With four games left and no game to break down this weekend, the focus shifts to where West Virginia’s offense stood in August and where each unit sits now. The picture is a pretty good one overall, with a few clear bright spots and a couple of areas that still need work.
Start with the biggest reason WVU’s offense has a pulse: Mike Hawkins Jr. He has been playing unconscientious football right now, and if it weren't for WVU having three losses, he would, without question, be in the Heisman conversation right now.
He has given the Mountaineers an answer at quarterback and quickly turned into one of the most dangerous dual-threat players in college football. With him leading the way, West Virginia always feels like it has a shot.
The run game has been just as strong, and Cam Cook is right in the middle of it. He has been producing like one of the best backs in the country, just as expected.
Through eight games, Cook ranks fourth nationally with 923 rushing yards and leads the country with 54 missed tackles forced. Behind him, Amari Latimer has been a dependable No. 2 option in limited work, piling up 178 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries.
Cook has been so effective that WVU hasn’t had to lean much on the rest of the room, but as a whole, the ground game has been phenomenal.
The wide receiver group has been more uneven, though there’s still plenty to like. DJ Epps has been one of the most explosive receivers in the country and leads the nation with 25.3 yards per catch.
At the same time, he has had some costly drops and turnovers. Jaden Bray has not been as reliable as a target as many expected, while Prince Strachan has surged over the last few weeks and given Hawkins another option on the outside.
The perimeter and downfield blocking from this group has also been very good, enough to balance out some of the inconsistency in the passing game. Overall, the production has landed about where it was expected to be before the season.
Tight end remains the one spot where the offense still feels like it can unlock more. A true receiving threat has not emerged yet, although Ryan Ward has shown flashes of being that player.
That said, the blocking from this group has to get better, both in the run game and in pass protection. It hasn’t been good enough, and this is a unit that clearly has more in it.
Up front, the offensive line has been one of the more encouraging developments. There’s still another level this group can reach, but it has been solid, especially in the run game, where it has helped fuel one of the best rushing attacks in college football.
It’s not quite fair to call them one of the top lines in the country, but they are improving every week while still getting strong results. In pass protection, they have allowed 56 pressures and seven sacks on the season.
The expectations were high, and even so, they have been better than expected at this point.
In Other News...
WVUs Bowl Future Now Hinges On A Stretch That Could Change Everything
West Virginias bowl picture is getting clearer, but not necessarily easier, as the projection chatter around the Mountaineers keeps turning back to the same point: the next stretch of the schedule. With Texas Tech, Kansas, Houston and Utah still ahead, the conversation around where this team might land in December is tied directly to what happens over those four games, and to whether the Mountaineers can keep building on their current standing in the eyes of the bowl selectors.
For now, the various media projections are little more than a snapshot of where West Virginia sits in the moment, with different outlets slotting the Mountaineers into different postseason spots based on current performance and rankings. The real story is still ahead of them, because bowl eligibility is going to be decided by how they handle a run that could either stabilize the season or leave the postseason picture far murkier than it looks right now. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Still Has A Big 12 Chance Entering A Statement Game
The Big 12 race has tightened again after a weekend that shuffled the leagues pecking order, with Iowa State making the biggest climb thanks to a statement win and UCF taking the sharpest tumble after a lopsided loss. For West Virginia, that kind of volatility is exactly why the next stretch matters so much, because the Mountaineers are still very much in the mix and every result around them seems to carry extra weight.
Texas Tech now looms as one of the more important games on the conference slate, and it arrives with both teams looking to prove they belong in the upper tier of the league conversation. For West Virginia, it is the kind of matchup that can either reinforce a real Big 12 path or leave the Mountaineers watching the standings shift without them. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginias First Lineup Choice Says Plenty About Ross Hodge
Ross Hodge wasted little time putting his stamp on West Virginias first game, naming a starting five for the matchup with Niagara that offers an early glimpse at how he wants this roster to look. Miles Sadler, Finley Bizjack, Seydou Traore, Brenen Lorient and Mouhamed Sylla are set to open the season, a group that suggests Hodge is willing to lean into length, versatility and a fresh look right away.
The opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will stream on ESPN+, giving Mountaineers fans their first real chance to see how the new coachs choices translate on the floor. There is also a little more to watch beyond the matchup itself, with Lorients availability still tied to the ongoing NCAA appeal process after the temporary restraining order, adding another layer of intrigue to a debut that already feels like more than just a routine season start. [Read more 🡒]