MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — While West Virginia has been faced with uncertainty and inexperience at quarterback that in part explains unproductive play at the sport’s most important position, the Mountaineers have been up against several teams on the other side of the spectrum.
Ohio’s Parker Navarro, Kansas’ Jalon Daniels and Utah’s Devon Dampier, a trio of dual-threat veterans, are among the more notable experienced signal-callers to face WVU this season.
A strong case can be made the Mountaineers’ toughest to date is awaiting at 6 p.m. Saturday in TCU’s Josh Hoover, a three-year starter with the most passing yards since the start of the 2024 season (6,073) in college football.
A year ago, Hoover was the nation’s sixth-leading passer with 3,949 yards, completing 313-of-471 passes to rank in the top 20 with a 66.5 completion percentage. Hoover’s 27 touchdown passes were also good for a top 20 national ranking, while he was intercepted 11 times. Only LSU’s Grett Nussmeiser passed for more yards in 2024 among returning FBS quarterbacks.
As a junior, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior is perhaps primed for even more production and has thrown for 2,124 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions through seven contests. Hoover has hit 161-of-246 throws to post a similar completion percentage (65.4) to last season.
“He looks like a first-round draft pick,” WVU defensive coordinator Zac Alley said.
Arizona State, which defeated the Horned Frogs 27-24 and prevented Hoover from throwing a touchdown while intercepting him twice, is the only defense to fully contain Hoover thus far this season.
Otherwise, Hoover, a native of Heath, Texas, has multiple touchdown passes in each of his other six contests and five games of 275-plus yards, including three with at least 337.
Hoover’s season-low passing total of 231 yards last Saturday against Baylor included a 22-for-31 effort with three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 42-36 victory. That’s one fewer passing touchdown than the Mountaineers have in totality across seven games.
Suffice to say, he’s continuing to thrive under the guidance of offensive-minded head coach Sonny Dykes.
“You watch him and he does it. There are throws when it is covered, the guy is 1-on-1 and it is put two inches above the fingers of the defender and they catch it for 50 yards,” Alley said. “It’s not one time that happens. It’s every single game. They find ways to get 1-on-1s and attack guys down the field and make those plays.“
Six TCU players have at least 13 catches and three are between 23 and 32 receptions, leaving each of that trio with more grabs than Cam Vaughn, WVU’s leading pass-catcher with 21 receptions.
The Mountaineers have allowed their two highest passing totals this season in each of their last two games — 351 at BYU and 323 a week ago at Central Florida.
Against the Knights, the Mountaineers surrendered passing touchdowns of 40 and 34 yards on separate fourth down plays in the first quarter. Those marked the third and fourth passing touchdowns WVU has allowed to a Big 12 opponent on fourth down this season. The first instance came at Kansas and the second the following week late in a loss to Utah.
For the season, Big 12 opponents have converted 10-of-13 fourth downs, meaning they’ve scored touchdowns more often than failing to convert.
“You have an opportunity on both those fourth downs where we’re in good spots if we play the call the right way,” Alley said regarding the Knights’ first-quarter touchdowns. “We don’t and give up two scores. You go into halftime with no points given up, you feel a whole lot different.
“Teams are willing to go on fourth own on us. That’s something we have to work on, because on third down we’re pretty good, and then on fourth down, we’ve not been up to the standard of what we need to be.”
A turnaround for Alley’s unit will be a significant challenge in that it will require the Mountaineers to slow Hoover and an offense averaging north of 36 points this season and 32.3 over four Big 12 games.
“He’s a baller,” Alley said, “and we have a big challenge in front of us just with his ability to get the ball out.”