Quarterback Michael Hawkins showed confidence in 1st start for WVU football, should only improve
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MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia football was well on its way to its third touchdown of the game in the early second quarter. Newly announced starting quarterback Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr., along with transfer running back Cam Cook, had the offense rolling.
On second-and-8, Hawkins kept the ball himself up the middle and bounced to the outside. With the end zone in sight, Hawkins reached for the pylon, but he came up short and had the ball knocked out of his hands and into the back of the end zone.
A possible touchdown turned into a touchback for Coastal Carolina.
"We tell our guys don't ever reach for the goal line unless it's fourth and goal, and you're going to be short of it, then you're in desperation to reach it," Rich Rodriguez said. "Other than that, you never extend the ball out. We'll learn from that."
After first watch, Hawkins' fumble on the goal line seemed to be the only blemish in his debut for the Mountaineers after transferring over from Oklahoma in the offseason.
A few days removed, Rodriguez watched the tape and thought Hawkins looked comfortable out there. He didn't throw much, but he started the game 4-for-4 and finished 11-for-14 for 132 yards, a passing touchdown, and an 181.3 passer rating. He went interception-free.
Hawkins hit Armoni Weaver-Bomar for a 49-yard touchdown on his back foot for his first touchdown and major highlight as a Mountaineer.
"It was Mike's first game in our offense," Rodriguez said. "He'll get more comfortable with some of that stuff. I thought his decision-making was pretty good. I think he was pretty decisive on what we were doing."
Hawkins' comfort level was expected. He wasn't going to be scared of the bright lights. Hawkins played two years in the SEC and started in big games. He beat Auburn as a true freshman on the road. But there was the question of how he’d play in Rodriguez’s high-tempo offense.
"Even though he's got a little bit of experience, it's his first start in our system, and his first start here for WVU," Rodriguez said. "He's like a rookie, so to speak. He's a very conscientious guy. I think he learns from everything that happens out there, good and bad."
In the second half, Hawkins couldn't air it out as much. With a 24-0 lead, Rodriguez wanted to run the clock out. Hawkins carried the ball quite a bit, though. He had 20 carries and 103 yards, which was the first WVU quarterback since 2023 to carry the ball for over 100 yards.
Hawkins had the game-sealing touchdown in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard rush.
After the game, Rodriguez didn't realize Hawkins carried the ball so much, and isn't worried about running him into an injury.
"We just gonna roll until we win the game, kind of deal," Rodriguez said. "I don't really worry about that carry stuff."
After Hawkins' fumble on the goal line, he flushed the mistake and led the Mountaineers on a 17-play, 86-yard touchdown drive, ending in a Cook rush. Hawkins went 3-for-4 on the drive and hit D.J. Epps for a big 19-yard gain, putting the Mountaineers in the red zone.
Aside from the fumble, Hawkins took care of business and led the Mountaineers to a win. Rodriguez seemed to have made a smart move on adding Hawkins from the portal and starting him over Scotty Fox Jr. So far, so good, and Rodriguez said Hawkins should only get better, starting with this week against U.T. Martin.
"He was pretty composed out there," Rodriguez said. “I got a lot of confidence in him, and the rest of our quarterbacks that we can do more things, and we're going to have to do that starting this week."