The 2025 season for WVU Football was one marked with unfortunate breaks and times that felt like true rock bottom. Read more: Season in review: WVU Football
The Mountaineers truly had a season to forget, as injuries and blowout losses racked up throughout the year. Despite a final 4-8 record, capped by the program’s worst home loss since 1891, the season still hinted at signs of growth.
Let’s look at how this year went and how it may have been a necessary evil for the future success that head coach Rich Rodriguez will be able to deliver in Morgantown.
Injuries define the first half
After West Virginia blew out Robert Morris to open its season on Aug. 30, it traveled to Athens to face an always-tough Ohio Bobcat squad.
The Mountaineers were upset in this game, losing 17-10. But they also suffered injuries to offensive stars in Jahiem White and wide receiver Jaden Bray. Both losses would later be announced as season-ending injuries.
Despite that, WVU bounced back in a huge way the following week and took down its bitter rival, the Pittsburgh Panthers. In an instant classic for any West Virginia fan, former QB Nicco Marchiol lead the charge late in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
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Tye Edwards, filling in for the injured White, scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime — his third of the night. Without knowing, he would later suffer a hip injury in this game that would never fully recover and all but end his season.
The following week, when WVU faced Kansas, they not only had a lopsided 41-10 defeat, but they also lost Marchiol for the year with a foot injury.
After that, the Mountaineer offense as a whole could never fully recover. Injuries piled up as the season went on, especially on the offensive line. It’s never fun to make excuses, but injuries to key players such as White and Marchiol did not help the chances for this season.
Simply outmatched
It became easier to tell that the Mountaineers were simply outmatched as the season continued. Injuries contribute to this, but the massive overhaul in the transfer portal before the season also played a role.
Ultimately, the West Virginia coaching staff failed in certain areas of talent evaluation, especially on the defensive side. Players such as Jimmori Robinson and Braden Siders could not consistently produce to the level they had at their previous schools.
While you can’t put the blame fully on the coaches, they were the ones who brought them in before the season started. In their defense, they were not given much time to fill a roster.
However, I can’t entirely bash them for this since players like Fred Perry and Cam Vaughn played extremely well.
Overall, whether it was due to injuries or poor talent evaluation, West Virginia was clearly outmatched in most of the games they played this year. Six of its eight losses came by two scores or more. That includes surrendering over 40 points on multiple occasions.
When taking a closer look at the numbers, you can also see how WVU was outclassed. They averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. The offense could never stay on the field, as they had an abysmal 28% third-down conversion rate.
At times, the defense looked like it had the makings of being one of the best in the Big 12. But at other times, the secondary looked shaky and gave up a lot of big plays.
From top to bottom, West Virginia was outmatched and outplayed in a lot of the games it played this season. Time will tell if that changes moving forward.
Hope for the future
Regardless of the outcomes, West Virginia never threw in the towel. A lot of teams would have given up on the season, considering that at one point the Mountaineers were 2-6.
Instead, they rattled off back-to-back wins against Houston and Colorado. That win against the Cougars also came after they were freshly ranked in the top-25 and boasting an impressive 7-1 record.
The Mountaineers all but handled the Cougars with a near-perfect game. Led by true freshmen QB Scotty Fox Jr., the Mountaineers won 45-35. Fox threw for 157 and ran for 65 with two touchdowns.
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After those wins, WVU almost made it three in a row down in Tempe, Arizona. After another standout performance from Fox, the Mountaineers were in a good position to upset the Sun Devils. Bowl eligibility was on the line.
Despite a late surge in the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils were able to hit a late second field goal to win the game. While it wasn’t the result they wanted, the Mountaineers showed something in that game. Their young, inexperienced offense proved they had what it takes to win a tough Big 12 game on the road.
Don’t get used to this
Unfortunately, the Mountaineers would cap off this already tough season with a home loss to Texas Tech that is sure to leave a bad taste in a lot of fans’ mouths. They weren’t able to reach the endzone once. The Red Raiders poured on 49 points in an effort to look good in front of the CFP selection committee.
That officially ended WVU’s season at 4-8. A season chock full of some of the lowest lows West Virginia has seen in years. Devastating injuries, one-sided losses and at times, a lackluster offense.
Still, I don’t think this is something that will happen again in the Rich Rod 2.0 era. This type of season was almost bound to happen, given how little time the coaching staff had to replace a depleted roster. Don’t forget, West Virginia had 73 new players suit up for them this season.
Coupling that high rate of roster turnover with the type of injuries they suffered, it’s no doubt the season did not go as planned.
Now, West Virginia and Rodriguez have a whole offseason to plan and build a better roster from top to bottom. You can already see the effect in the recruiting trails with WVU landing one of the top offensive linemen in the class, Kevin Brown. They also recently nabbed four-star safety Matt Seig from Penn State.
They’ll also likely return key offensive players like Fox and running back Cyncir Bowers. Both of which proved they can be valuable pieces to the offense for years to come.
While this season will be one you want to forget as soon as possible, the stars are already starting to align for a brighter future for the Mountaineers.
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