Game Preview: West Virginia football at Ohio
West Virginia will travel to Ohio for the second game of the season, and WVSports.com breaks down some of the key items of the match-up in our preview.
Kickoff: 4 PM ET.
Series: WVU 13-4
Last Meeting: 2001: WVU 20 OU 3
Television Information: ESPNU with Courtney Lyle (PBP), Rene Ingoglia (analyst).
Odds: West Virginia -3.5 — U/0 58.5
Head Coaches Information:
| West Virginia | Ohio | ||
| Rich Rodriguez | Brian Smith | ||
| Record at West Virginia: | 61-26 | Record at Ohio: | 1-1 |
| Overall Record: | 191-129-2 | Overall Record: | 1-1 |
| 2025 Record: | 1-0 | 2025 Record: | 0-1 |
Numbers of Note:
–The 2025 season marks West Virginia’s 133rd season of football. The Mountaineers are the winningest program in the Big 12 Conference and No. 15 in college football.
–West Virginia Football Coach Rich Rodriguez has 191 career victories, ranking No. 5 among active FBS coaches.
–WVU is 5-1 in games played on Sept. 6, including 1-1 on the road. The last time WVU played on that date was in 2014 vs. Towson in Morgantown (W/54-0).
–West Virginia is 0-2 all-time in games in Athens.
–WVU is 40-18 in nonconference games since 2010. The Mountaineers are 75-33 since 2000, including 25-25 on the road
–Sixty-six players saw their first action in a WVU uniform against Robert Morris. Fourteen players earned their first start for the Mountaineers.
–The Mountaineers are No. 1 nationally in red zone offense, No. 3 in rushing offense (393.0) and total offense (625.0), No. 23 in scoring offense (45.0) and No. 26 in first down offense (26).
–West Virginia surpassed at least 140 rushing yards in 27 of the last 29 games, dating back to 2022.
–West Virginia produced 625 yards of total offense against Robert Morris in the season opener, the most yards in a season opener since gaining 655 yards against Marshall in 2012.
–On first down, the Mountaineers have run 36 plays and gained 304 yards for a 8.4 average. On second down, the Mountaineers have run 27 plays for 251 yards and a 9.3 average. On third down, the Mountaineers have run 11 plays for 69 yards and a 6.3 average gain. West Virginia has run two on fourth down for one yard and a .5 average.
–WVU’s touchdowns have come four times on first down (3 rush/1 pass), one time on second down (1 rush/0 pass), one time on third down (1 rush/0 pass) and zero times on fourth down (0 rush/0 pass).
–Breaking down the West Virginia offensive numbers for the 2025 season shows that the Mountaineers have run 76 plays, 53 on the ground and 23 through the air.
–The rushing game has totaled 393 yards, an average of 7.4 yards per carry and five touchdowns. The passing attack has totaled 232 yards, one touchdown and an average of 12.9 yards per completion. Combine the two and the Mountaineers have turned in 625 yards of total offense, six touchdowns, an average of 8.2 yards per play and an average of 45.0 points per game.
–Deeper analysis shows that the Mountaineer offense has gained 17 first downs by the run and eight via the pass. On average, West Virginia has totaled 393.0 yards per game on the ground, 232.0 yards per game passing and 625.0 yards per game of total offense.
–The Mountaineers added 79 new players to the roster in 2025, including 39 on offense, 37 on defense and three on special teams.
–The 2025 roster consists of 124 players from 23 different states, Washington D.C. and three foreign countries: Australia (1), Finland (1) and Liberia (1).
–The ESPNU broadcast marks the 339th national television game for WVU. All-time, the Mountaineers are 178-159-1 in nationally televised games.
Ohio is coming off a 34-31 loss on the road at Rutgers, but senior quarterback Parker Navarro certainly looked the part, throwing for 221 yards and 3 touchdowns to go along with 96 rushing yards and a score. Navarro completed passes to eight different wide receivers, led by junior wide receiver Chase Hendricks with 9 catches for 115 yards. Tight ends Jake Bruno and Mason Williams combined for three scores.
Redshirt senior running back Sieh Bangura led the Bobcats in rushing with 88 yards on 16 carries.
The Bobcats rolled up 440 yards of total offense against the Scarlett Knights and were balanced with 201 rushing yards and 239 passing yards.
On defense, senior Adonis Williams led the Bobcats with 11 tackles while linebackers Jack Fries and Michael Molnar had eight and seven stops.
The Bobcats allowed 399 yards in the opener.
Coaching Staff Assignments:
Zac Alley (AHC-DC-LB/Field)
Travis Trickett (Senior Offensive Assistant/Press Box)
Jack Bicknell Jr. (OL/Field)
Jeff Casteel (Bandits/Field)
Logan Bradley (IR/Field)
Gabe Franklin (S/Field)
Ryan Garrett (WR/Field)
William Green (DL/Field)
Pat Kirkland (STC-Defensive Assistant/Field)
Michael Nysewander (TE/Field)
Larry Porter (RB/Field)
Rhett Rodriguez (QB/Press Box)
Rod West (CB/Field)
Derek Dressler (Assistant OL/Press Box)
Henry Weinreich (Nickels-Sams/Field)
Pat White (Assistant QB/Field)
Jake Casteel (Asst. Defensive Coach/Press Box)
Ryan Nehlen (Asstant WR/Press Box)
Andrew Warwick (Assistant Defensive Coach/Press Box)
Depth Chart:
OFFENSE:
QB:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Nicco Marchiol | 6-2 | 226 | r-Jr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 13 | Jaylen Henderson | 6-3 | 223 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 6 | Max Brown | 6-2 | 223 | r-Jr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 15 | Scotty Fox | 6-2 | 213 | Fr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 14 | Khalil Wilkins | 6-3 | 204 | r-Fr. |
RB:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jahiem White | 5-7 | 192 | Jr. |
| 27 | Clay Ash | 5-9 | 196 | So. |
| -or- | ||||
| 23 | Cyncir Bowers | 5-10 | 191 | So. |
| -or- | ||||
| 20 | Diore Hubbard | 5-10 | 191 | r-Fr. |
WR X:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Cam Vaughn | 6-2 | 185 | r-So. |
| 11 | Justin Smith-Brown | 5-11 | 190 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 16 | Jeff Weimer | 6-1 | 209 | r-Sr. |
WR Y:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Rodney Gallagher | 5-10 | 180 | Jr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 3 | Oran Singleton | 5-9 | 159 | Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 7 | Jarod Bowie | 5-9 | 162 | Sr. |
WR Z:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Jaden Bray | 6-2 | 205 | r-Sr. |
| 29 | Preston Fox | 5-10 | 181 | r-Sr. |
TE:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 80 Grayson Barnes | 6-4 | 222 | Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 81 | Jacob Barrick | 6-3 | 231 | Sr. |
LT:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | Nick Krahe | 6-6 | 305 | r-So. |
| 79 | Mickel Clay | 6-4 | 300 | Sr. |
LG:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | Walter Young Bear | 6-3 | 306 | r-Sr. |
| 57 | Donovan Haslam | 6-3 | 341 | r-Jr. |
C:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | Landen Livingston | 6-4 | 294 | r-Jr. |
| 55 | Carson Lee | 6-2 | 327 | r-Sr. |
RG:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | Kimo Makane’ole | 6-4 | 300 | r-Sr. |
| 59 | Josh Aisosa | 6-3 | 321 | r-So. |
RT:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Ty’Kieast Crawford | 6-5 | 305 | r-Sr. |
| 65 | Malik Agbo | 6-4 | 280 | r-Jr. |
DEFENSE:
DE:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Kelly | 6-5 | 286 | Sr. |
| 91 | Devin Grant | 6-2 | 267 | r-Sr. |
DT:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96 | Edward Vesterinen | 6-3 | 284 | r-Sr. |
| 92 | Asani Redwood | 6-3 | 294 | r-Jr. |
NG:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | Hammond Russell | 6-3 | 308 | r-Sr. |
| 69 | Nate Gabriel | 6-3 | 315 | So. |
BANDIT:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Braden Siders | 6-2 | 243 | r-Sr. |
| 18 | Curtis Jones | 6-4 | 231 | So. |
MIKE:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Reid Carrico | 6-2 | 229 | r-Sr. |
| 32 | Ben Bogle | 6-1 | 225 | r-Jr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 33 | Ashton Woods | 6-3 | 226 | r-Fr. |
WILL:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Chase Wilson | 6-1 | 230 | r-Sr. |
| 15 | Ben Cutter | 6-0 | 225 | Jr. |
NICKEL:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Fred Perry | 5-9 | 206 | Sr. |
| 34 | Chris Fileppo | 6-2 | 211 | Fr. |
FS:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Israel Boyce | 5-11 | 190 | So. |
| 14 | Kekoura Tarnue | 6-0 | 199 | Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 13 | Derek Carter | 5-10 | 181 | r-Sr. |
BS:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Darrian Lewis | 5-9 | 198 | r-Sr. |
| 8 | Justin Harrington | 6-3 | 217 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 4 | Jordan Walker | 6-0 | 194 | r-Sr. |
LCB:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Michael Coats | 5-11 | 183 | Sr. |
| 6 | Jordan Scruggs | 5-10 | 172 | r-Sr. |
RCB:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Jason Chambers | 5-11 | 193 | Sr. |
| 2 | Devonte Golden-Nelson | 5-11 | 184 | r-Sr. |
SPECIAL TEAMS:
K:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Kade Hensley | 5-10 | 190 | r-Sr. |
| 99 | Ethan Head | 6-1 | 185 | So. |
KO:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | Ethan Head | 6-1 | 185 | So. |
| 48 | Nate Flower | 6-2 | 184 | r-So. |
H:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Oliver Straw | 6-2 | 215 | Sr. |
| 42 | RJ Kocan | 5-10 | 233 | r-Jr. |
P:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Oliver Straw | 6-2 | 215 | Sr. |
| 47 | Aidan Stire | 6-0 | 198 | Fr. |
LS:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Macguire Moss | 6-1 | 225 | r-Jr. |
| 53 | Kaden Seller | 6-2 | 256 | r-Fr. |
KR/PR:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Preston Fox | 5-10 | 188 | r-Sr. |
| 7 | Jarod Bowie | 5-8 | 164 | r-Sr. |
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