Zac Alley unleashes furious warning after WVU’s costly defensive collapse

West Virginia defensive coordinator Zac Alley has delivered a blunt warning to his defence after the Mountaineers allowed a late touchdown despite holding a 17-point lead against No. 25 Virginia.

WVU won 38-27 last Saturday to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2018, but Virginia’s late scoring drive left Alley frustrated with how his unit finished the game.

The Cavaliers marched 75 yards in eight plays after West Virginia had taken a 38-21 lead late in the fourth quarter. Alley believes his defenders became too cautious instead of maintaining the aggressive approach that had helped secure the win.

Zac Alley demands West Virginia defence maintain its aggression

“We played to not lose on that drive. We didn’t play to win. And that makes me mad. I don’t like that. We don’t play to not lose. I’m playing to win,” Alley said.

His frustration was not simply about the touchdown. Alley pointed to missed assignments and situations where players failed to execute the coverage he had called.

“Like, sometimes we didn’t challenge receivers; we didn’t play man coverage when I called it. We just did some things where I have no idea what we were thinking,” Alley explained.

The defensive coordinator acknowledged that inexperience could have played a part, with some players still adjusting to the pressure of playing in bigger games.

However, the message was clear. Alley expects West Virginia to maintain its standards regardless of the score, rather than allowing a comfortable lead to change how the defence approaches a possession.

The timing of his warning is notable with Oklahoma State arriving in Morgantown for Saturday’s Big 12 opener.

West Virginia enters the game at 3-0, while the Cowboys are 2-1. WVU’s defence recorded three sacks and held Virginia to 197 passing yards last week, but now faces Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker.

Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on FS1, giving Alley’s defence an immediate chance to show whether the lessons from its late collapse have been taken on board.

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