The fresh start that WVU football was seeking to have as they began the second half of the season with a road game against UCF certainly did not come to fruition, as they were dismantled by the Knights. UCF, which, like the Mountaineers, entered the matchup winless in conference play, knocked off West Virginia by a final score of 45-13. West Virginia falls to 2-5 (0-4), and none of the four Big 12 losses have been close. The Mountaineers have been flat-out embarrassed, being outscored by their opponents 172-61 in conference play. The WVU defense that once impressed in the non-conference is now giving up 43 points per game over the last four matchups.
Heading into the matchup with UCF, there was at least a glimmer of hope that West Virginia was playing a team that they were a little more evenly matched with than their previous Big 12 foes. The 32-point victory for UCF proved otherwise.
There are four major truths that West Virginia fans should accept following this loss, all of which are aspects of the season that fans have been choosing to deny. After another embarrassing loss, there’s no more denying.
West Virginia Does Not Have A Quarterback
The old adage that if you have multiple quarterbacks, then you really have none, rings true of the Mountaineer football program in 2025.
Through four Big 12 games, West Virginia has played four different starting quarterbacks. Seniors Nicco Marchiol (out for the season) and Jaylen Henderson have been sidelined with injuries for the last two weeks, allowing for Khalil Wilkins and Scotty Fox Jr. to get playing time, each with a start in the last two games. Although Mountaineer Nation was hoping one of these guys would prove to be the “answer,” West Virginia’s offensive woes have continued.
Sure, the offensive line has struggled immensely, and the offense has lost key contributors at the skill positions due to injury, but the quarterback carousel has been laughable. Regardless of who starts or who finds their way into the game at signal caller, the offense continues to put together one poor performance after another. Wilkins and Fox Jr. combined for 79 yards on 11-of-27 passes against UCF. Deny it all you want, West Virginia simply doesn’t have a quarterback that can come and make a difference in relation to the trajectory of this season.
West Virginia Must Spend Money On The Offensive Line This Offseason
Week in and week out, the WVU offensive line is a topic of discussion, and it’s never in a good way. UCF had seven sacks and eight tackles-for-loss in the blowout. Despite 49 carries, WVU managed just 131 rushing yards, good for an average of 2.7 yards per carry. West Virginia punter Oliver Straw led the team in yards per carry after he faked a punt and carried the ball for a 12-yard first down.
Through seven games, the struggles up front for the WVU offense are not a fluke; this simply is not a group capable of getting the job done. If West Virginia wants to turn things around in 2026, it starts with adding pieces along the offensive line. While in the era of the transfer portal, there is no telling who will be here next year, but West Virginia has some talented skill players on the roster this season. The play of the offensive line has limited them immensely. Spend the money. Build an offensive line that is capable of competing at a high level.
The Secondary Is (Once Again) Really Bad
Stop denying it, not all of West Virginia’s defensive woes are found up front. Week after week, Big 12 quarterbacks are doing what they want to do against a struggling Mountaineer secondary.
UCF quarterback Tayven Jackson found a plethora of wide-open receivers en route to a 23-of-34, 277-yard afternoon. Bear Bachmeier of BYU threw for 351 yards while completing 18-of-25 passes. The week prior, Utah’s Devon Dampier was an efficient 21-of-26 through the air. He threw for 237 yards and 4 touchdowns. While West Virginia’s defensive front has regressed since entering conference play, let’s not ignore that opposing quarterbacks are having their way repeatedly against the WVU defensive backs.
2-10 Is A Real Possibility
The most disappointing part of the loss to UCF is rooted in the fact that you got flat-out embarrassed by a team that was 0-3 in Big 12 play. Again, on paper, this had the makings of what could be a competitive football game, and it wasn’t that in the slightest.
Over the last four games, there is no indication of winning being on the table for any game moving forward. Deny it all you want, but the fresh start that Rich Rodriguez and the Mountaineers were hoping for certainly doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon.