By: Cole Livengood | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, WVU quarterback Jaylen Henderson will finally make his first start in a Mountaineer uniform. The redshirt senior from Los Angeles, California, transferred into the program from Texas A&M this offseason after missing the entire 2024 season with a humerus fracture he suffered in a 23-31 loss to Oklahoma State in the 2023 Texas Bowl.
The senior showed flashes in the last three games of the 2023 season for the Aggies, completing 67.9% of his passes for 715 yards, six touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Henderson’s last full start came in a 30-42 loss against #14 LSU in Death Valley where he completed 25 of his 35 attempts for 295 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
West Virginia will turn to Henderson following an up and down four week stretch from Nicco Marchiol, who will miss Saturday’s game with a foot injury. Marchiol, in light terms, hasn’t lived up to the expectations many fans believed he had entering this season after backing up Garrett Greene for two seasons. The redshirt junior currently has the fourth worst passer rating in the Big 12, alongside being the most sacked quarterback in the conference, going down nine times in just four games.
The Mountaineers need a spark, and they need one now as the road doesn’t get any easier in the following weeks. Six of the teams eight remaining opponents are either currently ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes. West Virginia’s matchup for this week, Utah, was ranked #16 in the nation before last weeks 34-10 loss to #12 Texas Tech. The Utes will enter Morgantown as 12.5-point favorites and with a 72.2% chance to win according to ESPN Analytics.
Read more about our predictions for tomorrow’s game here:
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
