West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. does not sound surprised by what is happening in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers improved to 3-0 with a 38-27 win over No. 25 Virginia, their first 3-0 start since 2018. WVU entered the matchup as a double-digit underdog and walked out of Charlotte with a ranked victory after overcoming deficits of 7-0 and 14-7.
Hawkins’ reaction afterward suggested the people inside West Virginia’s building saw this coming long before the rest of college football did.
“We know what we have in this building,” Hawkins said. “A lot of people don’t.”
Michael Hawkins Jr. Is Giving WVU Fans Something to Believe In
It is becoming increasingly difficult for anyone outside the building to ignore Hawkins. The Oklahoma transfer accounted for all five West Virginia touchdowns against Virginia, completing 10 of 17 passes for 190 yards and two scores while rushing for another 123 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with 313 total yards and did not turn the football over.
The way Hawkins produced those numbers might be even more encouraging than the final stat line. Both of his touchdown passes to DJ Epps came on third-and-7, including the score that gave West Virginia a 28-21 lead it never surrendered. Later, with pressure closing in on third-and-5, Hawkins delivered a 38-yard pass to Jaden Bray that helped set up his third rushing touchdown.
Those are the plays that separate an exciting athlete from a quarterback capable of changing expectations for an entire team.
WVU Is Starting to Give the Rest of College Football Evidence
Hawkins’ quote works because West Virginia has already started backing it up. The Mountaineers did not reach 3-0 by simply handling an easy opening schedule. They just beat a ranked Virginia team by 11 points and did it after getting punched first twice.
Rich Rodriguez watched his quarterback respond every time, and afterward called Hawkins “a dynamic player” who still has plenty of room to improve in only his third game in the system.
There is still a long way to go before WVU knows exactly what this season can become. Three September wins do not guarantee anything once the schedule gets deeper and opponents get more opportunities to study Hawkins. Still, confidence sounds a little different when there is evidence behind it.
Hawkins says the people inside the WVU building already know what they have. After Saturday night, everyone outside of it might want to start paying attention. Time will tell what this win truly means for WVU football and the future of the program.
Michael Hawkins Jr. Knows Something About 3-0 WVU the Rest of College Football Doesn’t