CINCINNATI — A pair of well-rested teams seeking strong November finishes to the regular season clash Saturday at noon inside Nippert Stadium when West Virginia plays its first game at Cincinnati in 13 years.
The Mountaineers (4-4, 3-2) and Bearcats (5-3, 3-2) have identical marks within the Big 12 Conference, and the winner of Saturday’s matchup will stay in the thick of the race for one of the two spots in the league title game, while the loser is all but eliminated.
The matchup airs on FS1, and a victory for Cincinnati ensures bowl eligibility, while a West Virginia win puts the Mountaineers one victory away from doing the same.
“The fate of our season will be determined over the next four weeks,” WVU head coach Neal Brown said. “Our guys are fired up and determined to finish strong, so looking forward to it coming off the bye week.”
Both teams enter the matchup off a bye week, and the Mountaineers made a significant change 11 days ago when Brown announced the firing of now former defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley.
Lesley’s replacement is Jeff Koonz, who had been serving as special teams coordinator/inside linebackers coach.
“This is Jeff’s show now. It’s his. You have a different person leading it, so it’s going to be different,” Brown said. “His leadership style is different. What he feels comfortable with is different. We made the change in hopes it’ll be better, but time will tell. We have to be productive on Saturday.”
The change largely came about as a result of West Virginia’s struggles defending the pass throughout the majority of the 2024 season. The Mountaineers have allowed a FBS worst 15.02 yards per completion, and opponents have passed for 261 yards on average with a total of 17 touchdowns and only three interceptions on 225 attempts.
Playing for the first time under Koonz, West Virginia will face a tough test limiting a balanced Bearcat offense that ranks fifth in the Big 12 in passing yardage and eighth in rushing yardage.
UC quarterback Brendan Sorsby has completed 172-of-262 passes for 2,108 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. Wideout Xzavier Henderson has been the top target and leads the team with 43 receptions for 552 yards and four touchdowns. Tight end Joe Royer is also a major factor and has 36 catches for 437 yards with three TDs.
Sorsby benefits from a quality ground game led by tailback Corey Kiner. Kiner’s 692 yards have come on an average of 5.6 yards per carry, and though he’s scored only twice on the ground, Sorsby has a team-high six rushing scores and running back Evan Pryor has five TDs to go with 332 yards and a 9.2 yard-per carry average.
“I see explosive plays all over the field in the pass game certain weeks and in the run games certain weeks,” Koonz said. [Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield] has a system and he believes in that system. That system hasn’t changed.”
A familiar name to WVU fans has been among Cincinnati’s most productive defenders in linebacker Jared Barlett, who spent the previous five seasons in Morgantown.
Barlett’s eight tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks are best on the Bearcats, while defensive tackle Dontay Corleone is a major factor up front with 4.5 TFLs and three sacks.
“Corleone is special at nose tackle. He’s a load and we’ll have to account for him,” Brown said. “Jared’s playing well so far this year, too. They’re doing some nice things defensively and it’s kind of in the Iowa State structure. They’re improved on defense.”
However, the Bearcats have not excelled stopping opposing teams on the ground, and by allowing nearly 163 yards on average, UC ranks 12th among Big 12 teams in that category.
The Bearcats’ ability to limit a run game will be put to the against a WVU team that strives to establish a strong ground game and enters averaging 202.3 rushing yards — fifth best in the Big 12.
Tailback Jahiem White’s 508 yards lead the Mountaineers and the sophomore tailback shows a 5.8 yard-per carry mark with five scores. Running back CJ Donaldson isn’t far behind with 453 yards and he leads the way with six rushing touchdowns.
With quarterback Garrett Greene likely sidelined for a second straight game as a result of an injury suffered October 19 against Kansas State, redshirt sophomore Nicco Marchiol is in line to make his second straight start and third career start.
Marchiol, while not as much of a home run threat as Greene is on the ground, does provide the dual-threat dimension and has rushed for 102 yards and one TD on 31 carries. Greene’s 471 rushing yards have come on 76 attempts and he’s scored three times with his legs.
Marchiol was quite efficient in his first start this season, helping lead the Mountaineers to a 31-26 win at Arizona in the most recent outing. The southpaw completed 18-of-22 passes for 198 yards with two touchdowns, and perhaps most importantly, did not turn the ball over. Greene, on the other hand, was intercepted twice in four of his last five starts.
“He has to sustain his mental preparation and maintain his focus,” offensive coordinator Chad Scott said of Marchiol. “He has to continue to sustain his practice habits and sustain his decision-making.”
Marchiol’s touchdown passes against the Wildcats were to wideouts Hudson Clement and Traylon Ray, who have hauled in three TDs apiece this season. All of Ray’s TD catches were thrown by Marchiol, who has four touchdowns against one interception for the year.
Defensively, the Mountaineers continue to try and move forward minus a pair of secondary starters in safety Aubrey Burks and cornerback Ayden Garnes.
Lineman T.J. Jackson (11 TFLs, 4.5 sacks) and linebackers Josiah Trotter (58 tackles, 1 interception) and Trey Lathan (42 tackles, six TFLs) have been among West Virginia’s more productive defenders, and the Mountaineers have excelled limiting opposing rushing attacks by allowing an average of 121.5 yards to rank fourth in the Big 12.
As a whole, West Virginia is striving to improve its pass defense through disguising coverages better before the snap and generating more takeaways.
“From a football perspective and a leadership ability, [Koonz] definitely has the capabilities. He’s had some coordinator opportunities and turned those down to stay, which we’re appreciative of,” Brown said. “This is a big opportunity for him and I’m sure he’d say the same.”