The West Virginia Mountaineers saw their disappointing season come to an end on Saturday as they got shutout in a brutal 49-0 beating at the hands of No. 5 Texas Tech. As we wrap up the 2025 season for WVU football, here are some not-so-pleasant takeaways from the Saturday's loss.
The Mountaineers Were Completely Outmatched
Nothing about this game was competitive. Texas Tech scored their first touchdown on their drive of the game, and never really looked back. The Red Raiders never allowed for things to be close. A quick glance at the statistics shows how lopsided things really were. WVU was out-gained 572-180 in total offensive yards, outdone 33-9 in first downs, and held to just 37 rushing yards.
The Red Raiders snapped 94 plays to West Virginia's 54, averaged 6.1 yards per play, and won the time of possession battle 40:00 to 20:00. Nothing about what happened in Morgantown on Saturday made it seem like WVU had any business being on the field with a Top 5 team like Texas Tech, and the Mountaineers must fix that this offseason.
3rd & 4th Down Defensive Struggles
It seemed like one of the big stories on Saturday was the fact that the Mountaineers were able to force the Red Raiders into several third-down and fourth-down situations. But the Mountaineers struggled to take advantage of nearly any of those opportunities to end Texas Tech drives and get the ball back in their offense's hands. Texas Tech went 14-of-21 on third-down attempts against the Mountaineers, and 3-of-3 on fourth-down. You can't expect to win when you can't force the other team's Top 5 offense off the field.
Quarterback Uncertainty Returns
Well, Scotty Fox Jr. was given the reins of the offense and was able to keep it in his command for several games, but he looked overwhelmed against the Red Raiders on Saturday. He went 13-of-23 for 98 yards, one interception, and zero touchdowns, and once Tech took a 35-0 lead in the third quarter, he was benched in favor of Max Brown. After going 1-of-3 with an intercpetion of his own, Brown went to the bench and Khalil Wilkins saw playing time, going 1-of-4 himself. It might be time for Rodriguez to evaluate the quarterback talent in the protal.
It Finally Ends
It's been a long and arduous season for the Mountaineers, but it has now officially ended at 4-8 overall. Some longer term reflections can come later, but for now, it's clear there is plenty of work to be done in the offeseason for West Virginia. It's hard to tell whether we should be glad it happened, or glad that it's over right now – but hopefully, down the line, fans can look back at this season as the start of a strong second tenure for Rich Rodriguez.