MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s offense has been rather basic, but especially efficient over its first two games of the 2026 season.
Excluding knees taken to end both halves in the season opener against Coastal Carolina, the Mountaineers have had 24 possessions, 11 of which resulted in touchdowns. Two ended with made field goals, two others on lost fumbles, one with the fourth-quarter clock expiring in Saturday’s 52-7 win against UT Martin and eight by way of punt, six of which were against Coastal Carolina.
“I don’t think they’ve seen everything yet,” said quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. “It’s kind of early in the season, but whatever our head coach calls, we’re going to execute it to our best.”
A dual threat-signal caller who transferred to WVU from Oklahoma, Hawkins’ efficiency and ability to make defenses account for him as a passer and ball-carrier have helped the offense largely thrive in two contests, albeit with both against the only non-power conference programs on this year’s slate.
Of the team’s 26 passes attempted to this point, Hawkins is responsible for 21. He’s completed 16, three of which have gone for touchdowns. Those TD tosses comprise nearly half of Hawkins’ passing yardage as the scoring plays have gone for a combined 134 yards of the 287 Hawkins has thrown for.
Against the Skyhawks, Hawkins found slot receiver D.J. Epps for a 53-yard scoring strike in the first half, as well as tight end Ryan Ward on a 32-yard seam route for the first points of the second half. Both were relatively simple passes to rather uncontested targets, but they were high-level throws that allowed Epps and Ward to do damage after the catch as Hawkins connected with both in stride.
“They went cover 3 boundary, the safety came down and I knew I would have my seam,” Hawkins said of the touchdown pass to Ward. “Just have to be on time.”
Head coach Rich Rodriguez concurred.
“You have to be disciplined enough if you’re running around to stay on your landmark on the field,” Rodriguez said. “DJ did that. And Ryan Ward was right on mark. But the timing for Mike on those seam throws was really on mark.”
Hawkins’ skillset matches what Rodriguez prefers in that his mobility means the defense has to consistently account for him as a threat in the run game.
After rushing 20 times for 103 yards and one touchdown in the opener, Hawkins led all players with 96 yards on six rushes against the Skyhawks, an effort that included a 71-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
“He obviously has the ability to make plays with his feet. I thought he saw the field well,” Rodriguez said. “Whatever he played, a little more than a half, I thought he was really sharp. And the more experience he gets in our offense, I think the more comfortable he will be.”
Moving forward the challenges will be far more significant, starting Saturday against nationally-ranked Virginia in Charlotte.
While the Mountaineers aren’t likely to deviate from their run-first approach, they’ll undoubtedly have to be more balanced as it pertains to play selection in the weeks ahead.
Of 138 plays through two games, 112 have been runs.
“Today was going to be really vanilla after we got the lead,” Rodriguez said. “We weren’t going to show much of anything. When we’re playing well offensively, we’re pretty vanilla. We’re not one to be overly tricky. If we could run the ball and run it out of the same set, same formation, same kind of scheme, we’ll keep doing it as long as that’s best.
“As long as you can score and win, that’s all I want to know.”