The Good and the Bad: Four Rapid Takeaways from West Virginia's Season-Opening Win

Rapid takeaways from West Virginia's win over Robert Morris.

Aug 30, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Nicco Marchiol (8) calls out a play during the first quarter against the Robert Morris Colonials at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

West Virginia cruised to a season-opening win over the Robert Morris Colonials on Saturday afternoon, 45-3, kicking off the new year with a win for the first time since 2020 when the Mountaineers beat Eastern Kentucky.

Here are some of my initial thoughts from today's action.

Protect the program

For those of you who are unaware of what this means, this is what Rich Rodriguez says when it comes to protecting the football. Today, the program was not protected. Four fumbles in the first half, three of which were recovered by Robert Morris. That stunted any momentum the offense was trying to build up and is the reason why it was a 10-3 game at the half.

Nicco's day

Ideally, WVU would have been able to pull away with a big lead early in rotate one or two other quarterbacks into the game much earlier. Because they kept turning the ball over, keeping the game close, Rodriguez didn't have much of a choice but to leave Marchiol until the fourth quarter. Plus, he was red-hot in the passing game, with his only first half incompletion being a throwaway. The big 46-yard touchdown toss to Cam Vaughn early in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty. Great start for No. 8.

Defense is in a good spot

Yes, it's just Robert Morris, but the defensive unit did a good job of shutting the door every time the offense created hope with a turnover. They tackled well, flocked to the ball, and swarmed the run game. We'll get a better idea as to where they are truly at next week at Ohio, but so far, so good.

About the o-line...

I understand that fans are frustrated that the offensive line didn't dominate against an FCS front, but this outing was to be expected. It's an entirely new group, and it's going to take time for them to mesh and understand one another. If they don't improve by next week, they'll have a hard time leaving Athens with a win.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

The History of Lee Corso’s WVU Picks: Four Games, Four Brutal Losses

The Prodigal Son Returns: Rich Rodriguez Makes His Official Return to WVU Football 18 Years Later

Ohio Just Gave WVU a Big Warning Sign in Their Thriller vs Rutgers

West Virginia’s Transfer Class Has More Experience Than Any Team in the Country

Deion Sanders or WVU? Pacman Jones Reveals Who He's Siding with in Early November Matchup