By Bill Nestor
West Virginia University made the best hire (once again) in school history a few months ago when former Head Football Coach Rich Rodriguez earned the job for the second time. Ironically, it’s the problem that some fans have with him that really makes him the right man for the job.
Those that were not fans of his departure are not fans of the rehire. His love for his alma mater would have been enough to have kept him in Morgantown for the entirety of his coaching career, but empty promises uttered by administration did not come to fruition before, but since have been put into place. If they would have been initiated while he was in his first stint as the head ball coach, it’s fair to assume that he never would have left.
Now, years later, Rich Rod is back and there is a big time healthy respect between the new regime and the top coach leaving all of the focus on the product on the field. After all, it is what everyone involved is concerned about.
This past Saturday was the 2025 opener against Robert Morris. The Colonials are nowhere near a Division I powerhouse, but they were perfect for a season-opening opponent. They would provide enough resistance to force the Mountaineers to work, but not have to labor too hard or put in any overtime.
In the end, West Virginia took a 45 to three win in the second stint of the Rich Rod era, but was that sufficient? A 10 to three halftime lead didn’t feel like enough, considering that the Mountaineers were 38 point favorites. While sitting in Milan Puskar Stadium, there was a combination of silence and grumbling from the fan base. The silence came from those that were in shock that it was not a bombing from the start and the chatter was from those that had already predicted a subpar season after two quarters of play.
Rod, being Rod, made some great halftime adjustments and his strong words of encouragement fueled the fire that grew out of control in the second half. The defense stayed dominant in the third and fourth quarters combined, but it was the offense that really picked up the pace after the halftime break. A 14 to nothing advantage in the third quarter gave way to a 21 to nothing bombing of RMU, leading the hosts on a 35 to zero scoring barrage.
Even though WVU covered the spread and the game wa a virtual walk in the park, it just was not up to Rich Rod’s standards. A sprint in the park is more to the veteran mentor’s liking. The pace of play on the field is exactly what he was looking for, but the trips into the endzone against a much lesser opponent just didn’t add up the way they were supposed to, especially in the first half of action. It is that drive for perfection that will have these players working as hard as they can to get to the top level. He will keep pushing and they will keep winning, and that is how everyone wants it to be. It is the Rich Rod way!
That will do it for now. Until next time . . . take care and God Bless!!!!!!!
