As West Virginia goes into its second-to-last road game of the 2025 season, the Mountaineers do so with more clarity at quarterback than they’ve had since losing Nicco Marchiol, the most experienced player at that position, for the season after four games.
Come noon Saturday, true freshman Scotty Fox Jr. will make his third consecutive start at Houston hoping to build off a solid showing last Saturday in a 23-17 loss to TCU.
Fox completed 28-of-41 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns and did not register a turnover against the Horned Frogs. His play enabled the Mountaineers to move the ball through the air as they were unable to on the ground while being limited to 41 rushing yards.
“He was accurate. His decision-making was really good for the most part,” WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “He was seeing the field and getting rid of the ball quickly when he had to. There was a lot to grow off of, but he’s going to see something new every week, different defenses and different ways people play against him, and we have to help prepare him for that.
“For a true freshman in that environment, he was composed. There were a couple times he dropped snaps or something, but even then he didn’t panic. I was proud of the way he played.”
Fox overcame a sluggish start as the Mountaineers were held scoreless in the fourth quarter for a sixth straight game and did not record a first down until converting a fourth down on the team’s fourth series.
After halftime, Fox completed 15-of-24 passes for 193 yards, including an accurate 28-yard touchdown throw to wideout Jeff Weimer that allowed the Mountaineers to trail by six inside the 4-minute mark.
While Rodriguez was pleased with the progress Fox displayed in a far better showing than what had transpired one week earlier in a 32-point loss at Central Florida, the head coach indicated he would devote near equal time to reinforcing strengths and harping on weaknesses.
“We call our meeting rooms the truth rooms. We don’t worry about anybody’s feelings or anything like that. We tell them straight up that was not very smart or that was really good,” Rodriguez said. “It’s not all negative or all positive. It just is what it is, and quarterbacks, we tell them we’re going to be brutally honest with you and this is how it’s going to go. We don’t worry about he’s a freshman, let’s treat him with kid gloves and not destroy his confidence. You destroy confidence by playing poorly. You play well, you get more confidence. He played pretty well. There were a couple freshman moments, but he played pretty well.”
Tight end Grayson Barnes, who brought in a 17-yard second-quarter touchdown that marked Fox’s first career TD pass at home, could sense a difference in Fox.
“It looked like he was more calm, more confident in the pocket and stayed in control,” Barnes said.
As the Mountaineers (2-6, 0-5) seek an upset against the 22nd-ranked Cougars (7-1, 4-1), they also hope for continued development from Fox, who has completed 39-of-66 passes for 466 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for the season.
He’s more seasoned than when he took the field for his first start against the Knights and Rodriguez has a better idea of Fox’s strengths and weaknesses, but the signal-caller figures to face a significant challenge against the conference’s fifth-best scoring defense at 18.6 points.
Houston has 21 sacks and has allowed opponents to convert fewer than 35 percent of the time on third down.
Fox may also be one of only two scholarship quarterbacks available for the Mountaineers with Marchiol and Jaylen Henderson ruled out and Khalil Wilkins labeled questionable.
“What’s most unique with Scotty is he doesn’t have any experience around him,” Rodriguez said. “The guys might be older guys, but everybody around him is new to the system and everybody but one is a new starter. It’s a different dynamic. I’ve had freshman quarterbacks before, but they had experience up front, maybe some experience in the receiving room. Everybody doesn’t have any experience. That’s not an excuse. It’s just the reality. We have to be able to have enough stuff to score points and execute, but we can’t overcomplicate things not just for the quarterback, but for everybody else around him.”