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1,000 Yards A Game: West Virginia’s Shootouts Are College Football’s Weirdest

West Virginia’s offense has been unstoppable, but their defense has been a major liability, leading to four straight games where both teams combined for at least 1,000 yards of total offense. Despite this, the Mountaineers have only won one of those games—a last-second field goal against Cincinnati, which also set a season-high with 1,220 combined yards.

This streak ties the longest single-season run of 1,000-yard games since Ole Miss in 2020, evoking the high-scoring chaos of the Big 12’s early years, when West Virginia’s 2012 opener against Baylor produced 1,507 yards, the league’s record at the time. The defense, led by coordinator Zac Alley, has been labeled the worst in college football, allowing 484 yards per game and 310 passing yards per contest while opponents average over 7 yards per play and 10 yards per pass attempt.

Despite the defensive struggles, West Virginia has outgained opponents this season (3,480 to 3,387) and outscored them (263-238), though their reliance on rushing—391 attempts, the most in the nation—contrasts sharply with their 149 pass attempts, ranking 128th nationally. Opponents have exploited this, throwing for 598 more yards against West Virginia than the Mountaineers have thrown themselves, while defensive role players like Iowa State’s Aiden Flora, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, and Arizona’s Noah Fifita have thrived in the high-scoring matchups, each posting career-high performances in recent games.

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