It’s no secret that West Virginia likes to run the football, and when you have two dynamic players like Cam Cook and dual-threat quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr., it’s easy to see why. The Mountaineers don’t throw it around much, but when they do, big things typically happen.
So far this season, Hawkins has completed 12/27 passes beyond 20 yards downfield for a total of 416 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions. That’s the 15th-most yards, and only six other quarterbacks have more “big time throws,” according to Pro Football Focus.
Much of Hawkins’ damage has come from attacking the seams, but he’s made just about every throw possible, even with limited pass attempts. Just because WVU doesn’t throw it much, it has created this lazy narrative that Hawkins struggles to throw the ball and that he’s just a running quarterback. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
“He’s made some really good throws,” WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said about Hawkins as a passer. “There was some touch passes he made in the last game where, maybe a month ago, he might have been overthrowing a little bit. So I think he’s learning who he’s throwing to, but also the intent of the play or the intent of the route. I think he’ll continue to get better, and people are going to force us to throw it. They can outnumber you and play Cover 0, and if you can’t pitch and catch, you’re going to have a hard time. But Mike can make all the throws, and I think we got a pretty solid group of receivers.”
Six of Hawkins’ incompletions have been recorded by drops on PFF, but I would chart that a little higher, pushing double digits. It’s all subjective. Everyone defines a drop differently, but you also have to factor in the throwaways when talking about completion percentage. Hawkins is not the type of quarterback to force a pass into a tight window, risking an interception. If it’s not there and he can’t make something happen with his feet, he will live to see the next down.
This week will be a good test for him and the passing game as they face an Arizona defense that ranks 11th against the run (making you throw it some) and gets a ton of pressure on the quarterback. They have the 2nd-most pressures in the FBS (78), 2nd-most hits (51), and the fifth-most sacks (17). That said, if they don’t get home, they are vulnerable to giving up big plays through the air. Hawkins will need to be on point for WVU to win this game, and it’s a big statement opportunity for him to prove he’s not just a running quarterback, which he’s not.
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