Rich Rodriguez Reveals Why Michael Hawkins Won QB Battle

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Waiting until kickoff to officially reveal his starting quarterback, Rich Rodriguez was finally willing to talk openly about why he decided to go with Michael Hawkins under center after West Virginia’s 31-24 win on Saturday.

For Rodriguez, it all came down to Hawkins being more “explosive” during practice and in scrimmages leading up to the game. Rodriguez said it was a close battle and he hoped to also get Scotty Fox into WVU’s 31-24, but the second half comeback by the Chanticleers made that difficult to make happen.

“It was really close, and I think I had two starters with him and Scotty,” said Rodriguez.

Hawkins said Rodriguez informed him that he was going to start earlier in the week. As far as how he performed, the Oklahoma transfer and former four-star high school recruit completed 11-of-14 pass attempts for 132 yards with a touchdown pass. He also exceeded 100 yards on the ground with 103 on 20 carries.

Along with running back Cam Cook, who raked up 142 yards of his own, the WVU offense won the game thanks to their ground attack, totaling 281 out of their 413 yards of offense.

Find more coverage of Rich Rodriguez and the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.