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West Virginia Football: 2018 Hype train is out of control

By Justin Dottavio

FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Dana Holgorsen of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts to a play against the TCU Horned Frogs in the fourth quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Dana Holgorsen of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts to a play against the TCU Horned Frogs in the fourth quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

Defense

The hang up for the Mountaineers is the defense led by Tony Gibson. Gibson’s 3-3-5 scheme was a putrid 96th per the S&P+ in 2017. Compound that with only returning four starters from last season and it’s hard to imagine improvement on the defensive side of the football.

Defensive lineman Reese Donahue is the only returning defensive lineman. Donahue finished 2017 with 40 tackles (six tackles for loss) and a sack. Senior Ezekiel Rose steps up into a starting role as a havoc player. Rose logged five tackles for loss (all sacks), two passes defensed (plus an interception) and a forced fumble.

At linebacker only one starter returns as well. Weakside linebacker David Long is the returning starter and logged 76 tackles (15.5 tackles for loss) and 3.5 sacks last season. A huge loss was the graduation of linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton and his 217 career tackles (18.5 tackles for loss) and three interceptions. The Mountaineers will have to find a replacement for that production- and Dylan Tonkery looked good as a freshman last year. Tonkery made 44 tackles (seven tackles for loss) and 2.5 sacks in 2017.

The Back Five

The Mountaineers have kept the 3-3-5, one high safety look going which started back in the Rodriguez era. The defense employs two cornerbacks, a free safety (“one high”) and two “up safeties” that are called the bandit (boundary) and spur (strong) safety. Sophomore free safety Kenny Robinson returns. Robinson, a sophomore, intercepted three passes as a freshman last season. Spur Dravon Askew-Henry is back as well. Askew-Henry had 57 tackles and an interception in 2017.

The new cornerbacks Derek Pitts and Hakeem Bailey. Pitts had limited playing time but Bailey logged six pass defenses and made 35 tackles last year. Toyous Avery, who had 20 tackles and four passes defensed last year, returns for his senior season.

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