In a season that has been challenging for the West Virginia defense to say the least, a breath of fresh air came in the Backyard Brawl against Pittsburgh, as West Virginia forced three turnovers, all of which came from defenders making plays in the secondary.
The Mountaineers' safety Aubrey Burks and cornerbacks Malachi Ruffin and Beanie Bishop Jr. each intercepted the Panthers' Phil Jurkovec, and after only allowing seven points to their arch-rival, this was easily the best performance for West Virginia's secondary in the 2023 season.
In the season opener against Penn State, WVU's secondary allowed 332 passing yards and 478 total yards, which carried into a tough start in the defensive backfield against Duquesne, where the Dukes were hitting explosive plays in the passing game to accumulate 231 yards of passing for the annual FCS matchup.
However, a switch flipped after some personnel and schematic changes made weeks in advance were revealed against Pittsburgh and it was a recipe for success in forcing turnovers. Since 2019, the Mountaineers have finished 85th in the country on average in turnovers forced per game, with their most turnovers forced in a single season under Neal Brown coming in his first season, where they forced 24.
However, there is some confidence now in what this team can do after a strong defensive and secondary performance at home in the Week Three win over Pitt. Starting safety Anthony Wilson, who transferred from Georgia Southern to play for the Mountaineers this season, has seen the group's improvement personally, and knows what has changed week to week,
"Just getting our chemistry down and us just playing together and just gelling and we’re starting to play together as a whole defense and going to keep getting better from here. Our corners, they did a great job. Malachi Ruffin, Beanie Bishop created some turnovers and we're going to keep rolling," Wilson said.
Related: West Virginia secondary rises to challenge but more ahead
Covering a receiver wasn't the only role for Wilson and the secondary players in the win over Pittsburgh. This group was also forced to come down into the trenches and stop the run as well since the Panthers handed the ball off 36 times and gained 130 yards on the ground.
"They ran the ball a lot, so we just had to hammer down and control our gaps and everybody did their job. With the passing game, we just had to be ready when our numbers were called and that’s what we did," Wilson said.
Wilson recognizes how spirits were low after allowing lots of yards through the air against the Nittany Lions, but that game created adversity for the team and that's what can allow the secondary to grow to be their best.
"Obviously after the Penn State game, we were down on ourselves. Nobody likes losing but we just had to look back on the things that we could have done better and move forward. After the Pitt game, everybody was excited and happy to get the win and now that game's over and we have to put that past us and move forward," Wilson said.
Now that WVU is matching up this Saturday against a fast-paced Texas Tech team that likes to air it out, Wilson and the secondary know what they need to focus on to get the job done.
"We just got to do our jobs. They run tempo so we're going to have to get lined up, get the call, and be on our assignments. The main thing is getting lined up to their tempo and doing what we’re coached to do. It’s something we have to do because every game, every week is a big game," Wilson said.
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