Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Cam Cook rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. picked up an additional 103 yards as West Virginia opened the season with a 31-24 win over Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Milan Puskar Stadium.
It was a day when Mountaineer legend Pat White had his No. 5 jersey retired. WVU (1-0) dominated the game early but a sloppy second half let the Chanticleers (0-1) back in the game.
The Mountaineers finished with 281 yards rushing on 61 carries while passing for just 132 yards. WVU finished with 413 total yards of offense, 336 of which came in the first half.
“Definitely had a lot of mistakes,” Cook said. “We could be a lot more disciplined as a team.”
Cook opened the game with a 72-yard run to set up his 3-yard touchdown run to give the Mountaineers a 7-0 lead after the PAT.
The running back found the end zone late in the second quarter on a 17-play, 86-yard trip down the field.
Hawkins completed 11 of 14 passes for 132 yards and one touchdown in his debut. He also lost a fumble at the Coastal Carolina goal line, one of several miscues that kept the Chanticleers within striking distance.
WVU managed just 77 yards of total offense in the second half. In the third quarter, Coastal Carolina used a 99-yard drive to get on the scoreboard. Three Mountaineer defensive penalties gave the Chanticleers life. Bailey connected with Robby Washington for 16 yards and Colton Hinton for 13 before finding Clayton Coppock for a 34-yard touchdown.
On the next possession, Bailey connected with Hinton for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 24-14 with 12:56 to play.
Hawkins answered with an 11-yard rushing touchdown with 2:58 to play but Coastal Carolina would answer when Bailey connected with Coppock for a 37-yard touchdown. The Chanticleers would tack on a field goal before falling short.
Bailey completed 21 of 37 passes for 373 yards for Coastal Carolina.
WVU remains at home to face Tennessee-Martin next Saturday afternoon.
Photo Credit: Kelsie LeRose, WVSN
