By: James Gravley | WV Sports Chat
The West Virginia football team is coming off a 45-3 win against Robert Morris this past Saturday, but there are some questions about holding on to the football that has raised some questions about the offense heading into Saturday’s contest against Ohio.
Ohio isn’t as bad as Robert Morris, and they won’t be the toughest opponent the Mountaineers face all season. The game plan should be simple and to take it one play at a time and not look ahead.
Number One: Don’t Look Ahead
The Mountaineers need to focus on Ohio. Don’t get caught up in the weeks ahead, primarily talking about the Pitt game the following week. If West Virginia does that then they should win this against the Bobcats.
The promising thing here is that Ohio basically threw out the kitchen sink against Rutgers and that will benefit Zac Alley and his defense as it will allow him to prepare at how he wants to draw up his blitz and coverage packages. I would expect WVU to force a couple interceptions. As good as Navarro is, he is turnover prone as well.
Number Two: Win the Turnover Battle
Let’s be honest here. If WVU turns the ball over as much as it did against Robert Morris against Ohio, then the Bobcats win this game.
Instead of self inflicted mistakes, West Virginia needs to turn the tide and force Ohio into mistakes. As mentioned above WVU will need to either get a couple interceptions or force a couple of fumbles of their own.
Number Three: Pressure Parker Navarro
It goes without saying that West Virginia needs to get pressure on Navarro. He, unlike the RMU quarterback, will find soft spots in the secondary, but he can’t do that with guys in his face majority of the game.
I would expect WVU to bring in blitz packages that RMU didn’t see on Saturday. Navarro is a mobile quarterback and can also get out of the pocket and make plays with his legs.
Score prediction: WVU 31, Ohio 16
Photo: WVU Athletics
