MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA - APRIL 5: Ashton Woods #33 of the West Virginia Mountaineers in action during the West Virginia Spring game at Milan Puskar Stadium on April 5, 2025 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images for ONIT) Getty
MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA - SEPTEMBER 05: Head coach Rich Rodriguez of the West Virginia Mountaineers looks on during the 3rd quarter of a game against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Milan Puskar Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/Getty Images) Getty
The West Virginia Mountaineers had an opportunity to improve to 4-0 and make a statement in the Big 12 against Oklahoma State. Instead, Rich Rodriguez watched his team surrender 609 yards in a devastating 41-24 loss that exposed serious problems with defensive coordinator Zac Alley's unit.
Now, linebacker Ashton Woods has delivered a confident response that could give frustrated Mountaineers fans a reason for optimism heading into another important conference matchup.
West Virginia held a 24-21 lead late in the third quarter before Oklahoma State scored 20 unanswered points to close out the game. The Cowboys finished with 389 passing yards and 220 rushing yards, repeatedly finding ways to exploit a defense that struggled to make adjustments.
Following the disappointing performance, Woods acknowledged that execution was the primary issue and explained what the Mountaineers discovered after reviewing the film.
"We just didn't execute," Woods said. "We went back and watched film. We got our corrections. We know what we did wrong. We know we can fix them, and we're just trying to get right for Iowa State."
When a reporter followed up by asking whether those mistakes were correctable, Woods immediately offered a two-word response.
"Very correctable," Woods replied.
Woods' confidence is encouraging, but West Virginia fans have every reason to demand more than reassuring words after Saturday's collapse. The Mountaineers were positioned to remain undefeated and generate considerable momentum around Rodriguez's return to Morgantown.
GettyMORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – APRIL 5: Ashton Woods #33 of the West Virginia Mountaineers in action during the West Virginia Spring game at Milan Puskar Stadium on April 5, 2025 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images for ONIT)
Instead, the defense surrendered 359 yards after halftime and allowed Oklahoma State to turn a potentially defining WVU victory into a frustrating defeat.
The biggest concern is how frequently Alley's defense failed in critical situations. Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns, while the Cowboys averaged nearly nine yards per offensive play. Those numbers are difficult to dismiss as a handful of isolated mistakes, particularly when West Virginia had an opportunity to protect a fourth-quarter lead.
However, Woods' comments offer an important glimpse into the Mountaineers' mindset. If the players have identified the breakdowns and believe they can correct them, Saturday's performance could become a turning point rather than the beginning of a troubling trend. That possibility should give WVU fans some hope, although the responsibility now falls on Alley and his players to produce tangible improvements.
GettyMORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – SEPTEMBER 05: Head coach Rich Rodriguez of the West Virginia Mountaineers looks on during the 3rd quarter of a game against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Milan Puskar Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/Getty Images)
West Virginia travels to Iowa State on Saturday, Oct. 3, for its first true road game of the season. Another defensive collapse would intensify the questions surrounding Alley's unit and threaten to undermine the promising start Rodriguez's team enjoyed through its first three games.
Woods believes the problems are very correctable. For Mountaineers fans who watched 609 yards disappear into Oklahoma State's offensive stat sheet, the only acceptable next step is proving it on the field.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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