By: Jonathan K. Martin | WV Sports Chat
In a post-game press conference, West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the media following a surprising 17-10 defeat to Ohio University.
Rodriguez, known for his high-octane offensive schemes, was visibly disappointed as he took full responsibility for the team’s performance.
“This is very disappointing; it starts with me,” Rodriguez said. “I failed them this week. I thought we had a good week of practice, thought we were ready to play, and we weren’t. We didn’t execute a lot of things that we work on.”
Despite a solid defensive effort that forced turnovers and created opportunities, the Mountaineers’ offense struggled to find rhythm after an initial promising start.
Rodriguez pointed to the absence of key players, Jaheim White and Jaden Bray, who were sidelined due to injuries, as a contributing factor.
“We lost a lot of players too,” he noted. “That doesn’t make things easier without those guys.”
Looking ahead, Rodriguez remains focused on recovery despite knowing this loss will be tough to overcome.
“I want it to hurt,” Rodriguez said. “It’s going to hurt all of us I think for the next twenty hours or so. We know who’s next so we’ve got to get to work and I’ve got to get these guys ready to go. They’ll be ready to play next Saturday.”
