Why Scotty Fox Didn't Play vs. Kansas and What He Needs to Do to Take the Next Step

It didn't take long for true freshman quarterback Scotty Fox to win over the West Virginia fan base. He ripped off a huge run in the season-opener and then led a scoring drive in the Backyard Brawl against Pitt.

Unfortunately, he made a couple of crucial mistakes in that game that could have really cost the Mountaineers. He stared down a receiver, telegraphing his throw, which resulted in an interception. The defense slammed the door shut, holding Pitt to a field goal. His next time out, he tried to make something happen that wasn't there on 3rd down, throwing the ball as he was getting hit, resulting in another interception. Once again, the defense bailed him out, limiting the damage to just three once again.

Three quarterbacks saw action this past weekend against Kansas, but Fox was not one of them. Head coach Rich Rodriguez revealed why that was the case during his radio show on Monday night.

West Virginia University quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

“Scotty was a little bit banged up. He still took some reps, but he’s still progressing well," he said. "I really like him, and he’s going to be just fine. This game, we didn’t get a chance to get him in, but he’s going to be in our plans for sure. I think the easiest thing for him (to get past the Pitt performance) is for him to go in there and play well and kind of erase that part of it. You’ve got to have a short memory as a quarterback because not everything is going to go perfect for you."

For Fox, it's all about how he's seeing the field. Of the quarterbacks on the roster, he probably has the best dual-threat ability, but is not quite ready to just take the reins of the offense.

"He’s still learning, and he’s going to get plenty of time to get that good feel back," Rodriguez stated. "I think the biggest thing (for him) is not understanding what we do, but understanding what they do. Like a lot of times, you stare at our guys and you don’t look at their guys, and when you throw the ball as a quarterback, it’s all about your eye discipline. I think when you’re a young guy, that’s the thing you struggle with, you’re looking at your guy when you should know where your guy’s going to be. You’ve got to look at their guys. That’s a process he’s going through.”

We haven't seen the last of Scotty Fox this season, I can assure you that. How much we'll see him and when his next appearance will be is the unknown.

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