West Virginia (1-0) got the win it wanted Saturday.
Rich Rodriguez just did not love the way his team finished it. Read more: Rich Rodriguez pleased with the win, but far from satisfied with West Virginia’s second half.
The Mountaineers opened the 2026 season with a victory over Coastal Carolina, but instead of celebrating the final score, Rodriguez spent much of his postgame press conference pointing toward the areas that need to be fixed.
Related: West Virginia holds off Coastal Carolina in season opener, 31-24
West Virginia played well in the first half, executing on offense, defense, and special teams before struggling to find the same rhythm after halftime.
“First half we played good football, played smart football and executed,” Rodriguez said. “The second half we played bad football and didn’t execute.”
That was the biggest takeaway from Rodriguez after the game.
The Mountaineers were able to hold on and secure the win, but the second-half performance left plenty for the coaching staff to address before moving on to the next opponent.
Rodriguez said he planned to meet with his staff almost immediately after the press conference to begin going through the problems.
“Take the win and correct our mistakes starting in the next 15 minutes with the coaches,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez: It wasn’t an effort issue
For Rodriguez, the biggest concern was that West Virginia repeatedly failed to execute things the coaching staff had already emphasized.
“I don’t think it’s an effort thing, which is good,” Rodriguez said. “But there’s some execution type of stuff that happens repeatedly that it shouldn’t have happened.”
That frustration was obvious as Rodriguez talked about watching the same mistakes continue throughout the second half.
He joked that maybe his players were unable hear him from the sideline.
“Maybe I lost my voice. Maybe I’m mute. Maybe nobody hears me,” Rodriguez said.
Behind the jokes was a clear message: West Virginia has to clean up those mistakes quickly.
The Mountaineers also struggled to sustain possessions after halftime. Rodriguez pointed out that West Virginia had just two possessions in the third quarter, both ending in three-and-outs.
Coastal Carolina also began loading the box more heavily against the run, but Rodriguez said the Mountaineers still had opportunities they failed to capitalize on.
“We’re going to look at the film and say, gee, you know, we had some stuff there and just didn’t make it happen,” he said.
Hawkins gets his first start
Saturday also marked the beginning of the Michael Hawkins era at quarterback.
Hawkins earned the starting job after a close competition with Scotty Fox Jr., with Rodriguez saying both quarterbacks performed well enough to make the decision difficult.
“I think I have two stars with him and Scotty” Rodriguez said.
Hawkins showed flashes of the explosive ability that helped separate him during the competition, but Rodriguez acknowledged there were mistakes the Oklahoma transfer will want back.
Still, Rodriguez believes Hawkins will keep improving.
“He’s a very, very conscientious guy and knows that we can play better as a unit on offense,” Rodriguez said.
The flow of the game also limited the number of opportunities Hawkins had in the second half, making it difficult to fully evaluate the quarterback’s performance immediately after the game.
Rodriguez said Hawkins will grow from the experience, just as the rest of the offense will.
A costly mistake at the goal line
One of the clearest mistakes Rodriguez pointed to came on the goal line.
West Virginia fumbled while trying to reach for additional yards, costing the Mountaineers what Rodriguez believed should have been seven points.
“Yeah, you just can’t do that,” Rodriguez said.
His message was simple; unless it is fourth down and the offense has no other option, there is no reason to extend the football in that situation.
“That’s seven points it costs right there, but we’ll learn from that,” Rodriguez said.
It was one of several plays Rodriguez referenced when discussing the execution issues that showed up after halftime.
A special day for Pat White
Despite his frustration with the second half, Saturday was still a memorable day around Milan Puskar Stadium.
The Mountaineers honored Pat White, retiring his No. 5 jersey as the stadium was filled with fans dressed in white.
Rodriguez took time to praise the atmosphere and the way West Virginia fans showed up for one of the most important players in program history.
“Our crowd was fantastic,” Rodriguez said. “Really neat to see everybody in white for Pat White’s special day.”
The head coach was also on the field as White was honored and said seeing the former quarterback’s reaction was one of the highlights of the afternoon.
“You could see Pat’s emotion,” Rodriguez said. “It was first class, well done.”
Rodriguez said White did not make the day about himself before the game, either.
“That ain’t like him. He wasn’t going to make it about him. He was going to make it about the game,” Rodriguez said.
For Rodriguez, that was fitting for a player he called an icon.
“He’s an icon, and I love having him around, for sure,” Rodriguez said.
The win still matters
At the end of the day, Rodriguez knows exactly what matters most.
West Virginia won.
And Rodriguez repeatedly came back to that point despite his frustration with how the Mountaineers played after halftime.
“I’m happy to win,” he said. “It’s hard to win.”
That does not mean the problems will be ignored.
Rodriguez made it clear the coaching staff has plenty to correct. He expects his players to learn from Saturday’s mistakes.
“I’d rather work off a win than a loss,” Rodriguez said. “Now, anybody who wants to cry about a win, you know, they can cry about a win.”
The message was clear.
West Virginia left Saturday with a victory. Even with the win, Rodriguez expects the Mountaineers to look much better the next time they take the field.
