theintermountain
West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. had a strong support system at the TCU game, with family and friends from his hometown of Dallas making the short trip to Fort Worth. "Aunties, uncles, cousins, friends, it was a lot of people," Hawkins said. The game held special significance for him, and he delivered another impressive rushing performance against one of the Big 12's top defenses. Hawkins added two rushing touchdowns, bringing his season total to 16, which ties him with Army quarterback Cale Hellums for the most in college football. He also ran for 94 yards. Against a talented defensive front, Hawkins emphasized patience. "Just kind of taking it play by play," he said. "Letting it develop."
While Hawkins' running ability has never been in question, his passing has drawn scrutiny. He silenced critics with a career-high 464 passing yards in a win over Cincinnati, but against TCU, he struggled again. Hawkins threw for a season-low 79 yards, completing 7 of 15 passes with an interception. It marked his fourth game with a completion percentage under 50%. He had several overthrows, and his receivers had costly drops, including a perfectly thrown touchdown pass that D.J. Epps let slip through his hands. "We obviously played a great defense, has a great secondary, great D-linemen," Hawkins said. "I think the biggest thing for us as a whole was just mental errors. For me, connecting with my receivers that I shouldn't have missed. Those were big moments in the game."
The Horned Frogs' defense, among the best in the conference and nation, limited West Virginia's offense to 24 points and 272 total yards. TCU aimed to force Hawkins to beat them through the air, as he had against Cincinnati, often dropping back in coverage rather than rushing him. Hawkins noted that the coverages were nothing new, primarily Cover 3 and Cover 4. "They didn't bring a lot of pressure," Hawkins said. "I think the biggest thing is just taking what they give you. Some of those plays I didn't. Just getting back on the board, on film and just kind of reflecting and knowing that I can do better to help the team win. That was probably the biggest thing."
Key Analysis
Hawkins has shown steady improvement as a passer week by week, and his growth extends beyond the field. Once described as quiet by coach Rich Rodriguez in the spring, Hawkins has become more vocal as a leader. "I feel like I've matured more as a leader," Hawkins said. "Just kind of keeping our guys engaged. The passing game is getting there. Taking it week by week, so just getting that going and focusing on that. That's the biggest thing for us as an offense, and me personally." The Mountaineers enter the bye week on a two-game winning streak, and Hawkins plans to rest while addressing the areas that need refinement. The road ahead is daunting: West Virginia travels to No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 6 Utah and hosts No. 18 Houston. For the Mountaineers to pull off upsets and build momentum for next season, Hawkins must be at his best in all facets. "I say our best ball is ahead of us," Hawkins said. "We are playing pretty good. I feel like we have a lot of things to fix. Me personally, too. This bye week is big for us. We've been at it for eight weeks, so it's a good feeling."
Originally reported by theintermountain.