MORGANTOWN -- An old coaches' saying goes, "Defense wins you games."
That adage was applicable during Saturday's Backyard Brawl, as the Mountaineers sacked Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein six times and picked him off once.
The six WVU sacks was a season high. The Mountaineers also tied a season high in tackles for loss with eight.
The last time a Mountaineer defense recorded six or more sacks came in 2011, which was the last time Pitt and WVU faced before 2022, when WVU totaled 11 sacks.
"Our defense, from the start, kept us in the game with some turnovers and some stops against a pretty talented team," WVU coach Rich Rodriguez said. "[Holstein] can make a lot of throws, and we got enough pressure on them too. It got them in some third-and-long situations, which is always good to have.
"Our guys played really active, and we were down a couple guys too. I love the way they battled."
West Virginia in its last two contests has picked off opposing quarterbacks four times, with three of those coming against Ohio's Parker Navarro.
However, the Mountaineer offense has not scored any points off those four interceptions. And they've netted minus-1 yard in the 12 plays they've run on possessions ensuing from those four interceptions.
WVU has also forced four fumbles this season, including one by Curtis Jones Jr. to begin Saturday's Backyard Brawl.
The Mountaineers are tied for third nationally and tied for first in the Big 12 Conference in forced fumbles.
"It doesn't matter whether you get the ball by a turnover or a punt, if you get great field positions, you better score," Rodriguez said. "It's not like you're trying any harder after a turnover than you do after a change of possession. The whole key is to try to execute the best you can."
Jones, who played high school football at Cabell Midland, has appeared in all three of WVU's games this season.
He's posted eight total tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble.
His best game came against Pitt, recording five tackles in the seven-point victory.
"He's a versatile player," Mountaineers defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. "He can play behind the ball. He is very instinctual. He can rush off the edge, as he showed the other night. He's tried to play physical, and he's developing. It's the same thing. He hasn't played a ton. That was by far the most in-game action he's had in a critical moment.
"I thought he played well. He's very intelligent and cares. I saw him this morning at like 7:30, and I was walking up here, and he was in the bandit room watching film."
The WVU defense will have another stiff test this weekend against Kansas. Like the last two weeks, it'll be against a quarterback who can create with his arm and legs.
Jayhawk quarterback Jalon Daniels poses a threat against any defense, as he's accumulated more than 8,500 yards of offense, with 1,133 coming on the ground, and 74 touchdowns in his career.
WVU has faced mobile quarterbacks in each of the last two weeks in Navarro and Holstein.
Navarro totaled 334 yards of offense, including 87 yards on the ground.
Alley does believe that having played consecutive weeks against mobile quarterbacks can help prepare for Daniels.
"It's obviously a help," Alley said. "The guys have seen it. They practice it too. I feel like everybody nowadays there's no more like stiff [quarterbacks] that can't run around. I feel like that's kind of been a requirement to play quarterback. Our guys are pretty used to it. I feel good about it."
Daniels, through three games this season, has totaled 769 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns.
He's gone 54 of 75 through the air for 679 yards and nine touchdowns. He has also thrown two interceptions.
Daniels has also rushed 21 times for 90 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and one touchdown.
"He can run. You look at him and he's a well-built, strong-looking player," Rodriguez said. "[He] breaks a lot of tackles. You hate going against mobile quarterbacks like that that's got experience. You could have the perfect defensive call, and you got guys right on him.
"[But] he shakes somebody or makes somebody miss and runs for a first down or extends a play, makes a big play."
Daniel Hishaw Jr. leads the Jayhawks running game after Devin Neal moved on to the NFL's New Orleans Saints. Rodriguez expects Kansas to still be able to move the ball with the ground game.
"They're very multiple offensively," Rodriguez said. "They'll have some unbalanced stuff and different stuff that we don't see. Again, the key for us it to be able to adjust early, because there'll be some stuff early in the game that they have not done this year or even last year, because they have time to do it."
