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Texas Football: 5 problematic players on West Virginia

By Andrew Miller

MORGANTOWN, WV - OCTOBER 25: David Sills V #13 of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts after a first down in the first half against the Baylor Bears at Mountaineer Field on October 25, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV - OCTOBER 25: David Sills V #13 of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts after a first down in the first half against the Baylor Bears at Mountaineer Field on October 25, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TX – SEPTEMBER 29: KeSean Carter #82 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is up ended by David Long Jr. #11 of the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half of the game on September 29, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. West Virginia defeated Texas Tech 42-34. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX – SEPTEMBER 29: KeSean Carter #82 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is up ended by David Long Jr. #11 of the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half of the game on September 29, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. West Virginia defeated Texas Tech 42-34. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

4. David Long, Linebacker

The emergence of both Robinson and junior linebacker David Long isn’t much of a surprise to anyone who watched West Virginia play last year. Although Long and Robinson only had three years of experience between the two of them last season, the potential was clear with the results on the field.

Long has very sneaky speed and is one of the most sure-tacklers on this West Virginia defense. If the Horns are to get anything going on the ground in Week 10, it will be working around the presence of Long in the linebacking corps. His speed is hard to make up for most running backs and offensive lines that face him.

Moreover, while Robinson is the glue that holds the secondary together, Long is the piece that holds the entire defense together. He does a great job of locking down opposing ground games while also dropping back into pass coverage when need be. This is a difficult matchup to prepare for in practice for the Texas offense.

Long already has 13.0 tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, and 65 total tackles on the season. He is bound to run away with the team lead in total tackles this fall. Long is the workhorse for this West Virginia defense and can quite often be found blowing up opposing running games in the backfield before they even get started.

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