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Defense has been a liability for West Virginia since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012. Slowly, however, WVU has become less laughable on that side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson has had a stabilizing effect.

"It has a lot of experience," head coach Dana Holgorsen said of the unit, via Big12Sports.com. "Getting us in a place defensively is something that we've obviously focused on around here for three or four years. We've got great defensive continuity with our coaching staff. We have 15, 16 guys that have started games. We're developing a lot of depth on that side of the ball."

In 2015, defense is what could carry West Virginia, not hinder it. The 'Eers secondary is an experienced bunch, led by safety Karl Joseph. One of the hardest hitters in the Big 12, Joseph was second on the team with 90 tackles last year and should be an All-Big 12 contender this year.

However, the entire secondary returns. K.J. Dillon, Daryl Worley and Terrell Chestnut have all had great moments, and the 'Eers finished second in the Big 12 behind only Texas in yards per pass attempt allowed.

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.