Each week is giving a clearer picture of what this West Virginia team trusts, and the first Power Four matchup offered a pretty clean look at the coaching staff’s preferred rotations. The snap counts from Virginia tell a story about who is becoming essential, who is still working into the mix, and where the depth chart is starting to settle.
At quarterback, Mike Hawkins Jr. handled all 72 snaps. Behind him, the backfield was split mostly between Cam Cook, who logged 62 snaps, and Amari Latimer, who finished with 10.
The receiving group had a few notable wrinkles, especially with Prince Strachan limited. John Neider led the wideouts with 69 snaps, followed by Jaden Bray at 54 and DJ Epps at 53.
Cyrus Traugh played 9 snaps, while Armoni Weaver-Bomar and Strachan each got 7. TaRon Francis saw 1.
The tight end and offensive line usage showed a staff leaning hard on its main pieces. Josh Sapp and Ryan Ward each played 31 snaps, Cam Ball had 15, and Kayden Luke added 8 as a TE/FB.
Up front, Kevin Brown, Wes King, Amare Grayson, and Carsten Casady each went the distance at 72 snaps. Nick Krahe and the two guards next to him, Josh Aisosa and Nick Krahe’s replacement role, were part of the rotation, with Aisosa and Krahe each at 36 snaps.
Malik Agbo appeared for 4 snaps.
That interior line situation is worth watching. Josh Aisosa looks like he has grabbed the sixth-man role among the interior blockers after stepping in when Nick Krahe missed time with an injury.
He held up fine, and that was enough to reinforce that the staff clearly trusts him. Cam Griffin seemed like the likely candidate there, but Aisosa has clearly earned real confidence.
The bigger takeaway up front is that Rick Trickett appears ready to stick with the same five linemen as long as they stay healthy. West Virginia may like 11 or 12 offensive linemen in the room, but this doesn’t look like a group that will hand out seven- or eight-man workloads very often.
On defense, the front line was heavily involved. Nate Gabriel played 60 snaps, Corey McIntyre Jr. had 56, and Zeke Durham-Campbell added 40.
KJ Henson and Emerson Joy saw 27 and 25, while Yendor Mack got 10 and Will LeBlanc and Taylor Brown each played 4. At EDGE, Harper Holloman led the way with 42 snaps, David Afogho had 21, and Jeremiah Johnson and Tobi Haastrup each logged 9.
At linebacker, Ashton Woods played 51 snaps and Isaiah Patterson was right behind him with 50. Ben Cutter had 25, Cam Torbor 23, Jason Hall Jr. 10, and Tyler Stolsky 2. Geimere Latimer handled the non-specified role with 73 snaps.
The secondary usage was also telling. Chams Diagne played 72 snaps at corner and Nick Taylor was close behind with 61.
Keyshawn Robinson got 14. At safety, Kamari Wilson played 64 snaps, Andrew Powdrell had 44, Matt Sieg 17, and Da’Mare Williams 11.
The cornerback rotation looks pretty set for now. Alley seems likely to keep rolling with Diagne and Taylor as the top two options, with Robinson coming in here and there rather than being part of a deep, constant rotation.
As for Patterson, the 50 snaps stand out. He has carved out a real role and has played well through the first three weeks, even though he wasn’t on WVU’s two-deep for the season opener against Coastal Carolina.
In Other News...
Tony Elliott Just Confirmed How Dangerous West Virginia Really Looked
Mike Hawkins Jr. gave West Virginia the kind of opener that can change the mood around a program in a hurry. In a 38-27 win over No. 25 Virginia, the Mountaineers quarterback hit 10 of 17 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns, then added 123 rushing yards and three more scores to power an offense that looked far more explosive than many expected entering the night.
Virginia coach Tony Elliott came away impressed enough to say so, and his comments only sharpened the sense that West Virginias defense under Zac Alley was part of the story too. Elliott pointed to how the Mountaineers controlled the game and took away quarterback Beau Pribulas legs, a detail that matters because it suggests West Virginia was not just winning with one hot hand, but showing the kind of structure that can make opponents uncomfortable for a long time. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Upset Win Looks Even Bigger After What The Grades Show
West Virginias upset of No. 25 Virginia already looked like a tone-setting win, but the postgame grades gave it even more weight. The Mountaineers handled business in a 38-27 victory, and the performance sheet from Pro Football Focus offered a clearer picture of why the result felt so convincing: quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. was graded as the highest-rated quarterback in the country through Week 3.
The win also featured strong work from the other side of the ball, with linebacker Ashton Woods and cornerback Nick Taylor drawing especially good marks. For a West Virginia team trying to build something early in the season, those kinds of individual showings matter as much as the final score, because they hint at a defense and a quarterback room that may be settling in at the right time. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Looks Tougher Than Expected But One Concern Still Lingers
West Virginia came away from its latest game looking a little sturdier than many expected, with a calm, effective quarterback helping steady things and a physical presence on defense giving the Mountaineers a harder edge. Taylor stood out on that side of the ball, and Ashton Woods has quietly put together a strong run over the last two weeks, giving the defense some real momentum as the season moves forward.
The one area still worth watching is up front, where the offensive line had its roughest stretches. A true freshman on the line allowed four pressures, a reminder that development can show up quickly when the competition gets tighter, even if the long-term outlook remains encouraging. For West Virginia, the encouraging part is clear enough, but the next step is making sure that growth in the trenches catches up with the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]