(Football News - Photo Illustration/MetroCreative)

MORGANTOWN — Jeff Koonz felt everything went smoothly in his first came calling the defense for the West Virginia University football team. Mountaineer defenders agreed, saying they felt both comfortable and confident getting the plays from Koonz during last Saturday’s game against Cincinnati.

Those evaluations were proven right in the game’s result, a 31-24 win at Cincinnati where the Mountaineers scored touchdowns on a pair of turnovers and another fumble recovery led to a WVU field goal.

“The film shows that we got lined up and there were very few instances where we weren’t lined up and we weren’t ready to roll with good pad level, good stance, good demeanor. And that gives you a chance. If you don’t have that, you’re already catching up.”

That very problem – miscommunication and confusion in defensive play calls – had struck the Mountaineers (5-4, 4-2 Big 12) several times earlier in the season, leading to defensive breakdowns that allowed opponents to strike with big plays. Fixing that was a priority during the bye week and in the week leading up to the Cincinnati game.

That devotion to improving that communication paid off, safety Anthony Wilson said.

“That was a big deal,” Wilson said. “There are a lot of different adjustments that the offense may make. Guys having to think while the ball’s snapped is too much.

“Us being able to get our cleats in the ground and get a call just makes everybody play faster,” he added. “We just wanted to play fast this week and simplify some things. That way we don’t think as much, and that’s what we did.”

Koonz said the improvement in communication was the work of both coaches and players. The coaches did a better job of getting the plays in quickly and the players did a better job of processing the information and putting it in action.

“What we called in the game was exactly what we practiced,” Koonz said. “What we practiced was very situationally based. So there were very few surprises in the game that something was called that they were not expecting it to come.

“Now, we might have eight to 15 calls for that situation,” he continued, “so they’ve got to get the call, they’ve got to get lined up and they’ve got to execute. But that’s what you do, and that’s how you develop your week from a Tuesday to a Wednesday and then you start mixing it all together on Thursday and Friday.”

Wilson recognized with Big 12 honor

Wilson became the third Mountaineer defender to win BIg 12 Player of the Week honors this season, sharing the award with Kansas cornerback Mello Dotson. Wilson finished with a season-high 11 tackles in WVU’s win over Cincinnati and returned an interception for a touchdown for the first time in his collegiate career.

“We needed a play and the D-line got great pressure and a great push up front,” he said after last Saturday’s game, “and the linebackers and everybody did their job and I just made a routine play. When I saw the ball, I knew it was mine, so I had to go get it.”

Other weekly winners were Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (offensive player), Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (newcomer) and ASU linebacker Martell Hughes (special teams).

Broadcast for UCF game still TBA

The Big 12 announced Monday that ESPN and Fox will exercise a six-day window to determine the broadcast time and channel for WVU’s Nov. 23 game against UCF. That means time and channel will be announced following this weekend’s games.