West Virginia’s offense put Virginia in a bind all night, and Tony Elliott didn’t hide from that afterward.
The Mountaineers rolled to a 38-27 win over No. 25 Virginia behind a huge performance from Mike Hawkins Jr., who was the difference maker in every phase. The redshirt sophomore completed 10 of 17 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns, then piled up 123 rushing yards and three more scores on the ground.
After the game, Elliott broke down exactly why Hawkins was such a problem. The Cavaliers couldn’t get the play fit right early, and when they tried to force the issue later, Hawkins kept finding answers.
“Well, you saw that if you misfit it kind of like we did early in the game, it goes for a touchdown. And then if you get him behind the chains, they can empty you out and create a lot of one-on-one matchups, and he made the throws. We knew coming in that we wanted to make him one-dimensional if we could, but tonight we struggled in some situations, and then I thought when we did get into some third-and-long situations, he just made the more competitive play than we did.”
Elliott also had plenty to say about West Virginia’s defense, and specifically the plan from coordinator Zac Alley. The Virginia head coach knows Alley well from their time together on staff at Clemson under Dabo Swinney, and he expected a varied, disruptive approach. That’s exactly what showed up.
“With a lot of the exotic pressures, we probably led more with a controlled passing game as opposed to down-the-field shots," he said. "And once we got behind, it’s hard, especially when they’re getting shots on your quarterback; it’s hard to get everything to line up.
They did a really good job. They were competitive.
They mixed it up. They played some man coverage, and they bailed out of there.
They played some Cover 2. I thought Zac (Alley) did a really good job of putting together a good plan.”
Beau Pribula, usually a threat to make things happen with his legs, was bottled up almost completely. He finished with minus-1 yard on six carries, and Elliott pointed to the pressure package as a big reason why.
“We knew they were going to be aggressive. They’re bringing pressures off the edge, which force the ball to be given to the back, which don’t give you a two-way option with your quarterback, and you can’t live in the QB draw the whole night.
Your quarterback’s going to get beat up, especially when they’re forcing you to run in the interior. They did a really good job from a pressure standpoint.”
In Other News...
WVUs First Big 12 Depth Chart Raises A Real QB Question
West Virginias first Big 12 depth chart of the season offered the usual mix of familiar names and emerging roles, but the quarterback line was the one that stood out. Michael Hawkins Jr. and Scotty Fox Jr. were listed as co-starters for the upcoming game against Oklahoma State, a notable wrinkle as the Mountaineers settle in for conference play and sort out where things stand under center.
The rest of the chart filled in some of the bigger-picture roster picture, with key spots at running back, in the secondary and at linebacker mapped out for the opener. It also reflected recent momentum for players such as David Afogho and Isaiah Patterson, who have earned more prominent mentions after their latest work, but the quarterback setup leaves the most important question hanging as West Virginia heads into a game that should say plenty about its direction. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Secondary Just Got Intriguing With JaCorey Thomas In The Mix
A court ruling in Indiana has cleared the way for JaCorey Thomas to be eligible for the 2026 collegiate football season, setting up what would be his fifth and final year. The former Georgia defensive back recently committed to West Virginia and, even before he appears on the schools official roster, he already looks like a useful addition for a Mountaineers secondary that can always use more veteran depth.
What remains unclear is how quickly Thomas will be able to factor into the picture. West Virginia has not yet listed him on its roster, and his availability for the upcoming game against Oklahoma State is still uncertain, leaving the Mountaineers with at least one more moving part as they sort through the back end of the defense. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Finally Gets A Home Test That Could Reveal Everything
West Virginias first real chance to learn what kind of team it has comes in its fourth game of the season, when Oklahoma State comes to Morgantown. The Cowboys arrive with a 2-1 record under first-year coach Eric Morris, and they bring enough firepower to make this a meaningful test rather than just another early-season checkpoint.
Drew Mestemaker has helped power an offense that ranks sixth nationally, while Caleb Hawkins and receiver Wyatt Young give Oklahoma State more than one way to stress a defense. The Cowboys also make life difficult on the other side of the ball, sitting near the top of the country in third-down stops, which means West Virginia will have to earn everything in a game that could say a lot about where the Mountaineers really stand. [Read more 🡒]