Sunday Morning Thoughts: Wasted Year? Nope, the Vision is Starting to Come Together

The biggest fear West Virginia fans (and even coaches) had throughout the last month or so was that there wouldn't be enough promise shown from the underclassmen on the roster, and that those who would be playing the best ball would be out of eligibility after this season.

Over the last two weeks, a light bulb went off for a handful of guys, and all of a sudden, this looks like a completely different team from the one we saw in the first seven games of the year.

Up front, Donovan Haslam has made a huge difference at guard and has proven worthy of starting the rest of the way out. The play he made yesterday, pulling Diore Hubbard across the first down marker, although negated by a penalty, was impressive. It's exactly what Rich Rodriguez expects out of his linemen. With him emerging, the Mountaineers now have three pieces they can build with heading into next year, joining Nick Krahe and Landen Livingston.

Speaking of Hubbard, the kid is just an absolute workhorse. There were a few times where he was gassed, but he gutted it out so Houston couldn't sub and still churned out positive yardage. His per carry average of 3.7 isn't going to wow anyone, but sometimes numbers do lie. He didn't have a ton of daylight to work with, and yet he made the most of every touch, fighting, scrapping, and kept chopping his legs trying to push the pile forward. Rodriguez said he "ran possessed" and there's really not a better way to describe it. The kid competed his tail off and is proving he can be one of a few pieces WVU can rotate in at running back next fall.

And then you have Scotty Fox...

I couldn't be more impressed with this young man. The way he handles adversity, has control of the offense, and plays within the scheme is something you typically don't see until year two or maybe even three. Once again, he made multiple big-time throws and had conviction in his decisions, which is what allowed him to play another full game without turning the football over.

Of all the plays he made on the day, though, the one that really stood out to me was his 34-yard touchdown run on 4th and 4 to put West Virginia up 10 in the fourth quarter.

Most probably saw it as a Q draw, but it was actually an RPO. Rodney Gallagher and Jeff Weimer were running hitches, Cam Vaughn on a seam, and Jarod Bowie with a corner route to the pylon. Fox recognized right away that Houston had a five-man box (maybe six if you count DB Wrook Brown, who was on the far hash, and knew that if his o-line got hat on a hat, they'd be +2, hence why he went untouched. That's pure recognition.

THERE HE GOES 💨 @ScottyFox18

📺 FS1pic.twitter.com/OW1wGlpGax
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) November 1, 2025

No one knows how these last three games are going to pan out, but the coaching staff has to be pleased that they're finding some guys who are going to be around in the future and can make a difference. You can start to see the vision with Scotty Fox at quarterback and the supporting cast of Cam Vaughn, Rodney Gallagher, Jahiem White, Diore Hubbard, and an offensive line that is improving.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI