Rich Rodriguez Admits Blunder in First Scrimmage as Trouble Forces Reunion With Legend’s Son

The 10th practice of fall camp had everything you’d want from an intra-squad scrimmage. Nearly 100 plays, plenty of competition, and just about everyone getting a taste of the action. Rich Rodriguez offered his first-blush reactions to West Virginia Mountaineers’ first scrimmage, noting the quarterbacks ran “competitively” and the defense tackled well overall. But there was a shadow hanging over the day’s work — a few too many silly mistakes that topped the coach’s list of complaints.

Rich Rodriguez didn’t mince words in the presser when asked about multiple procedural penalties. “No, it’s always hard until I watch the film. I think our quarterbacks ran competitively, but I also think their eyes were probably in the wrong place at times. There’s a lot of decisions for them to make. So, we got to get that corrected. I don’t see a lot of missed tackles. I think we tackled okay. The one thing we did have, we had way too many penalties. We had a full Big Ten crew here, and we had four or five procedure penalties, which should never happen.”

“Those are self-inflicted. We had, I think, three or so holding penalties and those are like turnovers. We can’t have that. They had one critical jump offside on a fourth-and-four. That should never happen. And then we had one unsportsmanlike conduct, which is, I told the guys… after a touchdown… next time just keep running in the locker room after you do that.” He shook his head and added, “That’s not going to be pretty, but they’ll learn. They’re pretty conscientious.”

That wasn’t the only storyline emerging from camp. Just two practices earlier — the eighth of fall camp— the second time in full pads, Rich Rodriguez had let the offense and defense square off for about 20 minutes. The defense clearly won the day. “Not sure the offense took a lot of steps,” he admitted, a coach’s polite way of saying the offense spun its wheels. He’d planned more scrimmaging, but that idea was quickly scrapped for a reason every football coach dreads: a dangerously thin depth chart in the backfield.

“I wanted to do a little bit more scrimmaging today, but we’re down to just a couple running backs practicing,” Rich Rod said. “That makes it hard. I even put slot receivers back there a little bit. That has something to do with it.” His tone made it clear this was more than a one-day hiccup. Running back depth has been an ongoing concern — and the list of unavailable players reads like a preseason injury report from a training room nightmare.

The reality? Only Jahiem White and Diore Hubbard practiced that day. The rest of the unit happened to be in various states of absence. There’s still no resolution on the eligibility of Tye Edwards, while Ferris State transfer Kannon Katzer and sophomore Clay Ash are sidelined with injuries. Even junior college transfer Cyncir Bowers didn’t make the coach’s mention list, a conspicuous omission in a position group desperate for bodies. Then came the admission that set off whispers: “Knighton ain’t eligible yet. We’re waiting on him.”

Desperation, as the saying goes, breeds innovation — and in football, it often forces reunions you didn’t think you’d see. When you’re juggling eligibility issues, injury rehabs, and a first scrimmage riddled with penalties, you reach into the well of familiarity. For Rich Rodriguez, that meant turning to a name with history, someone who carries the kind of football DNA that can steady a shaky depth chart, even temporarily. For now, the focus remains on the mental lapses that turn a competitive scrimmage into a coach’s headache. Coach RR knows those are correctable, the kind of mistakes that fade with repetition and discipline.

But the RB shortage? That’s a deeper challenge. As camp rolls on, the Mountaineers’ ability to adapt, shuffle personnel, and perhaps fast-track a family reunion in the backfield could define the opening weeks of the season.

Rich Rodriguez’s backfield could get a ‘Devine’ boost — literally

In the middle of camp, Rich Rodriguez might be pulling off a late-summer roster surprise. “Andre Devine is a late addition off the waiver wire — might be joining us,” Rodriguez said with a grin. If the last name rings a bell, it should. Andre is the son of assistant running backs coach — and WVU Hall of Fame legend — Noel Devine.

The younger Devine was a true freshman at Jacksonville State last season but never saw the field. He stuck around for spring football, but he’s now off the Gamecocks’ roster as they power through training camp. That’s opened the door for Morgantown, and Rodriguez isn’t hiding the fact that he’s hoping for a reunion of sorts.

And Devine isn’t the only name hanging in the “to be determined” file. There’s also Jaylan Knighton, the former Miami and SMU RB, who committed to the Mountaineers in April. He’s been in football limbo ever since, unable to take part in anything on-field. If either Devine or Knighton officially makes the jump, that RB depth chart gets a whole lot more interesting.