West Virginia football rolls over No. 25 Virginia behind QB Michael Hawkins
Michael Hawkins Jr. didn’t need magic with the kind of game he was playing, but his senior wide receiver Jaden Bray delivered it.
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On 3rd and 5 from West Virginia’s own 38-yard-line, Hawkins dropped back under duress and chucked it up towards the left sideline. Bray, guarded tight by a Virginia Cavalier, somehow came up with it for the 38-yard reception.
“I saw they went down to single high on man cover,” Hawkins said. “They’d been showing it all game. So when they finally did it again, I took advantage of it. I knew I would have to get it out quick.”
Two plays later, Hawkins rushed five yards into the end zone to account for his fifth touchdown of the game and put West Virginia up 35-21 with 5:24 remaining in the game, en route to a 38-27 Mountaineer victory in the Duke’s Mayo Classic.
“Mike is a dynamic player, and I think he’s gonna keep getting better,” West Virginia head coach Rodriguez said. “His composure, and his seeing what was out there. He’s electric.”
Hawkins, who completed 10 of 17 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns, rushed 18 times for 123 yards and three touchdowns. It was an outstanding performance by the transfer from Oklahoma, who improved his new squad’s record to 3-0, a better one than the Sooners.
“We know what we have in our building,” Hawkins said. “Going into conference play, it kind of helps us a lot. Just having that confidence, and keeping that chip on our shoulder.”
Early on, it seemed like the No. 25 Virginia could squeak out the win. The Cavaliers scored a touchdown on their very first drive, running 12 plays over nearly seven minutes. But as they did all day, the Mountaineers responded, with a methodical touchdown drive of their own.
“Even when they started to put a drive together, there was no panic,” Rodriguez said. “Our guys keep playing until the series is over.”
At halftime, West Virginia was up 21-14, but Virginia quickly rebounded. On their second drive of the half, the Cavaliers faced a 4th and 10 from the West Virginia 34-yard-line. Rico Flores Jr. grabbed a Beau Pribula pass in coverage for a 26-yard completion, which set up the tying Pribula 1-yard touchdown pass to Jekail Middlebrook. That completed an 11-play, 66-yard touchdown drive.
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“We needed to make that play,” Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said. “And it was good to see our guys respond.”
But West Virginia quickly took back the lead. With 12 seconds remaining in the third, Hawkins threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to DJ Epps. And on West Virginia’s next drive, Hawkins and Bray struck magic before Hawkins’ fifth touchdown.
“It’s good to have [Bray],” Rodriguez said. “He’s our most explosive wideout. He’s strong.”
Virginia tried to rally but quickly found itself at fourth and 5 from its 30-yard-line. When West Virginia defensive back Geimere Latimer sacked Pribula, the game was all but over.
The Mountaineers notched a field goal seven plays later to arrive at 38-21, and on the next drive Virginia scored a touchdown.
Even that wasn’t enough to dim the loud West Virginia crowd, which clearly outnumbered the Virginia cohort.
“I thought we had a home field advantage,” Rodriguez said. “Our fans were fantastic all game.”
It helped that the Duke’s Mayo color is yellow, adding more yellow to an already majority yellow crowd. But mayo is not what the Mountaineers will be drinking tonight.
“We’ll take a red solo cup, put a little juice in it,” Rodriguez said. “We probably won’t drink wine and put our pinky finger up.”
Read more West Virginia football rolls over No. 25 Virginia behind QB Michael Hawkins
This story was originally published September 19, 2026 at 11:03 PM.
