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After enduring two consecutive losing seasons then featuring lackluster defensive play and an uneven performance vs. Coastal Carolina in the 2026 season opener, it was understandable that West Virginia football fans had few expectations entering the game against 25th-ranked Virginia in Charlotte Saturday night.
The beginning did nothing to dispel those concerns. Although the Mountaineers did have a nice scoring drive on their second possession, Virginia easily scored on two long touchdown drives and piled up 136 first quarter yards. It appeared that WVU was in for a long evening.
But then to the surprise of Mountaineer fans the game suddenly turned. West Virginia went on to outscore the Cavaliers 31-7 until a late meaningless score after the game was already decided. The Mountaineers, who were a 10-point underdog, physically dominated an experienced Virginia squad resulting in a 38-27 upset.
Quarterback Michael Hawkins scored three touchdowns on the ground and two through the air. Hawkins continually broke down the Virginia defense with 123 rushing yards and averaged 11.2 yards per pass attempt with downfield completions of 29, 29, 42, 21 and 38 yards. It was the best quarterback play seen since the days of Will Grier.
It was the elevated play of the defense, however, that was perhaps the high point of the evening. After the first quarter, over the next nine possessions Virginia gained only 156 yards on 43 plays and on seven occasions their offense was off the field in four plays or fewer. Although they did manage two extended drives in the second half, the WVU defense stopped the second foray into the red zone when on third-and-7 they sacked the quarterback forcing a field goal attempt which was missed. The Mountaineers then drove 78 yards on 8 plays to put a dagger into the hopes of the Cavaliers.
It was a solid overall performance in all phases. West Virginia did not turn the ball over and had only one major penalty on offense. The defense did not commit a penalty until the last meaningless scoring drive by Virginia. Special teams were flawless except for one short punt. In an often overlooked phase of special teams play, every single kickoff in three games this season has been a touchback.
THIS SATURDAY: Before the season began the matchup with Oklahoma State appeared to feature two teams in the bottom half of the conference, but perceptions have quickly changed. The Cowboys pulled off a stunning upset over Oregon as 24-point underdogs two weeks ago and are led by outstanding quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
The Mountaineer defense will be challenged by a much better passing attack than they saw Saturday night in Charlotte, so this one could be a high scoring affair. WEST VIRGINIA 38 OKLAHOMA STATE 35