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UVA Football

First look: West Virginia is 2-0 early, but not exactly against tough tests

Chris Graham
west virginia football rich rodriguez
WVU coach Rich Rodriguez. Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire

West Virginia, the next-up for #25 Virginia, improved to 2-0 on the season with a 52-7 win over UT-Martin, an FCS school, on Saturday.

WVU’s first opponent was Coastal Carolina, which made the score look good in what turned out to be a 31-24 Mountaineers win – Coastal scored a TD and a field goal in the final 1:51.

The first look from Vegas has Virginia as an 8.5-point favorite, with a 50.5 over/under, suggesting that the money people foresee a final score in the range of 28-21 to 31-21 ‘Hoos.

Offense


Play calling

  • 111 run/27 pass (80.4 percent run/19.6 percent pass)

Skill players

  • QB Michael Hawkins Jr.: 16-of-21 passing, 287 yards, 3 TDs/0 INTs, 199 rushing yards, 7.7 yards/attempt, 3 TDs
  • TB Cam Cook: 194 rushing yards, 4.8 yards/attempt, 3 TDs
  • WR DJ Epps: 5 catches/5 targets, 148 yards, 29.6 yards/catch, 1 TD

O line

  • All five starters on the line have 108 snaps through two games.

Defense


Base D

  • 4-2-5

D line

  • DE Zeke Durham-Campbell: 6 QB pressures/2 sacks, 5 tackles
  • DT Nate Gabriel: 6 QB pressures/1 sack, 4 tackles
  • DT Corey McIntyre Jr.: 5 QB pressures/1 sack, 3 tackles
  • DE Harper Holloman: 5 QB pressures, 5 tackles

Secondary

  • The unit has five PBUs and an INT; it has allowed 42 catches on 60 targets for 508 yards (12.1 yards/catch) and three TDs, with a 105.4 NFL passer rating against.

Special teams


  • PK Jack Cassidy: 2-of-2 FGs (both 30-39); career: two makes from 50+
  • P Bryan Hansen: 41.6 yards/punt

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].