WVU Wins Rodriguez Homecoming, Faces Tricky Road Test in Week Two
BY JUSTIN WALKER & SHANNA ROSE | WV Sports Chat
Robert Morris Recap
After a slow start, West Virginia University came to life in the second half and defeated Robert Morris 45-3 on Saturday afternoon at Milan Puskar Stadium in Rich Rodriguez’s homecoming game.
Quarterback Nicco Marchiol started for the Mountaineers and had a solid performance in the season opener. He finished with 224 yards and one touchdown while completing 17-of-20 passes.
Running back Jahiem White scored two touchdowns and had 93 yards. Wide receiver Cam Vaughn had one touchdown and 127 receiving yards.
Linebacker Chase Wilson led defenders with six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble.
Quarterback Zach Tanner completed just 7-of-21 passes for the Colonials for 70 yards.
Mistakes plagued the Mountaineers in the first half. WVU fumbled three times in a span of four plays late in the second quarter.
The Mountaineers took a 10-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, WVU came out ready to play. They were able to clean up the fumble issues on offense and move the ball seemingly at will. The Mountaineer defense also continued its dominance. They held the Colonials to just 123 total yards and eight first downs for the afternoon.
Rodriguez earned his 61st win, tying him with Dana Holgorsen for second on the school’s all-time win list.
The Mountaineers travel to Athens next Saturday to meet Ohio University, which lost to Rutgers 34-31 on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. (ET) on ESPNU.
Ohio University Preview
The WVU football program will travel to Athens, Ohio, for its first true road game against a non-Power Five opponent since facing Marshall in Huntington in 2010.
The Ohio Bobcats are coming off three consecutive ten-win seasons and are the defending champions of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). They return only eight starters from last year’s team, and their head coach, Tim Albin, left for Charlotte.
However, there is still continuity on the Bobcats’ coaching staff. The new head coach is Brian Smith, a former offensive coordinator. Defensive coordinator John Hauser returned, and the new offensive coordinator is Scott Ishpording, who has been on the staff for 13 years.
That continuity showed on Saturday. While Ohio lost the game to Rutgers 34-31, the Bobcats actually out-gained the Scarlet Knights on offense by putting up 440 yards.
Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro was excellent in the game. The 6-foot senior was 21 of 31 passing, for 239 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He was also the team’s leading rusher with nine carries for 93 yards and a touchdown. Navarro is the best quarterback in the MAC, according to Phil Steele, and is one of the top signal-callers in the entire G6 heading into 2025.
Bobcat wide receiver Chase Hendricks caught nine passes for 115 yards, while running back Sieh Bangura rushed 16 times for 86 yards.
Defensively, Ohio was led by senior Adonis Williams Jr. The 6-foot-2-inch safety had 11 total tackles, with three of them solo.
Other players to watch on the Bobcats are tight end Mason Williams, cornerback Tank Pearson, and safety DJ Walker.
The defending MAC champs gave up 399 yards of total offense to the Scarlet Knights, including 252 in the air.
If the Mountaineer offense can solve the turnover problems that plagued them in game one, and the defense can contain Navarro, they should come out of Athens with a victory.