MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In front of a home crowd of 57,093, the West Virginia Mountaineers opened their 2025 season with a resounding 45–3 win over Robert Morris, marking a triumphant return for head coach Rich Rodriguez, who last led the program nearly two decades ago.
Rodriguez, back on the Mountaineers’ sideline for the first time in 18 seasons, picked up his first win at WVU since 2007, tying Dana Holgorsen for second-most wins in school history with 61.
Ground Game Powers WVU Offense
Despite a day plagued by fumbles, West Virginia racked up six total touchdowns, five of them on the ground. Leading the charge was Jahiem White, who carried the ball 18 times for 93 yards and found the end zone twice.
Quarterback Nicco Marchiol added a rushing score of his own, finishing with 56 yards on 13 carries, and threw the team’s lone passing touchdown—a strike to Cam Vaughn, who led all receivers with 7 catches for 127 yards.
Marchiol completed 17 of 20 passes for 224 yards in a highly efficient performance before exiting early in the fourth quarter.
Backups Shine Late
Backup quarterback Jaylen Henderson stepped in seamlessly, engineering a 54-yard scoring drive that ended with a 26-yard touchdown run by Cyncir Bowers, stretching the lead to 38–3.
Later, true freshman Scotty Fox Jr. added the exclamation point. With just over four minutes remaining, Fox broke free for a 59-yard touchdown run on only his third play, electrifying the crowd and sealing the blowout.
Defense Dominates
The Mountaineers’ defense was relentless, recording four sacks, forcing two turnovers, and allowing just 123 total yards and eight first downs. West Virginia’s defense nearly pitched a shutout—if not for a second-quarter fumble that gave Robert Morris the ball at the WVU 19-yard line.
The Colonials capitalized with a 36-yard field goal by Jayson Jenkins, their only points of the day.
Robert Morris punted 11 times and struggled to generate any momentum on offense. They’ll look to regroup next week as they hit the road to face Youngstown State.
Looking Ahead:
West Virginia improves to 1-0, showing balance on offense, promising quarterback depth, and a suffocating defense. The Mountaineers now turn their attention to their first road test of the season as they head to Ohio University for a Sept. 6 matchup at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
