West Virginia’s first two games have looked like a classic Rich Rodriguez attack: heavy on the ground, light through the air. The Mountaineers ran it 61 times for 281 yards in the opener, then followed that with 51 carries for 316 yards against UT Martin. Through two games, that works out to 87% run and 13% pass.
But Rodriguez says the practice field has looked a lot different than the game plan has.
“Even though we’ve been really run-dominant, our practices reflect kind of like the balance that you want. If we run 40 plays in practice, half of them are passes.
At least half." WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said.
"And it might be more than that because those are harder to execute than run game. If we want to win the game, we still got to run the ball.
If we can’t run the ball, we won’t win. But inevitably, they can outnumber you.
They can put more in than you can block, and you’ve got to take some shots down the field.”
That’s the tension with this offense right now. Rodriguez teams are built to run, and nobody’s pretending otherwise.
Still, the quarterback situation gives West Virginia something it hasn’t always had: a passer in Mike Hawkins Jr. who can make the throw game matter. That’s why this could settle closer to a 55/45 split with the run still in front, even if the early games have made it look far more lopsided.
Rodriguez’s history backs that up. His offenses have usually leaned run-heavy, but the degree has shifted depending on the roster and the job.
At Glenville State in 1996, his play-calling split was 42% run and 58% pass. At Tulane from 1997-98, it was 56% run and 44% pass.
Clemson from 1999-00 came in at 60% run and 40% pass. His first West Virginia stint from 2001-07 was 70% run and 30% pass.
Michigan from 2008-10 was 61% run and 39% pass. Arizona from 2012-17 checked in at 57% run and 43% pass.
Ole Miss in 2019 was 63% run and 37% pass. UL-Monroe in 2021 was 58% run and 42% pass.
Jacksonville State from 2022-24 was 66% run and 34% pass. This year’s West Virginia offense has been at 62% run and 38% pass overall, though the two-game sample has been much more extreme.
The point is simple enough: this staff has shown in practice that it wants balance, even if the games haven’t reflected it yet. With backs like Cook and Latimer, plus Hawkins’ ability to run and throw, West Virginia has the pieces to make opponents defend more than one thing. The Mountaineers just haven’t opened it up much so far.
In Other News...
WVU Just Set The Look For A Showdown Fans Have Waited On
West Virginia will take the field in Charlotte with a crisp, old-school look for a matchup fans have been circling, pairing glossy blue helmets with white jerseys and blue pants against No. 25 Virginia. It is the kind of uniform combination that fits a high-profile nonconference stage, and it sets up a visual contrast with a Cavaliers team going all-in on throwback style for the night game.
Virginia will counter with matte white helmets, a split navy blue and orange stripe, orange jerseys and white pants trimmed to match, giving the meeting a little extra flavor before the first snap. Scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on the ACC Network and Watch ESPN app, the game carries the feel of a showcase, with both teams arriving dressed like they know the backdrop matters. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Is Suddenly Chasing A Recruiting Win That Could Reshape The Backcourt
A potential recruiting swing is sitting right in front of West Virginia, with class of 2027 point guard Micah Gordon set to announce his college decision on Saturday. Gordon is weighing Creighton, VCU and the Mountaineers, and the attention is easy to understand given his standing as one of the nations top young guards. For West Virginia, this is the kind of decision that can change the feel of a recruiting cycle in a hurry, especially when a program is trying to stock its backcourt with high-end talent.
If Gordon lands in Morgantown, he would become the second-highest rated player to choose West Virginia, which would be a meaningful boost for a program still shaping its long-term guard picture. The timing adds another layer, too, because the Mountaineers are also navigating what comes next for current guard Miles Sadler. So Saturday is not just about one commitment, but about how WVUs future backcourt might start to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Fans Are Split On What This Team Can Really Do
West Virginia heads into this matchup as the underdog for the first time this season, and that alone has put a fresh edge on the conversation around the program. Virginia brings the more experienced roster into the game, while the Mountaineers are still trying to sort out exactly where they stand against a tougher level of competition.
The uncertainty has spilled over to the fan base, too, with a poll on X showing almost no separation in how supporters feel about the upset chances. A slim majority, 50.9%, said they had little to no confidence in West Virginia pulling it off, while 49.1% were still optimistic, a split that says plenty about how hard this team has been to read so far. [Read more 🡒]