WVU football’s offense took care of business, defense did not in loss to Iowa State
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MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia’s football offense had a lot of holes last season. The offensive line struggled, and they couldn't get consistent quarterback play. Injuries played a big part in the inefficiency, but it was clear even with a healthy roster, there wasn’t enough talent to be competitive in the Big 12. This season, Rich Rodriguez spent a lot of capital on rebuilding the offense. He brought in leading rusher Cam Cook, quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. from Oklahoma, a lot of veteran transfers on the offensive line, and new O-line coach Rick Trickett.
The investment paid off against Iowa State. The Mountaineers’ offense put up 42 points, which was the most in a game this season, and had 518 yards of offense. Most of the time, WVU wins a game like that. But the defense didn't do its part in back-to-back weeks.
WVU's offense moved the ball on the ground efficiently once again. The Mountaineers had 291 yards on the ground and four scores. Cook had 142 yards on 20 rushes, and the rushing attack averaged over seven yards a carry.
Cook and Hawkins really got the ball rolling towards the end of the game. They had three touchdowns in the second half. The two are both top 10 in the nation in rushing.
"I definitely think the second half, that first drive, that second drive we came back, we moved the ball down the field," Cook said. "Couple of explosive plays. That gets the energy up. Felt like we started moving the ball pretty good after that."
Hawkins had another turnover, fumbling, but looked like he was on the same page with his receivers. Against Oklahoma State, Hawkins and his receivers had multiple misfires, especially when trailing. Hawkins had an overthrow, and D.J. Epps dropped passes.
Hawkins threw for 227 yards, completed 11 of 23 passes and threw for two scores.
Epps cleaned up and had his second 100-yard receiving game of the season, having 114 yards on four catches. He had a score, too. USC and Boise State transfer Prince Strachan had his biggest game of the season, coming off an injury, catching three passes for 41 yards. Jaden Bray had a big catch for 34 yards in the fourth quarter, setting up a Cook rushing touchdown.
The offense allowed two sacks, but mostly, it did its part.
Iowa State might've been 2-2 heading into the game, without a Power Four win, but the Cyclones were competitive in both conference games and had a formidable defense. Before the game, Iowa State allowed 16 points per game, and that's even after playing top 25 teams Utah and Iowa.
The 42 points and 518 yards of offense were the most allowed this season from the Cyclones.
The offense wasn't perfect. There were some costly penalties, more in the first half. WVU's offense had seven penalties for 60 yards.
"We just needed to lock in," Cook said. "It's our first away game, real away game. That comes with a little bit of jitters. I just think we have to be a little bit more focused."
If there's a takeaway from WVU's brutal loss, it's that this offense can compete in the Big 12, which is reassuring knowing how much investment was spent in the offseason. It looked questionable against Oklahoma State, but it is on a positive path now.
If defensive coordinator Zac Alley can figure out his side of the ball, there could be more wins in the team's future. For the second-straight week of bad performances, the defense needs to fix a lot, and there's not a lot of time, fully into Big 12 play now.
"Just poor," Rodriguez said. "Atrocious defense... I thought we were fixing some of the issues; certainly didn't look like it."