QB Scotty Fox continues to make strides
West Virginia true freshman Scotty Fox continues to make strides and that was on full display in the 45-35 upset win over No. 22 Houston.
Fox threw for 157 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 65 yards and 2 more scores, but perhaps more importantly, did not make any major mistakes in engineering the offense. It was the second consecutive game that head coach Rich Rodriguez played exclusively Fox, and the offense looked the part.
“Our freshman quarterback is growing up. He’s really poised, seeing things out there,” Rodriguez said. “Took care of the ball, didn’t throw into harm’s way and was seeing the field.”
Because the quarterback is asked to make so many decision in the running and passing game, you’re not going to be 100-percent but for a young guy Rodriguez felt that Fox was solid.
“He ran the ball well but he’s got next-level arm talent, you can see that. There’s not a throw that he can’t make and he made some phenomenal ones today,” he said.
Fox scored a 34-yard touchdown run on fourth down in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 38-28 and that was an example of his decision-making. Because Houston played a light box, Fox read that and took off with the football on a run-pass-option to go untouched for the score.
“He made a great decision there,” Rodriguez said.
The run game was a key factor for the Mountaineers with 246 yards and two touchdowns and it was a focus for the offense all week to be physical and respond. West Virginia scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and that was because of the physical element that they played with against Houston.
“We drove right down there the first two times and we were physical up front,” Fox said.
Fox is the fourth different quarterback to start a game for West Virginia this season and has come a long way since he first enrolled in January. While he committed to the previous coaching staff, felt that he had a chance to showcase his abilities as a dual threat in Rodriguez’s offense.
That’s exactly what has been unfolding.
“My mindset coming in was work as hard as I can, do everything I can, control what I can control and just go from there,” he said. “I was very blessed to have great coaches come into this. Got to stay ready and consistent.”
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