West Virginia Football: Mountaineers knock out college football’s Cinderella
By Phil Poling
West Virginia defense steps up
Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson has used the moniker “DAWGS” for his unit, meaning “Defense Always Wins Games.” That couldn’t be more true for the ‘Eers against the Cyclones Saturday.
After the offense scored 20 points in the first half – and the ‘Eers defense surrendered only three – it was time for the DAWGS to make another (couple) stands in the second half.
They bent a little, maybe a lot depending on your expectations, but Al-Rasheed Benton and the rest of the defense stepped up when it mattered most. Ezekiel Rose, Kenny Robinson and Hakeem Bailey all made big plays throughout the day. And that’s not to say they played perfect, but they got the job done.
Robinson, a true freshman, made several stops near the goal line that forced the Cyclones to take field goals instead of touchdowns. And Bailey, who played spot duty after some injuries in the secondary, didn’t have the best day, but made a key deflection on what could have – and probably should have been – an Iowa State touchdown.
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Seeing players step up in big moments makes all the difference for a defense. Without a key deflection here or an open-field tackle there, this game could’ve turned into a nightmare for West Virginia. But, as Tony Gibson says, defense always wins games!