MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Five passes into his college career, Scotty Fox Jr. had completed as many to teammates as he had opponents.
Fox was intercepted twice after coming on during the second half of the Backyard Brawl in his first action against FBS competition.
Since then, while appearing five games, throwing passes in four and starting the last three, Fox has not been picked off in 83 attempts.
It’s a further sign of progress from the true freshman, who has seemingly grown more comfortable behind center each week.
“He’s still learning about seeing the whole field a little bit. He’s really sharp, but it’s his first year and he’s a true freshman,” West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “When you can anticipate the checks or anticipate what the next call is going to be or anticipate the adjustment we’re going to make on a certain route or certain run, then you know he’s getting it. It usually takes a guy a year or two to get that down, especially a younger guy.“
Fox struggled mightily in his first start October 18 at Central Florida, completing 6-of-17 passes for 47 yards in a 32-point loss.
The next week, starting at home for the first time, Fox posted season highs for WVU of 28 completions and 301 yards, while throwing two touchdowns and helping the Mountaineers hang in with TCU in a 23-17 setback.
Last Saturday, in a 45-35 victory at then-No. 22 Houston, Fox was 13-for-22 with 157 yards and one touchdown and rushed 10 times for 65 yards and two scores. His 34-yard fourth-quarter TD run on fourth-and-4 was among the team’s more notable plays all season.
A native of Mentor, Ohio, who stuck with the Mountaineers through a coaching change after he had been committed to the previous staff, Fox has proven he can be plenty effective guiding an offense that had four different starting quarterbacks over its first four Big 12 games.
“In January, I was fresh out of high school, I didn’t really know anything or what to expect, especially since I committed to the last staff,” Fox said. “My mindset coming in was to work as hard as I can, do everything I can, control what I can control and just go from there. I was very blessed to have great coaches coming into this. Of course, it’s year 1, we’re going to have some ups and downs. We have to stay steady and consistent and I’m blessed to have a great coaching staff around me.”
As Fox gained valuable experience in October, Rodriguez noted teammates around him needed to step up their level of play to make things easier on the newcomer.
Wideouts Cam Vaughn and Jeff Weimer did their part against the Horned Frogs with 85 and 57 receiving yards, respectively, including a touchdown catch for Weimer. But the Mountaineers managed only 41 rushing yards against TCU, and for a run-first team, that made things all the more challenging for Fox.
At Houston, West Virginia’s offensive line and backfield more than answered the call as the Mountaineers piled up 246 yards on the ground, including career-high efforts of 108 yards from Diore Hubbard and 65 from Cyncir Bowers, while both tailbacks rushed for a touchdown.
Additionally, Fox was not sacked and the offensive line was a key factor in helping him amass a season high in rushing yardage.
“They’re weren’t being tentative because they were being soft,” Rodriguez said of WVU’s running backs. “They were just being tentative because they truly didn’t understand how the play was supposed to be run or where they’re supposed to press it. They finally trusted that standpoint and ran with a little more conviction.
“The best running backs make you tackle them. They don’t go down just because someone hits you. They physically make you wrap them up and tackle them. Diore, especially in that game, ran until they tackled him and that’s something that all good backs do.”
That the Houston defense had to devote an abundance of attention the Mountaineers’ rushing attack after it produced 120 yards and two touchdowns over the first two series certainly aided Fox, who completed all four of his passes for 44 yards over that time.
“He played pretty well, especially for a true freshman. He’s growing up and taking steps,” Rodriguez said. “He played beyond his years in the last two games. You wouldn’t think he’s a true freshman that got thrust into that role. He was seeing the field and making good decisions. A couple things here or there kind of looked like freshman deals, but he’s a really good competitor and a very conscientious guy. I’ve said since August he might be the most talented with arm strength and arm talent that we have on the roster and he made some next-level throws in that game.”
Fox is set for his fourth career start and second at home come noon Saturday when the Mountaineers welcome Colorado.
WVU will look to add to the recent woes of CU, which has allowed 105 points over its last two games and has the Big 12’s worst rush defense by a wide margin.
Like the Mountaineers, the Buffaloes are also set to start a true freshman quarterback in Julian Lewis, who will be in the lead role for the first time.
“They have a freshman that did some wonderful things a week ago,” Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said. “They shook up the Big 12 with a win last week. We have our work cutout for us.”