MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The 2025 season was a rather forgetful one for West Virginia, which lost five straight games through late September and all of October en route to a 4-8 finish.
With the exception of the first three games in November, offensive struggles were prevalent and plagued the team.
Save for the team’s three non-conference contests and a few within Big 12 play, the defense struggled to create havoc or generate stops.
West Virginia allowed an average of 30.8 points, leaving it tied for 112th among 134 FBS programs. Within conference play, that figure rose to a Big 12-worst 36.2 as the Mountaineers surrendered 35 or more points in six of nine league games and at least 22 in every one.
“We were boom or bust last year,” defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. “We were going to hold you to 21 and win the game in overtime or we were going to give 49 up and get blown out. There was no consistency to performance. That takes kind of the character of the team, the discipline of the players, discipline of the coaches to keep it consistent and get them where they need to go.”
Senior linebacker Ben Cutter doesn’t recall much in a positive light.
“There’s embarrassment that goes with it,” Cutter said. “You get looked at a certain way from people that aren’t in the program.
“I can’t remember who said this to me, but don’t take criticism from somebody you wouldn’t take advice from. You kind of try to stick to that mindset, know that we’re a lot better team this year than we were last year, and just move forward and use that chip on your shoulder as motivation to prove everybody wrong.”
If the defense is to make substantial improvement in 2026, Cutter, the unit’s most experienced player, figures to be a big reason why.
Among West Virginia’s top 17 tacklers from last year, Cutter, who was sixth with 38 stops, is the only holdover.
A native of Denver, N.C., he has played in 38 of a possible 38 games throughout his first three seasons at WVU.
“The game definitely slows down,” Cutter said. “You start to anticipate things based off of formations. Over time, you learn how to study for game prep. Little things you can pick up on, how to watch film, and that helps a lot, too.”
While he recorded two interceptions, one sack and 3.5 tackles for loss last season, Cutter was perhaps his most productive in 2023, when as a true freshman, he was in on 56 tackles with six TFLs and a pair of sacks.
If Cutter has his way, his best season yet will come in the near future when the veteran hopes to thrive while playing a second season in Alley’s system.
“The biggest thing is the fronts and stunts, knowing which gaps are going to be open,” Cutter said. “I have a lot better understanding of how things are going to move in front of me and where I need to be this year compared to last year. The time being in the defense, all the meetings and stuff like that, reps, helps a lot with all that.”
As a veteran with an abundance of experience in multiple systems, the 6-foot, 228-pound Cutter believes his understanding of concepts and responsibilities as well as an ability to grasp what could be coming leading up to particular play provides him with an opportunity to make more of an impact.
“I’ve had physical growth. I’ve gotten more flexible and every year you’re going to get bigger, faster and stronger in this program with [head coach for football strength and conditioning Mike Joseph], but the mental side of the game is where I took the biggest step from last year to this year,” Cutter said.
Yet it’ll take much more than improvement from one defender for the unit to make its desired strides.
Having allowed slightly more than 445 yards on average across nine Big 12 games last year, the Mountaineers were next-to-last in that category among 16 league teams and less than 1 yard ahead of Cincinnati.
Big 12 teams converted north of 42 percent on third down against WVU as well as 17-of-23 fourth down attempts, too often meaning the defense couldn’t get off the field with a timely stop when most needed.
Returning players such as defensive linemen Nate Gabriel and Corey McIntyre Jr. and linebackers Ashton Woods and Cam Torbor figure to play a prominent role, while an influx of transfers will be needed to aid all three levels of the defense.
“As a leader on the team, you kind of want to know everybody’s story, what’s going on,” Cutter said. “Everybody’s name, that’s the hardest part really. But just getting around the guys that you usually talk to and the guys that aren’t in your room. Making sure you know their why, how they react to certain kinds of leadership.
“You have to know which kind of guys you can rip in practice and yell at them in front of people and they have a good response to it, and which guys you need to pull aside, talk to them after with words of encouragement, stuff like that. Just understanding everyone’s personalities is the hard part and I’ve done a better job of that this year compared to last year.”