Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. will lead West Virginia’s potent offense against TCU’s stout defense in a Big 12 Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas.
Hawkins ranks second in the conference with 749 rushing yards and leads the league with 14 touchdowns on the ground. But when West Virginia (4-3, 1-3) beat Cincinnati 45-42 last Saturday, Hawkins did it with his arm, throwing for a career-high 464 yards and three touchdowns.
For the season, Hawkins has thrown for 1,519 yards and 10 touchdowns, with just one interception.
“He can run and is very fast and very athletic,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “He’s a very athletic guy that throws it well. He’s a true dual-threat guy.”
TCU (3-3, 1-2), meanwhile, earned a 17-6 win over Baylor last week, limiting the Bears to two field goals while recording four sacks and an interception.
The Horned Frogs lead the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing only 12.2 points per game. For West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, TCU’s success starts in the trenches.
“They are very athletic and can make you look silly up front,” Rodriguez said. “You’ve got to stay out of third-and-long where they do lots of their different blitzes.”
Horned Frogs quarterback Jaden Craig has 1,694 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. Jeremy Payne is TCU’s leading rusher with 429 yards and two touchdowns.
“We are hopefully starting to figure some things out offensively,” Dykes said. “But we still have to get our run game going.”
In addition to slowing down Hawkins, TCU will square off with a familiar face in West Virginia’s Cam Cook. The Big 12’s leading rusher (833 yards) spent his first two seasons at TCU and transferred to Jacksonville State for his third campaign. Cook was limited to 40 yards on the ground last week vs. Cincinnati.
“We are way more explosive than I thought we were going to be,” Cook said. “We’ve got people making plays, scoring touchdowns and making people miss. … I’ve never been a part of an offense this explosive.”