No. 17 WVU has a lot of fixing to do on defense

By John Raby

Associated Press

Published: Thursday, Oct. 18 2012 11:35 a.m. MDT

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Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein looks to throw a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, in Ames, Iowa. Kansas State won 27-21.

Charlie Neibergall, Associated Press

Summary

West Virginia defensive coordinator Joe DeForest believes the Mountaineers' struggles on his side of the ball can be fixed.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia defensive coordinator Joe DeForest believes the Mountaineers' struggles on his side of the ball can be fixed.

How that can be done, especially in one week, remains to be seen.

West Virginia's defense has given up 49, 45 and 63 points in its last three games. Only terrific efforts from the offense enabled the Mountaineers to pull out close wins in two of those contests.

All season long there have been blown coverages, poor tackling and big yardage gains allowed.

DeForest says heading into Saturday's showdown with No. 4 Kansas State (6-0, 3-0 Big 12), the 17th-ranked Mountaineers (5-1, 2-1) must play with more passion and learn from their defensive mistakes.

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