West Virginia

2-0

Big 12 · Rich Rodriguez, year 2 (6-8) · Milan Puskar Stadium · 60,000 · 50,603 avg in 2026

The nationunrankedAP / Coaches
The model#133 CFB ZeitgeistSP+ #82 (-4.4) · FPI #61
The marketVirginia by 10vs Virginia · our model 17% West Virginia · a number, not a pick

LastW 52–7 vs UT Martin · Sat Sep 12 · Michael Hawkins Jr. 155 pass yds, 2 TD, 96 rush yds

Nextvs Virginia · Sat Sep 19 · 7:30 pm ET · Bank of America Stadium · Virginia by 10 · series 9-12-1, lost the last 3 · Game preview

Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2

Key stats — 2026 — FBS rank
Points/game
41.5
Pts allowed/game
15.5
Total yards/gm#40 / 138 · 71st pct
469.0
Rush yards/gmT-#10 / 138 · 93rd pct
298.5
Pass yards/gm#110 / 138 · 21st pct
170.5
Yards allowed/gm#96 / 138 · 31st pct
371.5
Rush yds allowed/gmT-#52 / 138 · 62nd pct
100.0
SacksT-#11 / 138 · 89th pct
7
InterceptionsT-#63 / 115 · 23rd pct
1
3rd-down conv#14 / 138 · 90th pct
56.7%
All 78 stats
Offense / Defense
Total yards
Team
938469.0/gm6.80/play#40 / 138 · 71st pct#28 / 69 · 60th pct#8 / 16 · 53rd pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
743371.5/gm5.54/play#96 / 138 · 31st pct#58 / 69 · 17th pct#16 / 16 · 3rd pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Rush yards
Team
597298.5/gm4.33/playT-#10 / 138 · 93rd pctT-#6 / 69 · 91st pct#4 / 16 · 78th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
200100.0/gm1.49/playT-#52 / 138 · 62nd pct#40 / 69 · 43rd pct#12 / 16 · 28th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Rush carries
Team
11256.0/gm#5 / 138 · 97th pct#2 / 69 · 98th pct#1 / 16 · 97th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
6432.0/gmT-#45 / 138 · 66th pctT-#31 / 69 · 55th pct#11 / 16 · 34th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Rush TDs
Team
73.5/gmT-#17 / 138 · 85th pctT-#12 / 69 · 79th pctT-#4 / 16 · 72nd pct#12 / 13 · 15th pct
Opp
00.0/gmT-#1 / 138 · 92nd pctT-#1 / 69 · 88th pctT-#1 / 16 · 88th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Net pass yards
Team
341170.5/gm2.47/play#110 / 138 · 21st pct#62 / 69 · 11th pct#15 / 16 · 9th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
543271.5/gm4.05/play#118 / 138 · 15th pct#66 / 69 · 5th pct#16 / 16 · 3rd pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Pass attempts
Team
2613.0/gm#134 / 138 · 3rd pct#68 / 69 · 2nd pct#16 / 16 · 3rd pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
7035.0/gmT-#105 / 138 · 24th pct#53 / 69 · 24th pct#12 / 16 · 28th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Completions
Team
199.5/gmT-#131 / 138 · 5th pctT-#67 / 69 · 3rd pctT-#15 / 16 · 6th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
4321.5/gmT-#106 / 138 · 22nd pctT-#57 / 69 · 17th pct#15 / 16 · 9th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Pass TDs
Team
42.0/gmT-#48 / 138 · 57th pctT-#33 / 69 · 46th pctT-#7 / 16 · 50th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
31.5/gmT-#75 / 138 · 36th pctT-#47 / 69 · 22nd pctT-#10 / 16 · 22nd pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Passer rating#3 / 115 · 98th pct#3 / 59 · 96th pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
226.3226.3
Interceptions thrown
Team
00.0/gmT-#92 / 138 · 17th pctT-#42 / 69 · 20th pctT-#11 / 16 · 19th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
10.5/gmT-#24 / 138 · 64th pctT-#11 / 69 · 64th pctT-#3 / 16 · 62nd pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Sacks (def)
Team
73.5/gmT-#11 / 138 · 89th pctT-#7 / 69 · 88th pct#2 / 16 · 91st pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
10.5/gmT-#9 / 138 · 86th pctT-#6 / 69 · 83rd pctT-#2 / 16 · 78th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Tackles for loss
Team
189.0/gmT-#10 / 138 · 92nd pctT-#5 / 69 · 92nd pctT-#1 / 16 · 91st pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
73.5/gmT-#30 / 138 · 76th pctT-#18 / 69 · 70th pctT-#6 / 16 · 62nd pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
First downs
Team
4120.5/gmT-#80 / 138 · 41st pctT-#48 / 69 · 30th pct#14 / 16 · 16th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
4020.0/gmT-#90 / 138 · 34th pctT-#57 / 69 · 17th pctT-#15 / 16 · 6th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
3rd-down conv
Team
178.5/gmT-#10 / 138 · 91st pctT-#5 / 69 · 92nd pct#2 / 16 · 91st pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
94.5/gmT-#52 / 138 · 58th pctT-#36 / 69 · 45th pctT-#8 / 16 · 50th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
3rd-down att
Team
3015.0/gmT-#29 / 138 · 78th pctT-#11 / 69 · 84th pctT-#3 / 16 · 81st pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
2613.0/gmT-#43 / 138 · 66th pctT-#21 / 69 · 66th pct#7 / 16 · 59th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
4th-down conv
Team
10.5/gmT-#85 / 138 · 29th pctT-#44 / 69 · 32nd pctT-#11 / 16 · 31st pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
21.0/gmT-#71 / 138 · 37th pctT-#40 / 69 · 32nd pctT-#10 / 16 · 25th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
4th-down att
Team
10.5/gmT-#119 / 138 · 9th pctT-#55 / 69 · 14th pctT-#12 / 16 · 22nd pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
52.5/gmT-#98 / 138 · 25th pctT-#54 / 69 · 20th pct#13 / 16 · 22nd pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct
Time of possession
Team
58:1229:06/gm#97 / 138 · 30th pct#48 / 69 · 31st pct#14 / 16 · 16th pct#13 / 13 · 8th pct
Opp
61:4830:54/gm#87 / 138 · 37th pct#48 / 69 · 31st pct#14 / 16 · 16th pct#1 / 13 · 100th pct

FBS rankings · 2026 season · all stats vs 136 FBS programs

Player stats — 2026 season
Quarterbacks
Player#GCmp/AttPctYdsY/ATDINTRateZPRQBRAdj ANY/ASack%
+0.66 EPA/play3216 / 2176.228713.73
#60 FBS
0238.199.8
Running Backs
Player#GCarYdsAvgTDLongStuff%10+%
Balanced Back · -0.11 EPA/play4240194
#26 FBS
4.83
#11 FBS
72
Receivers
Player#GRecYdsAvgTDLong
+2.02 EPA/play225148
#74 FBS
29.6159

2026 stat leaders · West Virginia

through 2 games

Isaiah Patterson leads West Virginia with 14 tackles through 2 games.

1. Isaiah Patterson LB 14 tackles
2. Cam Cook RB 194 rushing yards
3. DJ Epps WR 148 receiving yards
4. Kamari Wilson S 10 tackles
5. Geimere Latimer DB 9 tackles
How They Play · 2025

West Virginia fields a struggling run-heavy offense behind a solid, gives up the big play defense.

Offense
11th pct EPA/play
Run/Pass
61% run plays
Defense
53rd pct EPA allowed
Defensive shape
8th pct at limiting explosive plays

Percentile vs all FBS, based on this season's per-game production. Bar = where this team ranks — right is better.

The Savant Card · West Virginia · 2025

West Virginia reads strongest in rushing epa allowed (top 15%) and success rate allowed (top 37%); the crux lives in explosive plays allowed, where West Virginia sits at the 8th percentile.

offense · strengths lead

EPA / play +0.06
11th
Success Rate +0.37
12th
Explosive Plays +1.24
44th
Rushing EPA -0.02
8th

defense · higher bar = harder to play against

EPA Allowed +0.15
53rd
Success Rate Allowed +0.40
64th
Explosive Plays Allowed +1.39
8th
Passing EPA Allowed +0.35
18th

hidden math · special situations

Passing EPA +0.12
12th
Rushing EPA Allowed -0.00
86th
Elite · 90+Strong · 70+Average · 40-70Concern · 10-40Bottom · <10
Sources · CFBD tier-2 advanced stats · per-game production · 12 games this season · percentiles vs. up to 136 FBS peers

Home-field advantage · West Virginia · 2018–present · FBS opponents

West Virginia is worth +4.5 points more at home than on the road.

Middle of FBS, 61st percentile of 133 programs

57% at home, 37% away against FBS opponents since 2018 (24–18 home, 16–27 away). Interval ±3.8.

95% intervalmodel 2.3 · books ~3Weakest home edge in FBSStrongest

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge — per-team modelling was tested and did not survive scrutiny (why) — and the books use about 3. Against the closing line, West Virginia has beaten the number by +0.9 more at home than away over 72 games — inside the ±7.2 that many games can resolve. Results here cannot tell the flat number apart from the building, and that is the honest reading of nearly every FBS stadium.

Milan Puskar Stadium seats 60,000 and has averaged 86% full (51,419, 27 games reported). Visitors face the 3rd-longest trip of 135 FBS venues: a median 887 miles since 2018. The map isn't translating, though — the split above still reads middle of fbs. For the home side it is a home crowd more than a home town: only 7% of the 2026 roster (8 of 110 located players) grew up inside 100 miles of the stadium.

Edge = half the gap between average home margin and average road margin, FBS opponents only, non-neutral games since 2018; the interval is 95%. Market line: closing spread, seasons with lines on file. Trip length is straight-line miles from the visiting team's campus to the venue, measured across all 50 home games since 2018.

Home24–18Away16–27Edge+4.5 ±3.8Visitor trip887 mi

More in this tab

Scheme claimsFive specific, testable claims about how this team plays.

Fourth-quarter reliability, corrected

West Virginia's 4th-quarter offense, before and after garbage time

Raw Q4 EPA/play ranks 9th percentile in FBS. Strip out snaps taken with a blowout margin and it climbs to the 11th — the correction is the finding, not a footnote.

league medianRaw 4th quarter · 9th pctileCompetitive snaps only · 11th pctileWorst in FBSBest in FBS
Source CFB Zeitgeist · CFBD play-by-play, garbage-time adjusted by pre-play margin
Tendency driftHow this coordinator's calls have drifted since arriving.

Season by season

How West Virginia’s current staff calls plays, year over year

Offense: Chad Scott (2023–2024)
1st-down pass rate
2023: 39% → 2024: 36% · 3-pt range · #173 of 184 · less than most
Red-zone pass rate
2023: 32% → 2024: 35% · 4-pt range · #175 of 182 · less than most
4th-down go rate
2023: 54% → 2024: 61% · 7-pt range · #157 of 172 · less than most
Defense: Zac Alley (2025–2026)
1st-down pass rate
2025: 28% → 2026: 12% · 16-pt range · #39 of 203 · more than most
Red-zone pass rate
2025: 20% → 2026: 5% · 15-pt range · #93 of 200 · a typical amount
RatingsWhere the public rating systems put this team.

Model Consensus

Where the Models Rank West Virginia

CFB Zeitgeist

#133

-7.1

SP+

#82

-4.4

FPI

#61

+1.1

Elo

#98

1365

The national models put West Virginia between 61st and 98th nationally — CFB Zeitgeist is more skeptical, at 133rd.

National rank of 138 FBS teams · 2026 season. SP+/FPI/SRS published; Elo & CFB Zeitgeist ranked by rating.

Comparable teamsPrograms built like this one — tier, prestige band, kind of fanbase, roster size. Not a stat match.

Most similar programs · West Virginia

Reads like

Matched on how the programs are built — tier, prestige band, kind of fanbase, conference, voice and roster size — not on this season's stats. A calibration, not a prediction.

ConditionsThe weather and altitude visitors have to deal with.
Venue texture

61°F average kickoff temp; 16% of games had measurable precipitation; 6 mph average wind.

Based on 76 home games with weather data.

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