West Virginia hasn’t endured much difficulty establishing its ground attack over each of the first three games.
The Mountaineers lead the FBS with 163 run plays, are third nationally with an average of 54.3 rushes per game and sixth with an average of 281.3 rushing yards.
Yet despite running on more than 79 percent of its offensive snaps, West Virginia’s efficiency when passing has been instrumental in keeping opposing defenses honest, while providing much-needed balance to a unit averaging 40.3 points.
Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has made the most of his 38 passing attempts, of which he’s completed 26 for 477 yards and five touchdowns without throwing an interception.
“Mike’s my guy and he’s getting better each and every day,” said WVU wide receiver DJ Epps. “I’m proud of him for sure.”
Epps has been Hawkins’ favorite target and the team’s most productive wideout to this point. A redshirt senior who transferred from Troy to play his fifth and final season of college at a power conference program, Epps, like Hawkins, has made a strong initial impression as a Mountaineer.
In Saturday’s 38-27 win against then-No. 25 Virginia at Bank of America Stadium, Epps continued his strong start to 2026 with three receptions for 92 yards and touchdown grabs of 29 and 21 yards, respectively.
Epps’ 29-yard TD catch came early in the second quarter and tied the game at 14. His 21-yard score with 12 seconds remaining in the third quarter broke a 21-all tie and put the Mountaineers in front for good to help West Virginia wrap up non-conference play with a perfect 3-0 record.
“It’s growing each and every week, each day in practice,” Epps said of his confidence while playing in a new system. “Just straining to get better and really that’s it. Putting it from the practice field to the game.”
Epps was plenty productive a year ago at Troy when he led the Trojans with 47 receptions and five touchdown catches in addition to being second on the team with 512 receiving yards.
At 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds, he has the typical stature of a slot receiver and averaged 10.8 yards per reception during his time at Troy.
At West Virginia, Epps has showcased big play ability through three games. His only non-scoring reception against the Cavaliers was a 42-yard catch late in the first half that allowed the Mountaineers to enter the red zone, and one play later, Hawkins scored on a 15-yard run to give West Virginia its first lead.
A week earlier, Epps recorded two receptions for 112 yards in a 52-7 victory against Tennessee Martin. His first of two catches against the Skyhawks was a 53-yard touchdown.
All five of Epps’ receptions over the last two games are for 21-plus yards and totaled 204 altogether, enabling the native of Phenix City, Ala., to rank second nationally with 30 yards per reception, having totaled 240 yards on eight grabs.
“I just try to make plays when my name is called and I look at it like that mostly,” Epps said.
Epps wasn’t much of a vertical threat during his time at Troy. Despite the production last season, hardly any of it came on deep balls as he was limited to three catches on passes thrown at least 20 yards.
Through three games in 2026, wideout Jaden Bray is second on WVU in receptions (6) and receiving yardage (96), while Epps’ receiving yardage makes up more than 45 percent of the team’s 531 yards through the air.
“Mike threaded a couple really tight windows, but DJ has a knack of getting open and making a lot of plays,” WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “Our receiver crew did a good job and they also did a great job blocking. That’s the key. Cam [Cook] is a hard runner, Mike’s a dynamic runner, but we wouldn’t be able to get second-level runs without those secondary blocks.”
Following the triumph against Virginia, Rodriguez praised the competitiveness of Epps, who began as a walk-on at Troy and played sparingly from 2022-24 while recording one reception over that three-year stretch.
“He plays in practice every day like he has something to prove and he continues to do that,” Rodriguez said. “He has great ball skills and understands football. He can play any of the receiver positions for us, but he’s perfect for us in the slot, because he’ll block, but he also has a knack to get open. Mike saw him a couple times and threaded the needle on a couple of them, but DJ made some contested catches and that was key today.”