WVU defense stepping up when it matters in 2016

Yards?

Don’t bother West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson with that stat after the Mountaineers allowed a total of 561 against Iowa State an average of 7.2 per play.

Why you ask? Well, the Mountaineers forced a total of four turnovers without allowing a touchdown, while holding the Cyclones to 4-15 on third down. Throw in the fact, that the defense toughened up in the red zone forcing all three trips into field goals and yards are nothing more than a number.

One thing is clear in today’s game of football is the fact that the defensive metrics have changed.

“You can tell me every week four field goals I’ll take it,” he said. “I don’t care if we give up 1,000 yards.”

In the wide-open, fast-paced Big 12 Conference, yards come in bunches and the key factor in most games are the ability of teams to make plays in critical situations such as the red zone. This West Virginia defense is one of the top units in the league at keeping teams off the scoreboard.

Points are what win football games, not yards. And this season the Mountaineers have allowed over 30-points only three times through 11 games. In a league dominated by offenses, that is quite the accomplishment for a defense that was forced to replace nine starters from a season ago.

The Mountaineers abandoned its trademark pressure defense against Iowa State in order to force throws into tight windows and while the Cyclones were able to cross midfield a dozen times were unable to make plays in tight windows in the red zone.

“It’s a condensed space. They don’t have as much room to throw it,” said redshirt senior cornerback Rasul Douglas said.

Throughout the week the challenge to the defense was to bounce back after a disappointing effort against Oklahoma where the Mountaineers allowed a season high 56-points and struggled to make tackles as well as critical stops. Now, Iowa State is a different animal but the message was received.

The message was effort and intensity. That was exemplified by the defense running down two touchdowns down from behind including forcing a fumble on one and getting the ball back.

“You can never give up,” Douglas said.

And the defense did it with several key players going down with injuries throughout the game. Now, the only thing that stands between the Mountaineers and the first ten-win season since 2011 is one more strong defensive performance in a year full of them.

Just don’t pay any mind to the yards.

“It was a great effort,” Gibson said.