West Virginia’s first Big 12 win arrived in the most frantic way possible.
The Mountaineers outlasted Cincinnati 45-42 on Saturday afternoon in Morgantown, finishing the game with a walk-off field goal to end a three-game skid and move to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
Jack Cassidy delivered the final blow, knocking through a 35-yard field goal as time expired. West Virginia had never led before that kick. The Mountaineers trailed for most of the afternoon, then surged late and finally grabbed control at 0:00.
Cincinnati held a 21-14 lead at halftime and carried a 28-21 advantage into the fourth quarter. Then the game turned into a track meet. The two teams combined for 38 points in the final period, and West Virginia accounted for 24 of them.
The Mountaineers’ defense had another rough day. After allowing more than 40 points in each of their first three Big 12 games, they did it again here, giving up 42 to the Bearcats. But this time the offense had just enough firepower to carry the day.
That mattered for a West Virginia team that desperately needed a reset after consecutive Big 12 losses to Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Arizona. The Mountaineers had opened the season 3-0, including a win over then-No.
25 Virginia, but conference play had quickly dragged them the other direction. Saturday gave them something they had been missing for weeks: a finish they could celebrate.
For Cincinnati, the loss stings. The Bearcats came into the year 4-0 and had already notched a Big 12 win over Kansas State, but the momentum has started to slip.
After a 34-7 loss at Arizona and a bye week, Cincinnati walked into Morgantown with a chance to steady itself. Instead, it left with a defeat that could reshape the rest of the season.
The Bearcats are now 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12, and the road ahead gets a lot steeper. Their next four games are against Texas Tech, Utah, Houston and Iowa State, followed by Colorado and a road trip to BYU.
West Virginia still has real issues on defense, and 42 points allowed won’t sit well for long. But after three straight conference losses, Rich Rodriguez and the Mountaineers will take the win and move on. Sometimes survival is enough.
In Other News...
WVU May Have Finally Found The Right QB For Rich Rod
Mike Hawkins Jr. has quickly become one of the most intriguing pieces of West Virginias offense, and not just because of what he does with his arm. The starting quarterback has given the Mountaineers a dynamic run threat from the position, leading the nation in rushing yards by a quarterback while also tying for the most rushing touchdowns in college football.
The passing numbers have not been as clean, but that has come with the territory in an offense that asks him to push the ball downfield. Hawkins throws a high percentage of deep passes, which naturally drags down the completion rate, yet the fit has drawn praise from Phil Steele and plenty of confidence inside the building, where his coaches view him as one of the Big 12s top quarterbacks. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Loaded Ground Game Could Get An Intriguing New Option Today
West Virginia has already built a rushing identity behind Cam Cook and quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr., with freshman Amari Latimer giving the Mountaineers another layer in the backfield. Even with that production in place, the staff has kept working through options, and Utah transfer running back NaQuari Rogers has been around the program for a while now, practicing with the team and even dressing for recent games.
Rogers still has not taken the field, but his presence is another reminder of how much depth this ground game could still have if he gets folded into the rotation. For a West Virginia offense that has leaned on the run and found success with multiple pieces, the question now is less about whether Rogers can help at some point and more about when that chance finally comes, and how big a role he might be able to carve out. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Already Has A Ross Hodge Debate Before The Season
Before Ross Hodge has even gotten through a second season at West Virginia, the Big 12 has already offered an early read on where the Mountaineers stand. The league's preseason coaches poll slotted West Virginia tied with Cincinnati for eighth, a modest starting point for a program trying to climb after bringing in plenty of new faces and asking a lot of Hodge in year two.
The projection is not exactly discouraging, but it does underline the gap between expectation and certainty in Morgantown. West Virginia is supposed to get better as the pieces settle in, yet the timetable for that growth remains a central question, and the first exhibition against Maryland will be the first real chance to see how close the Mountaineers are to looking like a team ready to move up. [Read more 🡒]