Season Review: West Virginia's 2023 Defense
West Virginia finished the season with a 9-4 record and a win in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. The Mountaineers finished 6-3 in Big 12 Play and 3-1 outside of the league, including the win over North Carolina in Charlotte.
The Mountaineers returned the entire staff on the defensive side looking for a bounce back from the disappointing 2022 campaign.
And for the most part, this unit delivered.
Points per game allowed ... 26.2 (62nd NCAA)
YPG Allowed ... 380.8 (45th NCAA)
Rushing YPG allowed ... 144.0 (49th NCAA)
Rushing YPC allowed ... 4.3 (90th NCAA)
Passing YPG allowed ... 236.8 (85th NCAA)
3rd down conversions allowed ... 39% (61st NCAA)
Sacks ... 33 (tie 29th NCAA)
Tackles for loss ... 84 (tie 29th NCAA)
Opponent redzone TD rate ... 61% (70th)
Opponent RZ scoring rate ... 83% (65th NCAA)
Turnovers forced ... 16 (tie 83rd NCAA)
Best Game
Pittsburgh. In a game where West Virginia needed their defense to respond, the unit did just that holding the Panthers to just 211 total yards and 6 points. The Mountaineers also forced three turnovers and allowed backup quarterback Nicco Marchiol to manage the game to a big early season win over a bitter rival.
Worst Game
Oklahoma. No question here as West Virginia had zero answers for the Sooners who could almost score at will. Oklahoma rolled up 644 total yards of offense and 59 points in a performance that stands out for the wrong reasons for the defensive unit.
Related: Season Review: West Virginia's 2023 Offense
Defensive MVP
Beanie Bishop. A consensus all-American selection, Bishop was excellent in his lone season with the West Virginia football program. The Minnesota transfer helped to stabilize the secondary and finished the year with 67 tackles, 20 pass breakups and 4 interceptions while proving strong in coverage all season. He also had a significant impact on the culture of the cornerback room and likely will go down as the best transfer of the Neal Brown era regardless of position.
Biggest Surprise
Nose guard play. Whether it was Mike Lockhart or Fatorma Mulbah, West Virginia didn't miss a beat at this spot even after the departure of Jordan Jefferson in the off-season. These two combined to play a significant role in the success up front and made the most of their snaps on the field when given the opportunity. You could also make a strong argument for the play of Malachi Ruffin at the other corner spot, but to me, it was how seamlessly West Virginia transitioned onto new bodies in the middle.
Biggest Disappointment
Safety coverage. West Virginia was dealt a tough blow with this unit losing a number of key players at different points in the season. Promising freshman linebacker Josiah Trotter was lost in the spring, then cornerback Montre Miller in the opener followed by others such as inside linebacker Tray Lathan. There were other various injury concerns that also cost players to miss time which forced the coaches to roll with patchwork units at times, especially in the secondary. That led to teams taking advantage of that.
The Good
--West Virginia had strong defensive line play once again and it has been a staple under this coaching staff. The Mountaineers were able to roll in a rotation of linemen up front and the group continued to have success with some real depth. West Virginia finished the season with 33 sacks.
--Nobody knew what to expect out of the cornerback group heading into the season but it proved to be one of the most productive groups on the roster. However, that production was basically boiled down to just two players in Beanie Bishop and Malachi Ruffin both of whom were seniors.
--Young linebacker play was a question mark heading into the year, but Tray Lathan certainly looked the part and Ben Cutter had his moments as well. West Virginia also will welcome back Josiah Trotter next year.
What Must Improve
--Cornerback was a strength, but West Virginia must continue to get better play in the department of coverage from the safety spot. More versatility there is a necessity in order to move around the pieces in the back end.
--West Virginia must get bigger at the linebacker spots and get more juice at that position but the hope is that it has been addressed through recruiting.
Grades for Each Position
DL: B+
LB: B-
S: C-
CB: B+
Key Departures
CB Beanie Bishop, LB Lee Kpogba, DL Mike Lockhart, CB Malachi Ruffin, OLB Jared Bartlett, DL Tomi Durojaiye, S Marcis Floyd, S Hershey McLaurin, DL Davoan Hawkins
The defense was hit considerably harder than the offense by departures with leading tackler Lee Kpogba leaving a massive hole to be filled at linebacker, while both starting cornerbacks in all-American Bishop and his partner Ruffin gone. There were some other key departures as well either by graduation or the transfer portal which means that there will be work to do when it comes to fill those spots.
Key Arrivals
OLB Ty French, CB Ty Crandall, CB Ayden Garnes, S Josh Minkins, DL TJ Jackson, LB Reid Carrico
West Virginia has hit the transfer portal hard in order to fill holes on the defensive side of the roster at key positions. So far, so good there in securing not only high upside pieces but proven production at the various spots on the defense.
Way too-early WVSports.com Projected Depth Chart
DE: Sean Martin
TJ Jackson
Asani Redwood
NG: Fatorma Mulbah
Hammond Russell
DL: Eddie Vesterinen
Corey McIntyre
LB: Tray Lathan
Josiah Trotter
LB: Ben Cutter
Reid Carrico
BANDIT: Tyrin Bradley
Ty French
SPEAR: Josh Minkins
Raleigh Collins
S: Anthony Wilson
Josh Minkins
FS: Aubrey Burks
Aden Nelson
CB: Ty Crandall
Ayden Garnes
CB: Jacolby Spells
Montre Miller
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