Mike Hawkins Jr. Warns WVU’s Opponents: 'I Don’t Think They’ve Seen Everything Yet'

The offense is about to really open up this weekend for the Mountaineers.

Sep 12, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (3) throws a pass during the first quarter against the UT Martin Skyhawks at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 1 was about as vanilla as it gets for the West Virginia offense. Rich Rodriguez was hell-bent on running the football, not only to establish an identity on the ground and get reps for a starting offensive line that hadn't played together, but also to run the clock out and get the game over with.

This past weekend against UT Martin, things got out of hand pretty early, with several explosive plays and a blocked punt in the first half. Rich Rod didn't have to go very deep into his bag of calls.

Early on in the third quarter, Rich Rod yanked the starters after a very comfortable lead was built up and ended up playing 50 players on offense, giving several youngsters valuable experience, even if it was just for a handful of snaps.

The advantage WVU has going into the Virginia game...

West Virginia University quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Because West Virginia didn't have to open up the playbook, it's going to make for a difficult week of game planning for Virginia's defense. WVU QB Mike Hawkins Jr. even said it himself: “I don’t think they’ve seen everything yet. It’s kind of early in the season, but whatever our head coach calls, we’re going to go out and execute to our best, so you got to account for both."

That was his response when asked about his ability to throw it and run it. The sample size is small, but when Hawkins has sat back and tossed it around, he's looked comfortable, producing some highly efficient results. In his first two games as a Mountaineer, he has completed 16/21 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, throwing no interceptions.

Rich Rod trusts Hawkins to throw the ball and to challenge teams vertically; we just haven't seen much of it yet outside of some seam balls vs. UT Martin, mainly because they haven't needed to take deep shots.

West Virginia wasn't just hiding plays in those first two games, but also tendencies. Virginia is going to have a hard time figuring out what the Mountaineers are going to want to run on 3rd and short, medium, and long, just as they are on second down situations, because it was a run-heavy approach. That part of the offense is not going to change; they will still be a run-first team. But with a quarterback as talented as Hawkins, they are going to throw it more than 10.5 times per game, which is what he is averaging through two weeks.

Jaden Bray has been extremely quiet. John Neider has been fairly silent. Taron Francis hasn't logged a catch yet, and Prince Strachan has yet to play; there is a possibility that he is back this week. Now that Rodriguez is going to open things up, it should make for an even more explosive attack.