West Virginia blows out Robert Morris 45-3 in opener
West Virginia overcame a sluggish fist half to open the season with a 45-3 victory over Robert Morris inside Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday.
The Mountaineers overcame four first half fumbles, three of which resulted in turnovers, to pull away from a 10-3 halftime edge with 35 unanswered in the second half of the game.
Redshirt junior quarterback Nicco Marchiol earned the start for the Mountaineers and played a majority of the game completing 17-20 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Jahiem White led the Mountaineers in rushing with 93 yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Cam Vaughn led in the receiving department with 127 yards and a touchdown.
The defense forced a pair of turnovers and held Robert Morris to just 123 total yards and 8 first downs. The unit also forced eight three and outs and held the Colonials to just 53 yards rushing.
WVU won the coin toss and elected to defer. On the opening kickoff, safety Justin Harrington received an unnecessary roughness penalty after a late hit. Starting at the 38-yard line, the West Virginia defense was able to force a three and out.
In the Mountaineers’ opening drive of the season, they moved the ball quickly and efficiently down the field. It took 10 plays in three minutes and 22 seconds before Marchiol ran in a 10-yard touchdown. White added 30 yards on the ground on the drive.
In WVU’s third offensive drive, the offense worked 75 yards down the field but stalled in the red zone ending in a field goal off the foot of Kade Hensley.
On the next drive, the cornerback Jordan Scruggs leveled Donta Whack, forcing a fumble recovered by WVU.
The following three Mountaineers possessions resulted in turnovers, all through fumbles: wide receiver Vaughn, wide receiver Oran Singleton Jr., and tight end Grayson Barnes each put the ball on the turf. Jayson Jenkins converted a 36-yard field goal with 3:08 seconds in the second quarter to cut the score to 10-3 and that is where it would sit heading into the half.
The Mountaineers started with the football out of the half and quickly moved down the field 64-yards in nine plays which was capped off by a White touchdown from one-yard out to make the score 17-3.
The defense responded with a three-and-out, their fourth of the game, and the offense would take back over at their own 49-yard line but a pair of penalties would stall out the drive and force a punt.
The Mountaineers defense would force their second turnover of the game after a forced fumble set the offense up just outside of the red zone. Three plays later, White would get into the end zone to put the Mountaineers ahead 24-3 with 5:21 remaining in the third.
On the next West Virginia possession, Marchiol would throw his first touchdown pass on a 46-yard connection with Vaughn to put the Mountaineers ahead 31-3 with 13:52 left.
Redshirt senior quarterback Jaylen Henderson would take over at quarterback with 12:07 remaining and would quickly lead a touchdown drive of his own with Cyncir Bowers taking the ball into the end zone from 26-yards out to increase the edge to 38-3. True freshman Scotty Fox also saw action in the fourth quarter and scored on a quarterback keeper from 59-yards out to put the score at 45-3.
West Virginia will hit the road next to take on Ohio with kickoff set for 4 p.m. Sept. 6.
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