Nicco Marchiol Provides Glimpse of Future in Cameo Appearance

The West Virginia backup quarterback was impressive in his brief moment as QB1.

Mike Watters-Imagn Images

After a big 39-yard run by West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene in the first quarter, the senior came up injured with what appeared to be a hurt arm or shoulder. He was attended to on the field and then on the sideline before heading to the locker room for further examination.

A few plays after the injury, sophomore Nicco Marchiol delivered a strike to Traylon Ray for a touchdown to give the Mountaineers a 10-0 lead. Marchiol also showed his ability to run the ball, totaling 26 yards on three carries with a long of 18 prior to Greene returning to the game.

Off the bench and into the end zone 🫡

Nicco Marchiol steps in and finishes off the @WVUfootball drive with a dart to Traylon Ray.#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/KK1ZG9UXux

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 5, 2024

While it may have been an extremely small sample size, you can tell that Marchiol's confidence is in a much better place than what it was a year ago when he was inserted in the Backyard Brawl and then in his start versus Texas Tech. The West Virginia coaching staff has said all season long that if he would need to enter the game the play-calling would not change one bit due to his growth as a passer and that was the case.

We will have to wait around a little while longer to see him in extended action, but his ability to come in and lead the offense to a pair of touchdown drives is a nice sight for Mountaineer fans.

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