WVU shakes off sloppy first half, rolls past Robert Morris in opener

Turnovers and penalties made the first half a grind, but West Virginia (1-0) still walked out of Milan Puskar Stadium with a comfortable 45–3 season-opening win over Robert Morris.

The Mountaineers spent most of the first half shooting themselves in the foot. Justin Harrington’s late hit on the opening kickoff set the tone, and three different players — Cam Vaughn, Oran Singleton, and Grayson Barnes — all put the ball on the turf. Vaughn’s was the worst, stripped just short of the goal line and rolled

into the end zone for a Colonials recovery. Add in false starts from Crawford and Walter Young Bear and a defensive holding call on Michael Coats, and it felt like WVU was trying harder to beat itself than their opponent. The offense was moving fast and creating chances, but the mistakes kept points off the board. At one point it felt like Rodriguez might’ve needed to borrow a page from The Program and make his guys carry footballs around campus while everyone tries to punch them out.

Things flipped after halftime. Whatever Rodriguez said in the locker room worked — the Mountaineers came out swinging, looking much more like the team that scored quickly on their opening possession. Hammond Russell blew through for a strip sack, Reid Carrico fell on it, and three plays later Jahiem White was in the end zone for his second score of the day. Vaughn, who hadn’t seen a target since his first-half fumble, bounced back in a big way with a touchdown grab that should go a long way toward getting him back in Rodriguez’s good graces.

From there it was about depth. Jaylen Henderson took over at quarterback and while his passing wasn’t sharp, his legs kept the offense rolling. That opened the door for Cyncir Bowers, who flashed his speed on a 26-yard touchdown run. Then, with just over four minutes left, true freshman Scotty Fox Jr. put the exclamation point on the afternoon, breaking loose for a 59-yard touchdown on his first drive — a three-play, 71-yard series that took only a minute

Statistically, the Mountaineers dominated. White led the rushing attack with 93 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while Bowers added 89 yards and a score of his own. Fox’s late burst gave him 59 yards and a touchdown on just two carries. Marchiol finished 17-of-20 for 224 yards and a touchdown through the air while adding a rushing score. Vaughn caught seven passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, leading all receivers. Defensively, Russell’s strip sack and Carrico’s recovery highlighted a unit that allowed only 123 total yards and forced two turnovers.

It wasn’t perfect. Far from it, actually. WVU lost four fumbles and finished –2 in turnover margin, the kind of thing Rodriguez will hammer in film. But his team still hit his benchmark of 25 first downs, finishing with 27 on the day, and piled up 625 yards of offense. With the win, Rodriguez moves to 61 career victories at WVU, tying Dana Holgorsen for second all-time behind Don Nehlen. The Mountaineers have plenty to clean up, but they showed just how many different ways they can beat you.

The Mountaineers travel to Athens next Saturday to take on the Ohio Bobcats. That game kicks off at 4:00PM and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Who do you think deserves today’s Game Ball?

Each week this season, we’ll hand out a Game Ball to one Mountaineer who stood out the most. You make the call — cast your vote below and let us know who deserves it. The fan vote will be combined across our site, Facebook, and X, and we’ll announce the winner in Sunday’s Game Balls & Helmet Stickers feature.

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