COLUMN: WVU quarterback Michael Hawkins deserves more national recognition
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MORGANTOWN -- The Big 12 released its weekly awards for football this week, and a lot of West Virginia fans are scratching their heads. Two quarterbacks were listed, and neither of them was Mountaineers quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. Hawkins led WVU to a comeback win over Cincinnati, where he led a game-winning drive. He finished the game with a season- and career-high 464 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. It was the fifth-best performance for a Mountaineers quarterback. Hawkins had another two scores and 77 yards on the ground.
Instead, the Big 12 named BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier and Houston quarterback Conner Weigman. Bachmeier led the Cougars to a win in the game of the week in college football over No. 2 Notre Dame. He had four total touchdowns -- one of them he caught -- and 224 passing yards. Bachmeier threw an interception. Weigman also led his team to a ranked win over Oklahoma State. He had 343 yards through the air and five passing touchdowns. He also threw a pick.
From a numbers standpoint, Hawkins had a better performance than both QBs. To support the claim, he was named Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week, over both Bachmeier and Weigman.
The only problem was the significance of Hawkins' performance. He put up video game numbers against the Bearcats, who aren't the best team, and it was just a normal conference game. Both the other quarterbacks won ranked games and have a bigger impact on the conference and nationally.
Hawkins has started to pick up steam, being named nationally by Walter Camp, but still is flying under the radar. He's not in the conversation with some of the best quarterbacks in college football. He should be.
Taking a look at his national stats, Hawkins is first in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards for a quarterback. If your argument is Hawkins isn't the best passer, Hawkins is 17th in passing efficiency, top 50 in passing yards and touchdowns, and has thrown one interception, which wasn't his fault. Hawkins is in a run-heavy offense and doesn't throw the ball much and still puts up great numbers.
Still, Hawkins isn't in the chase for any national awards. He isn't listed as an option on either DraftKings and FanDuel for the Heisman Trophy, and he wasn't named on any midseason All-American teams. Hawkins was only recognized this year by the Big 12 after the Virginia win.
The reason is obvious. WVU isn't nationally relevant. It was for a blink, starting the season 3-0 and beating Virginia, but after losing three straight and now at 4-3, the Mountaineers have lost the spotlight, which would show Hawkins to the rest of the sport. If WVU had one or even two losses, maybe Hawkins' success would be more recognized.
"If we had a better record, I don't know," Rich Rodriguez said on whether Hawkins is being overlooked based on record.
WVU has plenty of opportunities to put Hawkins on the map. It's going to be a challenge, and probably unlikely, but what if Hawkins and the Mountaineers run the table? WVU finishes the year 9-3, or close to that, Hawkins should receive more attention and definitely receive Heisman conversation.
Right now, with a struggling defense, Hawkins' big performances won't get the recognition it deserves. It's unfortunate.
The bright side is Hawkins should be around for two more seasons, with the new 5-for-5 ruling. He is already playing at a high level in his first year in Rodriguez's offense. Imagine what Hawkins could look like in one or two more years. And the defense is fixed to make WVU competitive.
Hawkins should finally get the attention he's warranted. That's something to be excited about.
"I’m obviously very pleased with him because he’s a first-year starter," Rodriguez said. "He’s still learning. I think he’s playing really good football... He’s going to keep getting better because he’s going to keep learning. Then, we can grow the pieces around him... The exciting part is that he’ll continue to grow."