West Virginia head coach Neal Brown elected to make a change at defensive coordinator during the open week and now the unit is looking to close the season strong.
Jordan Lesley was relieved of his duties after serving in the role since the 2020 season and former inside linebackers coach Jeff Koonz was elevated in his spot. Koonz previously served as the co-defensive coordinator at Cincinnati but now will take over a unit that has struggled.
West Virginia is 97th in scoring defense giving up 28.4 points per game and 84th in total defense. The Mountaineers are perched at 114th in passing defense but have done well stopping the run and are ranked 39th nationally holding teams to just 121.5 yards per game.
“We’ve done well with stopping the run game. Our biggest problem is defending the pass, getting sacks and putting pressure on the quarterback,” defensive lineman Sean Martin said.
The Mountaineers are still in the mix in the Big 12 Conference race despite sitting at just 4-4 overall and the way that the defense responds down the stretch could play a critical role in how this team finishes the season.
Martin admittedly understands the business aspect of the game when it came to moving on from Lesley, but the change hasn’t altered a lot on that side of the ball.
“Not any major changes. Just doing our job. We have the same responsibilities as we had before,” Martin said. “It’s the same message. Just try to win the game.”
Cincinnati is a team that is going to try to run the football so that plays into the strength of what West Virginia does well. Still, the focus will be to try to get them behind the sticks and then get off the field on third down in order to sustain some momentum.
“Stop passes, execute and get off the field on third downs,” Martin said.
The Mountaineers still have four games remaining against similar teams and the goal of finishing the season strong is still within sight. And coming off a bye week, West Virginia is excited to showcase what they can do down the stretch.
“Everybody needed it. It was good for the mental state,” Martin said.
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