West Virginia has more options in the toolbox in the secondary

West Virginia has been a predominantly zone defense over the past few seasons.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that when looking at the success the unit has experienced with finishes of No. 21 and No. 44 in scoring defense over the past two seasons. Those totals were No. 4 and No. 37 in terms of total defense over that same two-year span.

That’s not to say that it won’t be a staple of what the program does defensively this year either, but the Mountaineers do have more options. That’s because the makeup of the secondary is longer, more athletic options across the board which allows the option to change things up.

“If you have the ability to play man it really makes life easier. You don’t have to make all the adjustments and all the communication doesn’t happen,” safeties coach Dontae Wright said. “If you have the ability to line up and lock people down it makes your life as a coordinator easier.”

Granted there are obvious reasons to favor zone with having everything in front of you if the quarterback scrambles and being able to stop the run by correcting mistakes mid-play. But on the same coin there are reasons why playing man is critical especially to get favorable pass rushing matchups.

The Mountaineers have relied on zone looks and in response teams have adjusted over the past two years to max protect. Leaving six or seven blockers to take on four or five rushers, which obviously isn’t favorable for the defense. That means that in order to combat that the program is going to have to be able to send more numbers and play man coverage in the backend.

Wright believes that his position is equipped to handle that role as well which is opening a window that just hasn’t been there in the past few seasons. No, that doesn’t mean that the defense will be re-writing how they operate in the backend, but it could allow for new wrinkles.

“I’m not saying this is who we’re going to be but it could be who we are because we have the ability to do that,” he said.

It opens the toolbox for the coaches as they now could look at some one high-safety looks instead of the split that has been the case. Even at times last year the program often would try to bluff man but opposing offenses weren’t being fooled. And now, the program is having to practice the opposite.

“My biggest struggle right ow is making it look like zone and getting them to play man,” Wright said. “They see man and want to run down there and tell everybody in the country what we’re in.”

It’s a unique place for the West Virginia defense, but one that has plenty of options available.

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