We will learn a lot about this West Virginia football team today. It’s not going to be the best version of this team, of course, but you will get a pretty good idea of what this team is capable of, considering they are going up against a Group of Six opponent as opposed to an FCS team.
Last year against Robert Morris, the Mountaineers fumbled the ball four times, three of which happened consecutively. That was a key factor in why it was just a one-possession game at the half, but one of the most noticeable problems right off the bat was the lack of push the offensive line was generating.
The unit improved in the second half, but it wasn’t necessarily dominant, or at least not at the level you would expect against an inferior opponent. You knew right then and there that if something didn’t change in a hurry, the Mountaineers were going to be in for a long season.
Obviously, Coastal Carolina has better talent and depth compared to Robert Morris, so this will be a nice test out of the gate. No, it’s not a stiff challenge by any means, but it’s better than a glorified walkthrough like they will have next week against UT Martin, with all due respect.
Because it’s the first game, you don’t need to see pure domination from start to finish. You do, however, need to see it at times, though. And you certainly don’t want to see struggles blocking up the run game. That’s what makes this thing go. If Cam Cook has no clean running lanes, then his impact won’t be felt to its fullest extent, even though he is elite at forcing missed tackles.
If the o-line doesn’t win at the point of attack consistently, it’s going to give you some doubts about how good this team can be in 2026. Personally, I don’t think we will see that be an issue today. We have heard a lot of great things about this offensive line and how well they are coming along, firing off the ball, and understanding their assignments. But until you go out there and do it against someone else, you just don’t know what you have.
If there is one area of this team that can’t lay an egg this afternoon, it’s the offensive line. They need to live up to the expectations and show that they can be a true strength this fall.
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