UT Martin's own coach, Jason Simpson, already sounds resigned to the problem in front of him. "It's a problem. They're very good at it," he said of the Mountaineers' ground attack, calling it an 11-on-11 execution test for his defense. That's a fair worry: UT Martin allowed 471 total yards in a 36-24 loss to Central Arkansas to open its season, a shaky follow-up to a 2025 campaign that saw the Skyhawks go 6-2 in OVC play under 21st-year coach Jason Simpson.
West Virginia isn't without its own headaches heading into the weekend. Defensive lineman Darius Wiley, who was making his Mountaineers debut, tore multiple ligaments in his knee against Coastal Carolina and is done for the season. Rodriguez has already pointed to Emerson Joy and transfer Tobi Haastrup as the next men up on the edge, an early opportunity neither expected to get this soon.
What actually irritated Rodriguez wasn't the injury, it was the letdown around it. West Virginia led 24-0 at halftime and then went scoreless for stretches while UT Martin's future opponent Coastal Carolina clawed back into a one-score game. Rodriguez called an impromptu staff meeting 15 minutes after the final whistle specifically to address it, saying he wanted to have it "while I was still pissed off," and pointed to three straight three-and-outs and blown coverage assignments as avoidable, not accidental.
So this is as much a test of correction as it is of talent. West Virginia is still absorbing close to 90 new roster additions after a 4-8 debut season for Rodriguez, and a clean 60 minutes against an overmatched Skyhawks defense would be the first real evidence the fixes are sticking before Big 12 play arrives.