These Three Things Must Happen for WVU to Avoid Stubbing Its Toe vs. Ohio

The West Virginia Mountaineers are going on the road to play at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio, this Saturday. Fortunately for Rich Rod and Co., there is expected to be a large contingent of Mountaineer fans in attendance, which should eliminate the true road game feel.

What must WVU do to escape Athens with a win? Here are my three keys to victory against Ohio.

Keep Contain, Don’t Let Navarro Out of the Pocket

Parker Navarro is a dangerous dual-threat quarterback, especially when on the move, which is where he's more comfortable. If he's going to scramble, WVU needs to try and funnel everything inside to its linebackers. If he gets out of the pocket, he becomes a top-five QB in the country, according to defensive coordinator Zac Alley.

Give Nicco Marchiol Time In The Pocket

After the victory over Robert Morris, Rich Rodriguez stated he was pretty happy with what he saw out of his offensive line. The most important statistic was that they kept quarterback Nicco Marchiol clean. RMU had just one sack on the day, and that played a major factor in Marchiol's productive game Saturday. If WVU wants to win, this offensive line must continue to gel and play even better in Week 2. Ohio's front six struggled mightily last week at Rutgers.

Run Jahiem White And Then Run Him Some More

Jahiem White rushed for 18 carries for 93 yards on the ground and added two touchdowns on Saturday in Morgantown. Rutgers was able to run the football against the Bobcats, rushing for 147 yards on 37 carries. White should be able to help control the tempo of this game with his reliability as a rusher.

Rich Rod wanted this offense to play fast, and in Week 1, they sure did. WVU fans can expect the offensive tempo to go up a notch or two this Saturday. If the Mountaineers give White 25 carries, the offensive line keeps Marchiol protected, and Alley’s unit contains Navarro, WVU should walk away 2-0.