West Virginia is going with a familiar look for Saturday’s homecoming matchup with Cincinnati.
The Mountaineers announced Thursday evening that they’ll wear glossy blue helmets, blue jerseys and gold pants for the game, giving the crowd at Milan Puskar Stadium a classic combination for the annual Stripe the Stadium event.
That makes this week’s uniform reveal the seventh look in WVU’s season rotation:
- vs. Coastal Carolina - white helmets, white jerseys, white pants
- vs. UT Martin - blue helmets, blue jerseys, gold pants
- vs. Virginia - blue helmets, white jerseys, blue pants
- vs. Oklahoma State - blue helmets, gold jerseys, blue pants
- at Iowa State - white helmets, white jerseys, blue pants
- vs.
Arizona - black helmets, black jerseys, black pants
- vs.
Cincinnati - blue helmets, blue jerseys, gold pants
The homecoming backdrop adds another wrinkle. West Virginia hasn’t won a homecoming game since 2018, when Will Grier and the Mountaineers beat Kansas to move to 5-0 and reach No. 6 in the country before losing at Iowa State. Since joining the league, WVU is 5-8 in homecoming games.
That stretch includes a long list of results:
2012: vs. Baylor W 70-63
2013: vs. Texas Tech L 27-37
2014: vs. Kansas W 33-14
2015: vs. Oklahoma State L 26-33 (OT)
2016: vs. Kansas State W 17-16
2017: vs. Texas Tech W 46-35
2018: vs. Kansas W 38-22
2019: vs. Texas L 31-42
2020: COVID-19 (no homecoming game)
2021: vs.
Texas Tech L 20-23
2022: vs.
TCU L 31-41
2023: vs.
Oklahoma State L 34-48
2024: vs.
Kansas State L 18-45
2025: vs.
TCU L 17-23
For fans heading to the stadium, WVU’s game notes laid out the Stripe the Stadium plan. Supporters in even-numbered sections - including Sec. 102, 104, 202, 204 and so on - along with the Diversified Energy Terrace and all WVU students should wear gold. Fans in odd-numbered sections - Sec. 101, 103, 201, 203 and so on - should wear blue.
The matchup is presented by Go Mart.
In Other News...
WVU May Have Finally Found The Right QB For Rich Rod
Mike Hawkins Jr. has quickly become one of the most intriguing pieces of West Virginias offense, and not just because of what he does with his arm. The starting quarterback has given the Mountaineers a dynamic run threat from the position, leading the nation in rushing yards by a quarterback while also tying for the most rushing touchdowns in college football.
The passing numbers have not been as clean, but that has come with the territory in an offense that asks him to push the ball downfield. Hawkins throws a high percentage of deep passes, which naturally drags down the completion rate, yet the fit has drawn praise from Phil Steele and plenty of confidence inside the building, where his coaches view him as one of the Big 12s top quarterbacks. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Loaded Ground Game Could Get An Intriguing New Option Today
West Virginia has already built a rushing identity behind Cam Cook and quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr., with freshman Amari Latimer giving the Mountaineers another layer in the backfield. Even with that production in place, the staff has kept working through options, and Utah transfer running back NaQuari Rogers has been around the program for a while now, practicing with the team and even dressing for recent games.
Rogers still has not taken the field, but his presence is another reminder of how much depth this ground game could still have if he gets folded into the rotation. For a West Virginia offense that has leaned on the run and found success with multiple pieces, the question now is less about whether Rogers can help at some point and more about when that chance finally comes, and how big a role he might be able to carve out. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Already Has A Ross Hodge Debate Before The Season
Before Ross Hodge has even gotten through a second season at West Virginia, the Big 12 has already offered an early read on where the Mountaineers stand. The league's preseason coaches poll slotted West Virginia tied with Cincinnati for eighth, a modest starting point for a program trying to climb after bringing in plenty of new faces and asking a lot of Hodge in year two.
The projection is not exactly discouraging, but it does underline the gap between expectation and certainty in Morgantown. West Virginia is supposed to get better as the pieces settle in, yet the timetable for that growth remains a central question, and the first exhibition against Maryland will be the first real chance to see how close the Mountaineers are to looking like a team ready to move up. [Read more 🡒]