West Virginia Football: Grading the Mountaineers at midseason

Linebackers – C

There’s no way around it: offenses have gashed the WVU defensive line in the first half of the season.  They’re giving up 5.2 yards per rush and 214 yards per game, which ranks them 109th in the nation.  That’s a problem.

The D-line’s performance hurts doubly, because a solid pass rush can act as a bit of a cure-all for a defense.  Youth and inexperience is partly to blame, and there have been some bright spots, such as Lamont McDougle, Adam Shuler, and Reese Donahue.  Shuler and Donahue are both sophomores, and both are averaging 3.5 tackles per game.  That’s a positive.

Still though, a formidable pass rush could be a game changer in the Big 12 and stopping the run is always high on a defense’s priority list.  The Mountaineers haven’t shown the ability to do either consistently, so far.