not to make mistakes. I think what it does, it makes you, if anything, simplify a little bit more," Satterfield said.
Satterfield added if there is any change, it will likely happen in smaller, more game-specific areas.
"Now, what could be different when you’re looking at third downs, third down pressures, and red zone, and those types of things could structurally be a little bit different depending on who’s calling it. But I think the structure of the defense, getting the guys lined up, being where they’re supposed to be, is the best thing you can do to help your kids out. I would anticipate that, so I don’t think there will be a whole lot of change in what they’re doing," Satterfield said.
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