So says Jock Sanders, who you’d think would want to rack up points as much as anyone else, but who instead thinks the offense will flourish with WVU’s statistically-stout defense. This is pretty special stuff: No. 5 in total defense, No. 3 in scoring defense, No. 4 in run defense, No. 11 in pass defense. No. 11 in sacks. Sacks! 

I know, not the greatest competition, but you can only play who you play and the defense has thus far played its part.

And that part, more and more now, is about giving the offense a little levity and liberation knowing it won’t need to win shootouts or match scores again and again. The offense is instead charged with being effectively efficient — no turnovers, move the ball, control the clock and score some points — to give the defense the best change to win the game.

“We score 20, 21 points, I already know it’s a victory in the books,” said receiver Jock Sanders.

That’s about as bold as a hook-and-lateral in the red zone, but that’s the Mountaineers. What you might have considered to be conservative in Thursday’s 20-6 victory against USF was instead calculated and defined by the defense.

“We call plays based upon how they’re playing,” Mullen said.

“There are times we’ve got to score a bunch – not often – but when you get out there and they’re doing a really good job, you don’t want to give the opponent a short field and you want to eat clock. In the second half, we got that sense and what you saw, I attribute that directly to a defense playing its rear end off.”