Earlier today, West Virginia Head Coach Dana Holgorsen announced senior strong safety Karl Joseph had suffered a non-contact, season and career ending knee injury in practice.
Joseph, known for his hard-hitting style of play, has been the heart and soul of West Virginia’s defense. He started all 42 games of his career and was first-team All-Big 12 defense in 2014. He led all WVU defender in snaps while finishing with a +8.2 PFF grade and ranked third nationally in run-stop percentage.
Joseph had stepped his game up even further in 2015, as he was PFF’s No. 5-rated safety with a +11.5 grade while also tied for first in the nation with five interceptions. In what ended up being his final game this past weekend against Oklahoma, Joseph had a +3.6 grade, interception, sack, and two jarring hits, including one in which he put the Sooners’ 230 pound RB Samaje Perine on his back.
Jarrod Harper (+1.1 grade on 27 snaps) or Jeremy Tyler (+2.1 grade on 28 snaps) are now listed in Joseph’s role. For West Virginia’s sake, whoever plays better be ready from snap one as the Mountaineers' upcoming stretch will define their season. After last weekend’s loss to Oklahoma, they continue the meat of their Big 12 schedule this weekend at home against Oklahoma State followed by road trips to high-flying Baylor and TCU.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.