West Virginia has already given its fans two very different reasons to feel good after the first two weeks: the Mountaineers are 2-0, and nobody is exactly sure what to make of them yet.
It has been eight years since WVU opened a season by winning its first two games, and that alone is something worth noting. Yes, the wins came against Group of Six and FCS opponents, but that part won’t matter much when the season is over. In the end, the number in the left-hand column is what sticks.
That’s why this start has produced such a strange mix of optimism and uncertainty. There are real signs of life here, but there are also enough rough edges to leave plenty of room for doubt.
The defense, in particular, has work to do. One week it was containment problems.
The next, it was missed fits and guys being out of position against the run. The frustrating part is that the Mountaineers have also shown they can lock in for stretches.
They were shaky in one half of each game, but looked pretty good in the other half of both.
That’s what makes this team so hard to pin down right now. If the second-half defense against Coastal had shown up in the first half of that game, or if the first-half version from UT Martin had carried over into the second half, the panic level would look a lot different.
As it stands, there’s enough on film to worry about, but also enough to believe the defense can be competitive. The bigger issue is sustainability.
One good half won’t cut it once the schedule gets tougher.
Rich Rodriguez is probably hoping he doesn’t need his offense to chase 35-plus points every week. Still, if that’s the kind of game WVU has to play, the roster looks capable of handling it. Mike Hawkins Jr. has been excellent in his first two starts in limited action, and now that Power Four opponents are up next, Rodriguez is expected to open things up and fully lean into Hawkins’ dual-threat skill set.
Up front, the offensive line has been solid without being dominant. That’s not a deal-breaker this early, especially with more reps and more time together still to come.
The encouraging part is that this group is already miles ahead of where last year’s line ever got, and it has the best in the industry coaching them. There’s reason to believe the unit will keep improving.
The playmakers have done their part, too. Cam Cook and Amari Latimer have been every bit as good as advertised, and DJ Epps has been right there with them in the slot. West Virginia could also get Prince Strachan back this week, which would give Hawkins yet another target to work with.
Special teams has been another bright spot. Punter Bryan Hansen has been terrific.
Jack Cassidy has handled kickoffs well, sending 14 kicks through the end zone for touchbacks while also going 2/2 on field goals and 10/10 on PATs. Andrew Powdrell added a blocked punt on Saturday and came close to another.
All of that leaves WVU in a pretty clear spot heading into next week’s game against Virginia, its first Power Four opponent. That matchup should tell us more, even if it won’t tell us everything. The old idea of teams playing up or down to their competition does carry some weight, especially in college football, and this feels like the kind of game where that tendency could show itself.
Maybe the Mountaineers unlock a level we haven’t seen yet. Maybe the flaws come spilling out.
Either way, one game won’t define the whole picture. Virginia could play poorly, WVU could play poorly, or the Mountaineers could put together their best outing of the year.
It would still just be one data point.
For now, the biggest takeaway is simple: West Virginia has been good enough on offense and special teams to stay in every game. If the defense starts cleaning up the mistakes, the Mountaineers could become a surprise team in the Big 12.
In Other News...
WVUs 2-0 Start Feels Real In One Area And Risky In Another
West Virginias 2-0 start comes with the kind of early-season contrast that usually tells you plenty about where a team is headed. The Mountaineers have not opened a year this well since 2018, and the biggest reason is obvious enough: the offense looks far more dangerous, averaging 41.5 points a game. Michael Hawkins Jr. has given the unit a lift with strong work both throwing and running, and Jack Cassidy has been flawless so far, which is the sort of quiet stability teams love to have when games tighten up later in the fall.
The uneasy part is on the other side of the ball, where West Virginia has had trouble getting off the field on third downs. Even so, the defense has kept a valuable habit from last season by continuing to create turnovers, which has helped soften some of the strain when drives start to extend. For a team trying to prove this fast start is more than a good two weeks, the offense looks ready for the moment. The question is whether the defense can match it when opponents start making those long possessions count. [Read more 🡒]
WVU's Comfortable Win Revealed A Depth Advantage Fans Needed To See
West Virginias season opener against UT Martin turned into the kind of game a staff loves for reasons that go beyond the final score. Once the Mountaineers had built a comfortable lead, they started working through the roster in a hurry, getting second-, third- and even fourth-string players onto the field early in the third quarter. In all, 82 players took the field, giving a long list of young Mountaineers a first real chance to show what they can do in a live setting.
For a team that has spent camp sorting out depth across the roster, that kind of early rotation matters. It gave fans a clearer look at how much experience West Virginia can call on behind its top lineup, and it also created a long participation report worth studying by position. The bigger takeaway, though, is still sitting just beneath the surface: games like this can reveal a lot about who is ready to help now and who is still a step away, even if the full answer will take more Saturdays to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Finally Gets A Virginia Rematch With Something To Prove
West Virginia and Virginia are finally set to renew a series that has been dormant for 24 years, and both teams arrive unbeaten at 2-0. It gives the matchup a little extra edge beyond the regional familiarity, especially with the Mountaineers carrying some early-season momentum into a meeting that will feel a lot bigger than a routine nonconference game.
For West Virginia, this is also a chance to keep building toward a milestone start, with the program eyeing a perfect opening stretch it has not reached in a long while. The historical backdrop only adds to the appeal, since the past results between these programs have given each side a little something to remember, and the radio details make clear this is one of those old-school games that still carries enough name value to travel. [Read more 🡒]