Cam Cook took his first carry 72 yards, giving West Virginia an immediate glimpse of what Rich Rodriguezâs offense can become. Cook finished with 30 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns, but his other 29 attempts produced only 70 yards; Coastal Carolina later began adding defenders to the box. The Mountaineers still beat Coastal 31-24, yet the afternoon split cleanly in two. West Virginia gained 336 yards before halftime and only 77 afterward, while Coastal went from 114 yards in the first half to 311 in the second.
That is why Saturday against UT Martin should not feel like an upset vigil. West Virginia is a 97% favorite in the Fan Watch model for the 1 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN+. West Virginia needs to keep playing its preferred football after UT Martin adjusts, then build enough separation to give more of this rebuilt team meaningful snaps.
Keep Hawkins and Cook moving forward
Michael Hawkins Jr. strengthened his claim to the quarterback job by completing 11 of 14 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, then adding 103 net rushing yards and another score. He also lost the ball through the end zone while reaching for the goal line. Hawkins strengthened his hold on the job, but one start did not settle the competition.
The pairing with Cook matters because Rodriguezâs spread-option system is built around running the football. Against UT Martin, watch what happens when the box tightens. Hawkins needs to make the correct reads, the offense needs answers beyond Cook absorbing another 30 carries, and productive early drives need to continue into the third quarter.
Rodriguez said Coastalâs second-half surge reflected execution failures rather than an effort problem, and some errors returned after coaches addressed them on the sideline. West Virginia opened that half with three consecutive three-and-outs. Saturday offers a favorable setting to show that corrections can survive the trip from the sideline to the field.
Make the pass defense earn the comfortable afternoon
West Virginiaâs pressure did produce five sacks and a strip-sack against Coastal. The secondary still allowed 373 passing yards, three touchdowns and several explosive completions after halftime. Against UT Martin, West Virginia needs to create pressure without letting busted coverage or lost one-on-one plays produce another wave of explosive completions.
The defensive front also has a new depth concern. Darius Wiley was carted off after suffering a significant leg injury during a fourth-quarter fumble-recovery scrum. Rodriguez said on September 7 that Wiley would miss the rest of the season with a severe ligament injury. Rodriguez identified Jeremiah Johnson and Tobi Haastrup as players who could take larger roles, making those snaps worth watching. A controlled game would let West Virginia test that rotation without asking an unsettled group to protect a one-score margin late.
Earn the reserve snaps that disappeared last week
This is the first football meeting between West Virginia and UT Martin. There is no rivalry debt to settle and no outside scoreboard result worth dividing attention over. The intrigue is entirely inside Milan Puskar Stadium.
Rodriguez said Coastalâs competitive second half kept him from using more players, including backup quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. That missed evaluation time carries extra weight because West Virginia plays eight straight weeks before its October 31 open date, even with five of its first seven games at home. The staff will need usable depth before that uninterrupted stretch does the testing for it.
So the satisfying version of Saturday is specific. Hawkins and Cook establish the run-first identity without leaning on one breakaway. The offense answers a crowded box and remains functional after halftime. The pass defense prevents pressure from being wasted by explosive completions. Then Fox and other reserves get meaningful possessions because the starters created the opportunity, not because another late collapse forced everyone to remain on alert.
The 97% forecast sets the expectation, not the standard. Fans can follow the modeled outcome in the interactive West Virginia guide and see how those forecasts are built in the methodology. The football worth rooting for is a full afternoon that makes the final minutes useful rather than nervous.