West Virginia looks to start the fall off with a new plan.  That plan is playing defense; something the Mountaineers did little of last season.  The defense may have cost WVU an undefeated season when they failed to make the big stops at key moments in the two losses to South Florida and Louisville.  The young defense played well at times, but for the most part was shoddy at best, and had it not been for the high powered offense the season could have really been a bust.  However, things are looking up on the defensive side of the ball this upcoming season and the Mountaineers will look to get back to the form they were in during the ’05 season.  Here is a breakdown of the 2007 WVU defense.

236.  That’s a pretty big number, even in football.  That is how many passing yards the Mountaineers gave up per game last season.  This ranked them 98^th in the Division I-A a year ago.  In contrast, the rush defense ranked 9^th in the country giving up a mere 87 yards on the ground per game, averaging out to a rank of 52^nd in total defense. 

There are a few reasons these numbers aren’t what Mountaineer fans expect.  The loss of key players Mike Lorello and Jahmile Addae posed some questions for Rich Rodriguez last season and the answers were freshman.  Many young players received the opportunity to start for WVU last season, and it showed.  But now those young players are veterans in the college football world.  For most, it only takes one season to get acclimated to the speed and strength of the college football matrix, and after spring practice, summer work-outs, and the always physical fall practice the “newbies” become veterans. 

West Virgina returns eight starters on defense, and a few transfers and JUCO’s should only add to the depth.  Here are a few players to watch out for this fall:

Keilen Dykes, Senior, DL:

Dykes is a three-year starter at WVU who worked his way into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman.  He has been a solid 295-pound rock on the Mountaineer defensive line and should only get better as the season progresses. 

Dingle showed his potential as a starter last season.  After a solid spring, he should be able to help a Mountaineer pass rush that was virtually non-existent last season.  He is quick for his 270-pound size and is a consistent run stopper.  Joining fellow senior Keilen Dykes on the defensive line should only help the Mountaineer defense this season.

It is hard to single out just a few players from the secondary that gave up a huge amount of yardage through the air last season.  However, with the lack of a pass rush the back line was often left out to dry while opposing receivers scrambled for open spaces.

This season should be much different for a Mountaineer secondary that is as talented and experienced as any in the country.  The secondary is littered with seniors, as well as a few juniors and a sophomore.  The lone sophomore is Quinton Andrews, the hard hitting safety who played most all of the games for the Mountaineers a season ago.  Joining Andrews are seniors Eric Wicks, Ridwan Malik, Larry Williams, Vaughn Rivers, Antonio Lewis, and Michigan transfer Ryan Mundy.  Another transfer, Ellis Lankster was a JUCO star and should bring immediate help and depth to the secondary.  One more veteran face on the back line is junior Charles Pugh, who has seen significant game action the last two seasons.  If the defensive line can develop a solid pass rush, with the experience in the secondary teams may have to find other ways to score (with all the rule changes in sports these days, maybe they will implement a “One point for a punt” system!).