West Virginia’s 2-0 start has already answered a few questions, and it’s also exposed a few more. After getting past the early soft part of the schedule, the Mountaineers are sitting at 2-0 for the first time since 2018, and there’s enough through two games to draw some real conclusions about where this team stands.
The biggest one: the offense looks a lot sharper.
Through two games, WVU is averaging 41.5 points per game. Yes, the opposition matters, but even with that caveat, the jump is obvious.
Last season, the Mountaineers opened against the same kind of mix - an FCS team in Robert Morris and a Group of 6 opponent in Ohio - and the results were nowhere near this explosive. Against Robert Morris last year, WVU was only up 10-3 at halftime.
Against Ohio, the Mountaineers scored just 10 points total and took the loss. The difference this year is hard to miss, and part of it comes down to having a clear quarterback in place.
Michael Hawkins Jr. has been exactly that, and more.
Through two games, Hawkins has gone 16 of 21 for 287 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He has also carried the ball 26 times for 199 yards and three scores, averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
The only real blemish has been the touchback fumble against CCU. Otherwise, he’s been close to flawless.
His two touchdown runs against UT Martin showed off the kind of speed and elusiveness that can flip a game in a hurry. But it’s his passing that has stood out most.
He’s been accurate both from the pocket and on the move, putting the ball where receivers can keep running after the catch. He’s also looked composed on third down, making smart decisions when the pressure rises.
The competition is about to get a lot tougher, but so far he’s delivered just about everything WVU could have asked for.
Special teams has given the Mountaineers another edge.
Jack Cassidy has been perfect through two games, hitting both of his field goal attempts and booting every kickoff for a touchback. That matters for a program that has had real trouble in that area since 2020, when touchbacks were hard to come by and kickoff return touchdowns were a problem. This year, the ball sailing out of the end zone on every kickoff has been a welcome sight.
The defense, meanwhile, has been a mixed bag.
It’s not fair to act like the unit has been a disaster. Through eight quarters, WVU has kept opponents off the board in six of them.
That’s nothing to ignore. But there are also clear reasons for concern.
By the numbers, opponents have had 23 possessions so far, and the Mountaineers have forced only four three-and-outs. A lot of that has come from trouble getting off the field on third down.
Too often, opposing quarterbacks have found receivers open right at the sticks. Against CCU, there was at least some explanation because the quarterback did a good job extending plays and buying time.
Against UT Martin, though, several third-down snaps looked like coverage simply wasn’t there.
Even with that issue, the defense has shown one trait that could matter all season: it’s forcing turnovers.
That was one of the better defensive numbers for WVU last year, when the team ranked 31st in the country in turnovers forced per game. So far, that trend has held.
The Mountaineers have forced two turnovers in each game, giving them four total through two weeks. That kind of production usually travels well; teams that win the turnover battle win about 78% of the time in college football.
There’s still plenty WVU has to figure out, and the next test will tell us a lot more. A huge matchup in Charlotte against a ranked Virginia team is next, and that’s the kind of game that will sharpen the picture quickly. For now, though, the early read is a positive one: the Mountaineers look like a team that has taken a step forward.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
West Virginia's Blowout Still Left Two Roster Concerns Hanging
West Virginias 52-7 rout of UT Martin was the kind of September win that usually leaves a staff feeling pretty good about the day. The Mountaineers were deep enough to get 115 players in uniform, 95 of them into the game, and the heavier snap distribution reflected a blowout that let the roster expand well beyond the usual core. It also moved the Mountaineers to 24-0 against FCS opponents and gave them a 2-0 start to the season.
Even so, the afternoon did not come without a couple of concerns that will linger into the next week. The defense had to keep going after Darius Wiley went down with a leg injury, and the running back room was again missing freshman Chris Talley, who sat out for the second straight game with a hamstring issue. In a game with so many players getting on the field, those two absences stood out because they point to depth questions that are harder to ignore once the margin is no longer so comfortable. [Read more 🡒]