Photo courtesy of BlueGoldNews.com WVU defensive coordinator Zac Alley is shown during a recent practice.

MORGANTOWN — It’s football on fast forward, this coaching marriage between West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez and his defensive coordinator Zac Alley.

It was meant to be. Had to be.

Drink a case of Red Bull. Eat a dozen energy bars.

That’s what they plan to make of West Virginia football as they are reunited in a rebuilding effort that begins at 2 p.m. next Saturday against Robert Morris before a sold out crowd at Milan Puskar Stadium.

It is the start of a season, but it figures to be more the start of a new era of WVU football.

“He likes me; I like him. I’m like that high freaking energy. I’m running all over the place, screaming, yelling, doing everything. And I think that similar coaching styles probably matches up,” Alley has as he joins the Rich Rod for the third time, first at Louisiana-Monroe, then at Jacksonville before Alley honed his skills at the national power that is Oklahoma.

Both have been prodigies, Rodriguez the youngest head coach in college football when he took over as head coach at Salem at just 25 years of age, Alley having been the youngest defensive coordinator in the NCAA’s Football Subdivision when he took over the defensive unit at Monroe in 2021 at 27 while Rodriguez was then the offensive coordinator there.

Rodriguez has traded experience for youth while giving up none of the enthusiasm. The criticism is sharp on the field, his energy boundless, a perfect match for what he has laid upon his defense through Alley, who is forever experimenting, creating, putting all he has on his players.

“We’re doing a lot of stuff; a lot more than you would expect in the first year. That’s part of our plan defensively — to present different looks. It can be a lot for a young guy or a new guy, but our guys have done a good job with it,” Rodriguez said.

“The multiplicity of it is unique, more so than most teams. I’d be worried about it and pull back the reins if I saw us making a whole lot of mental mistakes, but I don’t see that. They’ve handled it pretty well.”

Part of the reason it is working is that Alley’s coaching technique is similar to the one Rodriguez has used throughout his career.

“I believe in telling them the truth,” Alley said. “If it’s bad, I’m going to tell you it’s bad. And I’m going to call you out in front of everybody. If it’s good, I’m going to tell you it’s good, and everybody’s going to know it. Because there’s only one way to win.”

Rodriguez recently put it this way after a practice that failed to please him.

“Way too many moments of softness,” he said. “It can’t ever be allowed. Up front, the O-line and the D-line sometimes look like they’re tango dancing instead of playing football. People say, ‘You like to yell.’ No, I like to win.”

The image of Rodriguez is one of an offensive coach, even though he played defensive back at WVU under Don Nehlen. His superstar players were on the offensive side, flashing speed and guile … Pat White, Steve Slaton, Noel Devine, Darius Reynaud, etc.

But his powerhouse teams of the first decade of the 21st century were strong defensively, too.

“If they score zero, we’re not going to lose. You shut them out, you are going to win every game,” he said.

Even in his most nightmarish defeat to Pitt in his final game as Mountaineer coach 17 years ago he gave up just 13 points.

“I played defense here and I started off my first couple of years as a coach on defense,” Rodriguez recalled. “My first year on offense was at Glenville and that’s where I thought ‘Hey, let’s run the two-minute drill the whole game.’

“But I’ve always had that defensive mentality. Some people who run spread offenses are like, ‘Just get me the ball back. I don’t care what you do on defense.’ Well, I’m in tune with everything we are doing on defense. I love what Zac is doing on defense. I trust him, so I don’t have to get in his room. But I’ll still get in his room. We’ll watch film. I’ll still coach some of his guys on defense,” Rodriguez continued.

“I like that part of it. I like the whole schematic part of offense, defense and special teams. When we had good teams here and I had good teams elsewhere, we were pretty good on offense but we were really good on defense.”

And Alley’s approach is to be different on defense. He may change the whole scheme from week to week, depending on the offense he is facing.

“I try to make it complex for the other team to go against but simple for our players to play,” Alley said in a way of explanation, and that’s just fine with Rodriguez.

“I like being different. We were different with the odd stack when coach (Jeff) Casteel was here. I thought that made us better. And now Zac is different. He’s different from a lot of folks and I like that. You have to be able to coach it and have great players.

“Great offensive linemen and great defensive linemen. I want both. What if someone says ‘Oh, you can only take one.’ Well, give me the defensive lineman first. Or a great receiver or a great lockdown corner, which will you take? I might want that receiver, but, man, give me that corner,” Rodriguez continued.

“The biggest thing for us is we try to be multiple but we try to be consistent. We will look pretty multiple to most offenses we face.”