MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s defense has displayed significant improvement over the last 10 quarters, during which time the Mountaineers have allowed 64 points.
Excluding the fourth quarters of losses to TCU and Iowa State, a defense that’s struggled throughout most of Big 12 Conference play this season has surrendered 30 points over the other eight quarters.
Last Saturday, West Virginia gave up 20 points to Oklahoma, the fewest a Big 12 team has scored against the Mountaineers this season.
“They got us on a couple tempo plays, but our guys tackled better on the perimeter and our blitz execution in the red zone was really good,” defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said. “Thought the guys did a nice job there.”
Perimeter tackling will once again be critical this weekend when West Virginia welcomes No. 19 Kansas State at 2 p.m. for its final game of the season at Milan Puskar Stadium.
One of the toughest challenges all season for the defense will be attempting to limit the productivity of Wildcats’ tailback Deuce Vaughn, who’s proven to be among the more versatile players in all of college football.
The 5-foot-6, 176-pound Vaughn enters off his sixth 100-yard rushing performance this season as he gained 106 yards on 25 carries in KSU’s 31-3 win against Baylor last Saturday.
Additionally, Vaughn tied a season-high with eight receptions against the Bears, which he gained 50 yards on. Over his last two games, Vaughn has 13 receptions for 136 yards. He’s caught a touchdown in three straight games.
“He’s dynamic as both a receiver and a running back,” West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said. “He’s really powerful for a guy that size. He has an extremely strong lower body, which makes him really tough. He has a really narrow strike zone to be able to tackle him. If you go really low, he’s so strong lower body wise, he can run through tackles. I don’t know him personally, but he must be really smart, because they line him up all over the place.“
Vaughn’s 38 receptions are tied for the team lead. He caught 49 passes for 468 yards and four touchdowns a year ago, which followed 25 receptions for 434 yards in his first season of college football.
Brown compared Vaughn’s ability as a pass-catcher to a pair of upper-echelon NFL running backs, one playing presently and one from the past.
“He’s an advanced route-runner,” Brown said. “Alvin Kamara that plays for the Saints is a really advanced route-runner for a running back. Marshall Faulk was a really advanced route-runner with the Rams. When you watch, Deuce Vaughn, he is really advanced. They put him on some option routes and find mismatches for him. He knows how to run routes like seasoned receivers. He’s how they go and they find ways to get him the ball. Three years in a row, he’s going to be right at the top of the rushing charts in our league and he’ll be on [the All-Big 12] first team. I have a lot of respect for him as player.”
West Virginia shutdown Vaughn in a resounding victory over the Wildcats in 2020, but wasn’t as fortunate during a loss in Manhattan, Kansas last season. While Vaughn was a hardly a factor at receiver, he rushed 25 times for 121 yards and a touchdown in KSU’s 34-17 victory.
“I was watching our game from last year and he did a couple things where he spun out and then almost sat down,” Brown said. “I’m not saying he’s Barry Sanders. I wouldn’t put that on anybody. But that’s the only other person I’ve do things like that.”
Vaughn has rushed for 1,081 yards through 10 games and has a chance to surpass the 1,404 yards he accumulated on the ground last season, particularly should the Wildcats’ qualify for the Big 12 title game.
“He can make some cuts and get in there and hide, and if you look at him and his lower half, he’s probably one of the strongest backs we’ll face,” Lesley said. “He’s able to drive through a lot of tackles and create yards after contact.”
The Mountaineers will need to be in tune with Vaughn’s whereabouts whenever he’s on the field.
Even so, limiting his impact on the game will be vital for the Mountaineers to build on recent solid defensive play and have a chance at pulling off an upset that would leave West Virginia one win away from bowl eligibility.
“That’s on you if they’re hiding him, because you better figure out where he’s at,” Brown said. “They’re going to move him around for sure and they motion him and use crossing routes and things like that, and then get him out and try to get your eyes on something else that’s coming in front of you. That has to be priority No. 1 for us — recognizing where he’s at in the formation.”