West Virginia Knows the Blueprint to Stop OSU, but Does It Have the Cats?

The secret is out. Much has been made about the defensive “blueprint” for slowing down Oklahoma State. TCU did it. Texas did it even better and now the Cowboys head to Morgantown to face a team that has been working on a similar scheme for some time.

The 3-3-5 defense that West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson coaches is perfectly suited for Big 12 play but not for impressing old-school defensive minds. He’s only concerned with one of those things.

It’s a prevent defense that will give up some yards but keeps most of the big plays in front of you and can be a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks to read.

It works when you have athletic and competent linemen and aggressive linebackers. It employs two safeties playing back and dares a team to run it and then counts on its playmakers to swarm to the ball and make plays. Sound familiar?

Gibson talked about that blueprint and if the Longhorns’ success from last week gives him any confidence that his group can slow down the Cowboys.

“Now, Texas has some cats,” said Gibson. “Up front they’re pretty good. They were able to do it with three down and have eight guys see the ball.”

The problem for Gibson is that while he has had some very stout defenses by Big 12 standards, he had to replace pretty much his entire defensive line and a bunch of production at linebacker after last year. Three of the top five tacklers were seniors as well as seven of the top 10.

Starting defensive ends Reese Donahue and Adam Shuler II are both sophomores and starting nose tackle Lamonte McDougle is a true freshman. In fact, on the two-plus depth chart at all three D-line spots, the Mountaineers had a total of one start entering 2017 (Shuler).

At linebacker it’s a little better but they replaced a lot as well, including leading tackler Justin Arndt. Sam linebacker, Xavier Preston is a senior but only had one start prior to 2017. Al-Rasheed Benton (Mike backer) and David Long Jr. (Will) both bring some experience.

The result is that West Virginia hasn’t been able to stop anyone from running the ball this year. Its defense is ninth in the Big 12 (100th nationally) allowing 198.7 yards per game on the ground and 4.9 yards per carry.

So the scheme is similar but West Virginia has been considerably worse on D this year from last. Seventh in scoring defense in the Big 12, fifth in passing defense and it is 80th in the country allowing 2.37 points per drive. Kansas rushed for 367 yards and three TDs on 7.3 yards per carry. Those same Jayhawks rushed for 73 total yards on 2.9 per carry against Southeast Missouri State in their only win.

I’m not saying Oklahoma State is going to blow out West Virginia. I’m quite nervous about any trip to Morgantown, morning game or not. And that Mountaineer offense behind Will Grier and a bevy of skills players is going to test all this goodwill Glenn Spencer just earned in Austin.

But this is a rebuilding year for Tony Gibson and Co. West Virginia may be famous for a similar scheme to the “blueprint” but Texas actually has the cats to make it work.