observer_reporter
During West Virginia football's weekly press conference on Tuesday, defensive coordinator Zac Alley drew the spotlight for the second consecutive week, following head coach Rich Rodriguez's opening remarks. Alley appeared weary, his usual grooming neglected, as he addressed the media about his defense's recent struggles.
"It's hard to sleep currently," Alley admitted. "I'm not doing a lot of it. Staying up here pretty late." His unit is reeling after allowing Iowa State to rack up 45 points and 577 yards of offense, bringing the two-game totals to 1,186 yards and 86 points. Nationally, the Mountaineers' defense ranks 133rd out of 138 teams, giving up 456.6 yards per game. The pain is compounded by the fact that the offense scored 41 points and held a lead in Ames, needing just one defensive stop to secure a win, but the defense couldn't deliver.
Alley is aware that his game plan must change. "I think we're the worst defense in college football, so it's pretty simple to say it hasn't worked," he said. "I don't plan to keep doing the same thing over and over again. It seems like insanity." At 32, Alley is one of the youngest play-callers at the Power Four level, known for his aggressive blitzes, personnel switches, and emotional intensity. However, those tactics have backfired recently. With nearly 11 new starters and many players adjusting to a new system, Alley is now focusing on simplifying the defense and returning to fundamentals, starting with run defense.
The Mountaineers allowed Iowa State walk-on running back Aiden Flora to rush for a career-high 212 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing two touchdown passes. Alley noted that they anticipated the pop pass but failed to execute. Flora is now garnering Heisman Trophy attention. Opposing teams are averaging 168 rushing yards per game against WVU, the most in the Big 12. Alley pointed to missed gaps, mental errors, and poor key reads as fundamental issues that were emphasized in camp but haven't translated to games. "We got to stop the run first," Alley stressed. "If you let them run the ball on you, you have no shot at stopping anything else."
Despite the defensive woes, Alley doesn't attribute them to a lack of talent. While the defense's talent was questioned due to the offense's success and the perception that more resources were allocated there, Alley believes there is more talent on defense this year than last. "We're talented enough to be a lot better than we are," he said. "That's on myself and the coaches. We've got to get these guys to play to their ability level. I don't expect every guy to be an All-American every play, but to at least be the best version of themselves every day in every play they're in."
Key Analysis
Alley's body language reveals the toll of the defense's shortcomings, especially given his $1.5 million contract as a young assistant in a high-profile sport. Fortunately, he has a seasoned mentor in Rodriguez, who has over 30 years of coaching experience. "Makes me fall back on coach Rodriguez and his experience," Alley said. "Some of the things that he knows from coaching for 30-plus years in this business and trying to get our guys to do the things, the little things, the right way. He's big on that." Rodriguez plans to be more involved defensively, ensuring meetings and film study meet standards, but he retains faith in Alley and his staff to turn things around. The best way to silence doubters is to stop Arizona this weekend, which boasts one of the conference's top passing attacks. "It is what it is," Alley said. "That's the job that I've been given. My job is to make sure that we put our guys in a position to win, to lead young men, to lead my staff and to give us a chance this coming Saturday."
Originally reported by observer_reporter.