West Virginia is headed to Fort Worth with an offense that can light up the scoreboard in a hurry, and TCU is about to find out how much damage the Mountaineers can do if their playmakers get rolling.
The Mountaineers snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday with a 45-42 win over Cincinnati, thanks to a game-winning 35-yard field goal as time expired. That finish gave West Virginia a much-needed boost, but the bigger story is what this team brings into the Big 12 matchup: one of the conference’s most productive offenses and a defense that has had a hard time keeping pace.
West Virginia has scored 263 total points this season, second-most in the Big 12, and its 37.6 points per game rank fourth in the league. That kind of production starts with quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., who just delivered a 464-yard passing performance against Cincinnati.
That was a huge leap from what he had shown earlier in the year. Before that game, Hawkins had not topped 230 passing yards in any contest this season, and he completed only 43.8% of his throws across games against Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Arizona.
He has thrown just one interception, though, and the Mountaineers will be hoping that his latest outing is a sign of what’s ahead.
Hawkins is dangerous in ways that go far beyond his arm. He has rushed for 749 yards and leads the FBS with 14 rushing touchdowns, giving West Virginia the kind of dual-threat weapon that can wreck a defensive plan in a hurry. His ability to stress a defense on both levels is part of what makes this matchup so tricky for the Frogs, even with TCU’s strong run defense.
And Hawkins is not doing it alone.
West Virginia’s backfield also features Cam Cook, who returns to Fort Worth after beginning his college career at TCU. The senior spent two seasons with the Horned Frogs, piling up 518 rushing yards and nine touchdowns before entering the transfer portal and landing at Jacksonville State.
He made a big splash there, finishing as the FBS rushing leader with 1,659 yards in 2025. After that success, he entered the portal again and ended up at West Virginia.
Cook has stayed productive with the Mountaineers, rushing for 833 yards this season to rank fifth nationally in total rushing yards. He helped West Virginia jump out to a 3-0 start and kept producing once conference play began.
His first three Big 12 games were especially strong, though Cincinnati did slow him down: Cook finished with 15 carries for 40 yards, a 2.7-yard average and a long run of seven yards. Even so, he still made a major impact in the passing game, hauling in a 40-yard touchdown that tied the score at 42 with 3:44 left.
That kind of versatility is part of what makes West Virginia so dangerous. If Saturday turns into a slower, tighter game, the Mountaineers could lean hard on Cook to keep moving the chains and control the tempo.
Another name TCU has to account for is DJ Epps. He leads West Virginia with 556 receiving yards and five touchdown catches, and his 25.3 yards per reception leads the FBS. He brings a big-play element that can punish any defense that gets caught staring too long at the backfield.
The problem for West Virginia is that its offense has often had to cover for a defense that has struggled all season. The Mountaineers are last in the Big 12 in scoring defense, giving up 34 points per game, and they also rank last in total defense at 483.9 yards allowed per game.
Against the pass, the numbers are even more glaring: West Virginia is allowing 310.1 passing yards per game, worst in the conference. Its rushing defense sits 15th in the Big 12 at 173.7 yards allowed per game.
That has left the Mountaineers in a familiar spot: plenty of firepower, not nearly enough help on the other side of the ball.
“We have no identity,” head coach Rich Rodriguez said on his Monday night radio show, according to WV Sports Now.
TCU will try to make West Virginia pay for those defensive issues after showing some progress of its own on that side of the ball. The Horned Frogs held Baylor to two field goals in Saturday’s 17-6 win, limiting the Bears to 87 offensive plays and keeping them out of the end zone entirely. Their defense has been in a groove over the last two games, and that trend could carry into another demanding test.
Hawkins and Cook make this a difficult assignment no matter what, and defensive coordinator Andy Avalos will have to find a way to keep West Virginia’s most dangerous pieces from taking over. If the Frogs can keep the Mountaineers from turning this into a track meet, they’ll give themselves a real shot to control the game. If not, West Virginia has enough offensive punch to make things interesting fast.
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Former Oklahoma QBs Are Creating An Uncomfortable Reminder For Sooners Fans
Michael Hawkins has given West Virginia a jolt this season, and for anyone watching from Norman, there is a familiar sting to the way he has done it. The former Oklahoma quarterback has been productive as a passer and as a runner, even leading the nation in rushing touchdowns, while helping the Mountaineers stay in the thick of things at 4-3.
The reminder gets a little more uncomfortable when Jackson Arnold enters the picture. Another former Sooners quarterback, Arnold has also found his footing at UNLV with solid work through the air and on the ground, and he has played a part in the Rebels' recent success as well. For Oklahoma fans, seeing both quarterbacks move on and win elsewhere is the kind of storyline that lingers long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Is Bracing For A Very Different WVU Defense
TCU is spending the week preparing for a West Virginia team that looks different on both sides of the ball than what the Horned Frogs may have seen earlier this season. In his pregame press conference, Sonny Dykes pointed to a Mountaineers offense that can push the tempo, threaten defenses on the ground and through the air, and force opponents to play fast without much breathing room.
What has also caught TCUs attention is the shape of West Virginias defense. Dykes described it as young, but still physical and aggressive, the kind of unit that can create problems even when the numbers have not always shown it consistently. Michael Hawkins Jr. also came up as a player the Frogs will have to account for, with Dykes calling him athletic and difficult to defend, another reminder that this matchup comes with more moving parts than a simple glance at the standings might suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Cooks Next Decision Could Change West Virginias 2026 Outlook
Mike Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook have given West Virginia a look that feels familiar in the best possible way, with the quarterbacks dual-threat production and Cooks steady surge on the ground drawing obvious comparisons to the Pat White and Steve Slaton era. Hawkins has more than 1,500 passing yards and 700 rushing yards, while Cook has climbed to fifth nationally in rushing yards, giving the Mountaineers a backfield pairing that has made the offense harder to defend and the future easier to imagine.
Cooks next move may end up shaping more than just his own draft stock. He could return for another college season, but he is also drawing attention as a possible day-three NFL pick, and the evaluation around him is not clean-cut thanks to questions about age, workload and speed. For West Virginia, the decision matters because keeping that kind of backfield threat intact would go a long way toward defining what the 2026 offense can become. [Read more 🡒]