Rich Rodriguez's offense delivers clear message about run game in WVU's opening win

West Virginia football opened their season with a win against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, and while there were a lot of things to take away from the 31-24 victory in first game of the year for the Mountaineers, one message wasdelivered loud and clearby Rich Rodriguez’s offense – the run game will be dominant this season.

The Mountaineers ran for 281 yards and three rushing touchdowns in the season opener, with both running back Cam Cook and quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. hitting over 100 yards on the ground. Cooklived up to his hype, but had 142 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, while Hawkins Jr. added 103 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries. 61 of the team’s 75 offensive snaps were run plays.

“We were able to put the ball in multiple players’ hands today,” Cook said following the game. "We ran the ball real way today.”

West Virginia's run game in top form against Coastal Carolina in Week 1

Rich Rodriguez is known for his high-octane, run-heavy offense putting up numbers on the ground when it's clicking. And while there was certainly a bit of a lag in the second half, it felt like the Mountaineers were getting back to looking like the Rich Rodriguez offenses of his first era with the program.

With Coastal Carolina fighting until the end and keeping the game a bit too close for comfort, and with the win coming over a Group of 6 opponent, it won’t be surprising if there are still some doubters when it comes to the season ahead. And that’s a completely fair take.

But what the Mountaineers demonstrated on Saturday without a doubt is that the West Virginia run game, when its clicking on all cylinders, is quite efficient, and might be able to give several of West Virginia’s opponents this season some serious problems.

Add us as a preferred source onGoogle

Follow