WVU Has Been More Balanced in Practice Than It Has Shown in Games

The Mountaineers' passing attack is about to ramp up… but how much?

Sep 5, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez talks with West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (3) before an offensive possession during the second quarter against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the season opener, West Virginia ran the ball 61 times for 281 yards and threw it 14 times for 132 yards. Last week against UT Martin, the Mountaineers continued to ground and pound, totaling 51 rushes for 316 yards while airing it out 12 times for 209 yards.

Folks, that equates to 87% run, 13% pass... but don't worry, that will start to even out, starting this week against the Virginia Cavaliers.

“Even though we’ve been really run-dominant, our practices reflect kind of like the balance that you want. If we run 40 plays in practice, half of them are passes. At least half." WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said. "And it might be more than that because those are harder to execute than run game. If we want to win the game, we still got to run the ball. If we can’t run the ball, we won’t win. But inevitably, they can outnumber you. They can put more in than you can block, and you’ve got to take some shots down the field.”

What will the balance look like? Will it be close to 50/50?

West Virginia University quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

When a Rich Rodriguez offense is humming, it's always going to lean toward the run. But that doesn't mean he isn't going to put his faith in Mike Hawkins Jr. to make things happen in the passing game. He hasn't had a quarterback this talented throwing the ball in quite some time, which makes me believe this could end up being a lot closer to 55/45 (edge to the run) than you may think.

Here is the play-call balance throughout his years as either a head coach or an offensive coordinator. The first number is run% and the second is pass%.

Glenville State (1996): 42% | 58%
Tulane (1997-98): 56% | 44%
Clemson (1999-00): 60% | 40%
West Virginia (2001-07): 70% | 30%
Michigan (2008-10): 61% | 39%
Arizona (2012-17): 57% | 43%
Ole Miss (2019): 63% | 37%
UL-Monroe (2021): 58% | 42%
Jacksonville State (2022-24): 66% | 34%
West Virginia (2025): 62% | 38%
This year (2 games): 87% | 13%

The lowest he's thrown the ball at one spot (not in a season) was his first stint here at 30%. Yes, Cook and Latimer are great backs, and Hawkins can run it too, but because opposing teams know that's what West Virginia is going to want to do, I think you'll see them throw it around more and not necessarily because they are "forced" to. They have the playmakers at wide receiver and the quarterback to do it; they just haven't been unleashed.