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09/19 23:56 CDT West Virginia beats No. 25 Virginia 38-27 in the Duke's Mayo
Classic
West Virginia beats No. 25 Virginia 38-27 in the Duke's Mayo Classic
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) --- Michael Hawkins Jr. says he learned a lot at Oklahoma
before transferring to West Virginia in January.
Hawkins accounted for 313 yards of total offense and five touchdowns and West
Virginia beat No. 25 Virginia 38-27 on Saturday night in the Duke's Mayo
Classic at the Carolina Panthers' Bank of America Stadium.
Hawkins has led the Mountaineers to a 3-0 start for coach Rich Rodriguez.
"It feels great," Hawkins said. "Coming to a new program and getting the guys
behind you and playing as a whole is a big key. All of us were on the same page
tonight. I learned a lot at Oklahoma. I just brought that along with me to West
Virginia."
Hawkins, who had two TD runs and a TD pass in the first half, threw his second
TD pass to D.J. Epps late in the third quarter to give West Virginia the lead
for good.
Virginia responded by driving to the 13 before a sack moved the Cavaliers back
to the 22 and Will Bettridge's 41-yard field goal attempt was wide right with
9:13 to play.
Following that miss, Hawkins directed a 78-yard drive to clinch the victory,
scoring on a 5-yard run with 5:24 play.
Hawkins finished with 10 completions in 17 attempts for 190 yards and two TDs.
He ran 18 times for 123 yards and three TDs.
"He's a dynamic player and I think he's going to keep getting better,"
Rodriguez said. "I mean, it's just his third game in the system.
"He knew exactly what was going on. So I think he grew a lot. I think our
offense grew a lot today at certain moments, but Mike was, well he's electric.
He's got a lot of really good football in front of him too."
The Takeaway West Virginia: Following wins over Coastal Carolina (31-24) and UT Martin (52-7) to open, perhaps the Mountaineers will get some attention as a Big 12 title contender after knocking off previously unbeaten Virginia. Virginia: The Cavaliers hadn't trailed this season until late in the first half on Saturday. Virginia still looks to be an ACC title contender but doesn't begin league play until Oct. 3 at Florida State. Home game? Of the 39,377 in attendance, approximately two-thirds were yellow-attired West Virginia fans. Rodriguez said their support aided his team's victory. "Really excited for our players and our fans, a really nice win," he said afterward. "I thought we had a home field advantage. Our fans were fantastic. The whole game." Up next West Virginia: Hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday. Virginia: Hosts Delaware on Saturday. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here |
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