What Sonny Dykes said about West Virginia
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes spoke at length this week about West Virginia ahead of Saturday night’s matchup in Morgantown, crediting the Mountaineers’ toughness and the identity Rich Rodriguez has re-established in his second stint leading the program.
Respect for WVU’s identity under Rich Rodriguez
“There’s nobody that understands West Virginia football better than Rich Rodriguez,” Dykes said. “His teams are going to be tough. They fit the profile for what their fans like and appreciate.”
Dykes recalled WVU’s long-standing home-field advantage, noting that the Mountaineers’ physical play has long reflected their fan base.
“They play really hard, have a great fan base, passionate fan base. It brings out the best in their players,” he said. “They’ve been a really difficult team to handle at home for years.”
Preparing for WVU’s physical style
Dykes said his team expects another bruising contest and described Rodriguez’s system as one that constantly tests an opponent’s discipline.
“There’s always a cat-and-mouse game when you’re playing him,” Dykes said. “They do things that are a little bit different than some people. As you adjust, they adjust, and they try to stay one step ahead.”
The Horned Frogs, who are coming off an emotional win, will now travel to a stadium Dykes calls one of the loudest and most passionate in the country. “It’s always important to start well on the road,” he said. “Particularly in a place like Morgantown.”
Quarterback uncertainty and defensive pressure
Dykes acknowledged that preparing for multiple WVU quarterbacks adds complexity to TCU’s game plan but said his defense must focus on execution.
“It’s always a little scary when you have to get ready for multiple quarterbacks,” he said. “You have to prepare two different game plans for two different guys.”
He added that generating pressure will again be critical. “We created pressure consistently—20 pressures on the quarterback last week—which was huge for us,” Dykes noted, referencing his defense’s recent performance. “We’ll need that same energy going into Morgantown.”
Mutual respect and mental approach
Dykes pointed out that WVU’s performance against Pittsburgh earlier this year showed what the Mountaineers are capable of. “All you have to do is turn the film on and watch them play against Pittsburgh,” he said. “That’s what this football team is capable of.”
He said his veterans who have played in Morgantown understand the challenge of that environment and are helping prepare teammates for the physicality and emotion that comes with it. “They know how tough-minded that football team is going to be,” he said. “We’ll know a lot more about our team Saturday night than we do right now.”
Big 12 landscape
Asked about parity in the conference, Dykes said the Big 12 has become one of the nation’s deepest leagues. “You look up and there aren’t many undefeated teams,” he said. “It’s as competitive as it’s ever been.”
Dykes believes West Virginia embodies that competitiveness and said his team must match the Mountaineers’ intensity to have success on the road.
Offer Alert
Fall camp is here and there’s no better time to sign up with us to get all your WVU intel! Sign up today – $1 for the first week, plus a complimentary year of access to The Athletic included. Join – http://gowvu.us/Join
__________________________________________
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan
•Like us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
