Attention has been put on the the WVU offensive line during an 0-4 start in the Big 12 Conference. (Photo by David Pennock)

Down went West Virginia’s quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. Down he goes again, and again. Fox Jr. was sacked four times in the first quarter. WVU’s offensive line allowed UCF, who was towards the bottom in the Big 12 at getting to the quarterback, seven sacks and eight tackles for loss. It was the worst performance from WVU’s offensive line all season.

“Obviously, we didn’t get the job done,” center Landen Livingston said. “I think there’s a lot that we need to work on. It all starts with getting push. I think we really struggled doing that. When in doubt, we really got to focus on that this coming week to get better. The weeks are not going to slow down. They are going to keep on coming. We got to keep on working.”

It wasn’t just protecting the quarterback that was an issue. There wasn’t much push in the running game, either, which is where a Rich Rodriguez offense excels. The offense had its second-fewest rushing yards this year with 131 yards. The only worse game was against Ohio, when WVU scrambled to find a replacement once Jahiem White was injured.

Injuries to running backs, like White and now Tye Edwards, who is also done for the year, don’t help the rushing stats, but still, a competent offensive line can make any running back look effective. That wasn’t the case against UCF.

“We’re not getting a lot of push like we need to,” Rodriguez said.

WVU switched between quarterbacks, Fox and Khalil Wilkins, so that could’ve made it harder for the line to adjust, especially on the center, making sure his snaps changed height. Livingston, who has the most change on the O-line, said that both quarterbacks are fairly similar in their play styles.

“Maybe a little bit,” Livingston said. “I feel like both do a really good job, especially being young QBs, especially stepping into a leadership role like that. Obviously, it’s kind of different. I feel like they almost play in the same way. Both really good runners. I feel like they were really kind of the same.”

Livingston thinks the issues on the offensive line are a mixture of not getting push, identification, UCF’s D-line throwing different looks and not being in-sync.

“I think it was a combination of a lot of things,” Livingston said. “All it takes is one person, or a group of people to do something wrong, and the play is kind of ruined. That starts with the O-line.

“We got to make sure each and every play, we step into that role, and obviously, there’s five guys, each of our five guys got to do our job. If one of us don’t the play is going to be ruined.”

UCF’s defense line was disruptive, with seven sacks. That’s not normal for this defensive front. This was the most they’ve had by far, with the closest being just three. Livingston credited UCF’s defensive line for its performance, but it wasn’t anything WVU’s O-line hadn’t seen. WVU just couldn’t execute.

“I thought their scheme was a pretty good one,” Livingston said. “Credit to them. I thought they played a great game. The D-front moved a lot, it was kind of what we expected.”

With the poor performance against UCF, you’d think Rodriguez would make some changes. Maybe play some younger guys and give them a shot? Maybe they’d provide more protection? Rodriguez’s said multiple times this season if a player is better than another player, he’d play them no matter age or background.

Rodriguez sounded like this is the best offensive line unit he can make with the players on his roster.

“People say, ‘Change up on the O-line,’ trust me,” Rodriguez said. “If we thought the change up would be better, we will do that, and we are trying to do that.”

If that’s the case, this group of lineman need to rally together and fix the consistent mistakes. The teams and defensive fronts will only get better. Texas Tech has one of the best defensive lines in the country coming up at the end of the season, so if those mistakes aren’t fixed by then, the quarterback will be on the ground a lot. Wilkins was already walking on crutches at the end of the game.

Being more connected is the key for the line to improve. The offensive line has battled injures and was glued together with transfers, so it’s harder to work together and grow that connection, and as the weeks go on, Livingston said the connection is growing.

“That’s the thing about football,” Livingston said. “That’s why I think it’s the greatest sport on earth. There’s 11 guys on the field and you all got to work together. Each and every play, if one guy doesn’t do their job, that’s all it takes to ruin it. We just got to make sure we’re all on the same page. Continue to grow and have that connection with each other.”