Change? Don't Expect It: Rich Rod 'Not Worried' About Offensive Balance

The head ball coach is not concerned about the run/pass split on offense.

Sep 26, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez walks along the sideline during the third quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Running the ball has always been the backbone of Rich Rodriguez's offense, especially once he got his first mobile and super athletic quarterback. Sorry, Jed.

Seeing the Mountaineers run the ball at a high clip is not a shocking development whatsoever. It's expected. But running it 78% of the time is a little high, even for this offense. As I pointed out earlier this week, the most Rodriguez has ever leaned toward the run was during his first tenure at WVU, where it was 70% run, 30% pass.

At some point, they've got to start throwing the ball around the yard a little more, right? Right??

"I've never been worried about it," Rodriguez responded to a question earlier this week about being more balanced. "I don't even go into the game saying, 'We need to rush for this much' or 'We need to throw for this much.' It's like, what do we need to do to get first downs and win? So inevitably, if you're running the ball well, we kind of stick to that a little bit more. But there's never like a certain ratio like it has to be 50/50, or we should be 70/30 run to pass. Believe it or not, we have as many pass plays in our call sheet as we do run plays. But if you're running well, we usually don't get to all the pass stuff."

Rich Rod being Rich Rod

West Virginia University head coach Rich Rodriguez | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Rodriguez has always been a bit stubborn when it comes to the run game.

If it's working, he won't want to go away from it. While that's understandable, you still have to complement it, or it'll fade as the game goes on, just like it did last week against Oklahoma State.

When it's not working, he'll tend to keep pounding it, hoping that the constant banging inside will cause a few to pop free for big gains later in the game.

Staying true to your identity is one thing, but holding the offense back from reaching its full potential is another. Even if WVU gets to a 70/30 split to the run, it's a much better-balanced approach, which will make things much easier for Cam Cook on the ground.

Also, you don't need your quarterback to tote the rock 22 times per game. That's what Hawkins is averaging against the FBS teams the Mountaineers have played this season. This offense changes completely if he's not in the game or not fully healthy. You have to protect that asset as if your life depends on it, because as dynamic as Cook is, West Virginia's success in 2026 largely rides on the health of Hawkins.