Mike Hawkins Jr. Sets Program Record in Breakout Performance
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West Virginia University quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. capped the nonconference slate with 313 total yards of offense and accounted for five touchdowns in the upset win over No. 25 Virginia Saturday night.
The junior finished 10-of-17 passing for a season-high 190 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a career-high 123 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns, marking the first WVU quarterback to have three rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns in a game since Pat White against Louisville on Nov. 22, 2008.
It also set a program record for recording at least two passing and rushing touchdowns in a game.
"He's a dynamic player," said WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez. "I think he's going to keep getting better. I mean, it's just his third game in the system."
Hawkins had five runs of 13 yards or more, two of which went for touchdowns.
They can empty you out and create a lot of one-on-one matchups, and he made the throws," Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said.
Hawkins was throwing darts on third down. He was 4-6 for 91 yards and his two touchdowns went to receiver DJ Epps working the seam.
"We knew coming in that we wanted to make him one-dimensional if we could, but tonight we struggled in some situations," Elliott said. "Then I thought when we did get into some third-and-long situations, he just made the more competitive play than we did."
Hawkins dazzled fans with his big-play ability and his leap into the end zone to put the Mountaineers on the board in the first quarter was indicative of what was to come of the Virginia defense.
"His composure and his seeing what was out there, even on certain other plays, it maybe didn't hit the way we wanted to – he knew exactly what was going on," he stated. "So, I think he grew a lot. I think our offense grew a lot today at certain moments, but he's electric. I think he shown today, he's got a lot of really good football in front of him too."
Through three games, Hawkins has already provided plenty of "first since" moments. He became the first WVU quarterback to score a rushing touchdown in three consecutive games since Garrett Greene from Nov. 12-26, 2022. He also became the first West Virginia quarterback to throw and run for a touchdown in three consecutive games since Skyler Howard between Nov. 14-28, 2015.
Hawkins also is the first Mountaineer quarterback to eclipse 100 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game twice in a season since Garrett Greene did so in 2023 on Nov. 18 and 25.
Hawkins and the Mountaineers are back in action Saturday night at Mountaineer Field as the Oklahoma State Cowboys ride into Morgantown. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. EST and the action will broadcast on FS1.
Today's best reads
- WVU WR Prince Strachan Trending in the Right Direction, Could Make Debut vs. Virginia
- Mike Hawkins Jr. Did Something That Hasn't Been Done Since Pat White
- What Rich Rodriguez Said Following the Win Over UT Martin
- Rich Rodriguez Responds to Noel Devine's Arrest
- WVU Has the Quarterback to Beat Virginia – Will It Trust Him?
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/westvirginia as Mike Hawkins Jr. Sets Program Record in Breakout Performance.
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