MORGANTOWN - The last time we saw WVU defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, he was talking through clenched teeth.
And it was easy to understand why.
Yes, the Mountaineers had defeated Youngstown State 38-21. But, no, Gibson's defense did not look good.
The Van native apologized to WVU fans. He apologized to ex-Mountaineer defenders for the look. He said he'd have a "fun" two weeks with the defensive unit.
Whatever happened, though, Gibson's smile was back on Tuesday as West Virginia prepares for Saturday's game against BYU.
"It's been good," Gibson said of the off week. "I thought the kids responded well. When you go back and watch film, it's never as good as what you think [initially] and it's never as bad as what you think. There were three or four big missed tackles that resulted in big plays."
Overall, Gibson said there were 18 missed tackles against the Penguins. That sent the Mountaineers sliding to a No. 94 rating nationally in pass defense, a No. 95 rating in rush defense and a No. 99 rating in total defense. There are but 128 FBS teams.
The obvious question then, especially considering Gibson's mood after the YSU game, was this: Have there been changes to the depth chart?
"No," he said. "We're just looking for 11 guys to do it the right way and we're coaching them up to do it the right way."
Gibson paused, then continued.
"I like where we're at," he said. "I thought we had two really good practices last week. We had a really good practice Sunday night, so I think the kids are excited. They have a really big opportunity in front of them."
Gibson then uncorked a somewhat surprising statement.
"[Youngstown State] had us a little off balance because of its option," said the defensive coordinator. "BYU is not run-option. It's run-zone read. No pitch threat. It's a different style of running game. [The Cougars] are big, powerful, strong kids. Their backs are big. But we're good. We should be all right. I like our matchups better this week than even last week."
It's surprising considering the vanquished Penguins are an FCS bunch and BYU plays in the upper-tier FBS.
"It is, just because of the style [BYU plays]," Gibson said. "It fits more to the style we see a lot, more similar to things in our league. Anytime you throw option in, it worries you."
BYU quarterback Taysom Hill, aka the "Thor-terback," runs, but not like YSU's Ricky Davis, who led his team with 62 rushing yards against the Mountaineers.
"Hill is a good lookin' kid on film," Gibson said. "He's big, strong and runs well. Everybody says they're not scoring points. Well, they're having some misfortunes. A tipped ball is intercepted. They've fumbled at the wrong time. A penalty here or there. They aren't that far off and have played three pretty good teams [in Arizona, Utah and UCLA]. They've been competitive all the way to the end."
Gibson said BYU's style of play most closely resembles that of the Big Ten.
"They want to hurt you when they run the ball," he said. "They finish blocks. Their backs are big."
If that's the case, WVU certainly needs to improve on tackling.
"We've definitely gotten better in the week off," said linebacker Justin Arndt. "We've cleaned up some things like tackling. Simple tackling. We did a lot of tackling drills. I think we'll improve in that phase."
How does one improve on tackling?
"Be under control," Arndt said. "Trust your technique. Head up. Eyes up. All the stuff you've been taught. That, plus repetitions. Simple."
"The most disappointing thing from the Youngstown game was the missed tackles," Gibson said. "We were getting there. It wasn't as much about effort as I thought. We just weren't tackling. The result is what Youngstown got. So we stressed that. We worked the tackle circuit every day. We'll continue to work it these next two days."
WVU not only missed tackles against YSU, it failed to record even one sack. Defensive line coach Bruce Tall, however, said he too is staying calm.
"We've stayed the course because it's so early in the season," Tall said. "You keep emphasizing what you want to improve on. We want to get more pressure on the quarterbacks. We want to emphasize our pass rush. It's too early in the season, though, to change course."
BYU's offense, however, is ranked No. 105 nationally. If the Cougars have success, don't expect the coaches' smiles to return as quickly.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.