At first glance the West Virginia Mountaineers defense seems to be the real deal giving up an average of only 291.9 yards per game and just 17.3 points. Looking at their season stats its certainly enough to raise an eyebrow.
| Pts/G | Yds/G | Passing Yards |
Rushing Yards |
| 17.3 | 291.9 | 2,212 | 1,291 |
However, what if I told you that their defensive stats were accumulated against the 115th, 113th, 109th, 89th and 71st offenses in the country in yards per game? With the exception of the Louisville Cardinals, who finished 8th, the Mountaineers didn't play a single team that finished among the top 25 in offensive yards per game.
| Opponent | Yds/G Rank |
Pts/G | Yds/G | Passing Yards |
Rushing Yards |
| Louisville | 8 | 35.2 | 488.0 | 4,104 | 1,753 |
| Rutgers | 26 | 31.2 | 437.2 | 2,964 | 2,282 |
| Cincinnati | 28 | 36.8 | 436.3 | 3,386 | 1,850 |
| South Florida | 39 | 35.8 | 421.6 | 2,742 | 2,317 |
| Marshall | 45 | 24.8 | 412.8 | 3,253 | 1,701 |
| Western Michigan | 58 | 26.9 | 398.0 | 3,211 | 1,565 |
| East Carolina | 71 | 30.2 | 377.9 | 2,479 | 2,056 |
| Connecticut | 84 | 27.8 | 358.3 | 2,317 | 1,983 |
| Maryland | 89 | 24.9 | 350.6 | 2,439 | 1,768 |
| Pittsburgh | 109 | 22.8 | 319.5 | 2,137 | 1,697 |
| Mississippi St. | 113 | 22.4 | 305.4 | 2,040 | 1,624 |
| Syracuse | 115 | 16.4 | 291.9 | 2,750 | 753 |
Against Louisville the Mountaineer defense gave up 382 yards and 31 points in what was a 7 point win for West Virginia. While the Sooners aren't in the top ten at 18th they are ranked higher than 11 of West Virginia's opponents in yards per game and Oklahoma's 43.4 points per game is by far more than any opponent WVU faced this season.
Dingle's 18 tackles for loss led the Mountaineers defense this season
West Virginia does have a fare share of talent on the defensive side of the ball though. Linebacker Reed Williams led the team in total tackles with 98 with fellow linebacker Mortty Ivy registering 86. Two players, defensive end Johnny Dingle and linebacker Marc Magro, are tied for the team lead in sacks with 8 each. Dingle also leads the team in tackles for loss with an eye popping 18.