West Virginia Football: 3 takeaways from the Kansas State win
By Phil Poling
3. West Virginia’s defense is actually good
It all starts with the defensive line for the Mountaineers’ defense. Through two games in 2018, they’ve won the battle in the trenches – that trend continued against the Wildcats as the visitors failed to rush for 100 yards.
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Reese Donahue, Ezekiel Rose, and Darius Stills were all major players in establishing the tone Saturday, penetrating into the backfield and absorbing blocks, rendering their teammates free to roam and make plays.
Linebackers David Long and Dylan Tonkery owned the second-level for the ‘Eers, flowing to the ball with relative ease. They received help from safety Jovanni Stewart, too, who made an impressive stop in the backfield on a 4th-down attempt by Kansas State.
The secondary for the Mountaineers continues to improve, as well. Josh Norwood adds some much-needed fire to a young secondary, while Derrek Pitts and Hakeem Bailey continue to improve on the outside. Kenny Robinson is another ‘Eer who’s bolstering Gibson’s 3-3-5 attack.