MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — One game is already in the books, and now West Virginia is looking to do it again.
The Mountaineers are back at Milan Puskar Stadium Saturday to face UT Martin, with the Skyhawks coming to Morgantown for the second game of the 2026 season.
West Virginia opened the year with a 31-24 win over Coastal Carolina, but the game ended up being much closer than it looked early on.
This time around, the Mountaineers are looking for a more complete performance. Read more: Setting the Scene: West Virginia vs. UT Martin.
A strong start
West Virginia got off to a fast start against Coastal Carolina.
Really fast.
On the first play of the game, Cam Cook broke off a run of more than 70 yards and put the Mountaineers right near the goal line.
WVU scored shortly after and built its lead from there.
By the second quarter, the Mountaineers were up 24-0.
Then the game changed.
West Virginia slowed down on offense, and Coastal Carolina started to find some momentum. What looked like it could be an easy afternoon turned into a game that WVU had to finish out.
The Mountaineers got the win, but there was still plenty to take away from the second half.
Related: Everything you need to know: WVU hosts UT Martin in Week 2
Saturday gives WVU another chance to show it can keep the same energy going throughout the game.
Another home game
There is also something familiar about this week’s matchup.
For the second straight week, West Virginia will be playing in front of its home crowd.
The Mountaineers are aiming to make the most of that again, this time against a UT Martin team that comes into Morgantown with a 1-1 record.
The Skyhawks lost their season opener to Central Arkansas, 36-24, before bouncing back last week.
And they did so in a big way.
UT Martin defeated Chicago State, 42-7, and finished with almost 500 yards of offense.
That makes Saturday another test for West Virginia’s defense.
A chance for the defense
Zac Alley has talked about creating turnovers since taking over as West Virginia’s defensive coordinator.
He has also said that if his defense can force three turnovers, it gives the team a pretty good chance to win.
The Mountaineers had some success doing that against Coastal Carolina.
Related: Keys to the game: WVU aims to move to 2-0 for the first time since 2018
WVU forced a few fumbles and also got five sacks, but there were other opportunities that the defense will want to turn into plays this week.
UT Martin showed last week that it can move the football.
West Virginia will need to make sure the Skyhawks do not get comfortable.
Getting pressure on the quarterback and forcing mistakes could go a long way toward doing that.
The running game is back
One of the biggest positives from the opener was the way West Virginia ran the football.
Cook finished with 119 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including the huge run that started the game.
Hawkins also made plays with his legs, giving the Mountaineers another way to move the ball.
That running game will be important again Saturday.
If WVU can get Cook and the rest of the backs going early, it can take some pressure off Hawkins and open things up for the passing game.
The Mountaineers already showed what they can do when the run game gets going.
Now they have to keep it going.
Another step forward
West Virginia is 1-0, and that is the most important thing.
But after the way the Coastal Carolina game ended, there is still something the Mountaineers want to prove.
They can start fast and they can move the football.
They can create plays on defense.
Now, they need to put all of it together for a full game.
UT Martin comes into Morgantown hoping to spoil West Virginia’s second home game of the season.
The Mountaineers is preparing to make sure that does not happen.
Kickoff is around the corner, and WVU has a chance to move to 2-0.
This time, the goal is not just to start fast.
It is to finish that way, too.
Head over to 100.9 FM The Torch or any of its affiliate stations across the John Fredericks Media Network to catch The Mountaineer Tailgate pregame show. It runs from 11 a.m. up until kickoff between the Mountaineers and Skyhawks.
Stay up to date with WV Sports Nation for more WVU Athletics coverage.
