Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. UT Martin

The West Virginia Mountaineers are looking to do something they haven't done since 2018 — get out to a 2-0 start. The odds are in their favor to make it happen, with UT Martin strolling into town as massive underdogs.

Here is how our staff sees this one playing out.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 45, UT Martin 6

After the way things went down in the second half last week, I expect the Mountaineers to come out swinging. While it would seem likely that they are going to run the ball a ton again here, I actually am going to make a bit of a bold prediction here: more pass attempts than rushing attempts. They aren't going to uncork the whole playbook by any means, but they need to get some live, in-game reps before they head to Charlotte. Trying to open it up on the Cavaliers would be a tough ask.

Secondly, the Mountaineers are going to want to score quickly and jump out to a comfortable lead to get the starters out. Considering this is the last chance for Scotty Fox Jr. to get snaps, barring an injury to Hawkins, they are going to want him to sling it around a little bit as well.

UT Martin has had a lot of success at the FCS level in recent years, but this team in particular is not one that will put a scare into West Virginia. They don't have great speed at the skill positions, the offensive line doesn't play with great physicality, and they just turned to a pocket-passing true freshman quarterback, Tate Surber, who will have his hands full with all the pressure the Mountaineers will generate.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 48, UT Martin 9

West Virginia rushed for 281 yards last week and will likely eclipse that number against the Skyhawks.
Cam Cook will hit the century mark, and a host of running backs will pick up the pace and get some valuable reps in front of Mountaineer fans.

Michael Hawkins Jr. probably won’t have 20 carries this week, with an emphasis on getting the running backs more touches, and with the score out of hand early, Scotty Fox Jr. will return to the field.

The passing game will be lackluster. Despite what Rich Rodriguez has said, he’s not ready to show the full arsenal of the passing game. This could be a weakness the coaching staff isn’t ready to reveal, especially with an undersized offensive line.

Defensively, the group has plenty to prove, but don’t expect the same numbers. For one, the Skyhawks are not running Deuce Bailey out onto the field. The Mountaineer defense may put up some impressive numbers and get in more young Mountaineers for experience.
I don’t expect this game to be close for long as West Virginia cruises to the 48-9 victory.

Joey Bray: West Virginia 45, UT Martin 10

It was a tale of two halves for the Mountaineers last week against Coastal Carolina, and West Virginia has the perfect opportunity to work out some kinks against UT Martin.

As always, we should anticipate a heavy dose of running the football with Cam Cook and Michael Hawkins Jr. Cook eclipsed over 100 yards early in last week’s contest, and this game should be no different. Should this game get out of hand, we could reasonably expect some backups to come in and get some serious run in the second half.

The Skyhawks offense should not be able to find success against the WVU defense in the way that Coastal was able to. Deuce Bailey threw for nearly 400 yards last week due to his ability to escape the pocket and extend plays. Although the WVU defense is still very much a work in progress, this should be a game in which we see the defense come together.

No matter how you feel about WVU after this game against Coastal Carolina, this should be a game that the Mountaineers handle and use to build confidence moving forward. I have the Mountaineers cruising to an easy home victory.

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