MORGANTOWN — Even though West Virginia University football coaches have said for weeks that the offense is working on its issues with errant snaps from center, the problem has continued to crop up for the Mountaineers.
In WVU’s last win over Arizona, offensive coordinator Chad Scott said the center-to-quarterback connection was still a little off target.
“I am surprised it’s that bad,” Scott said this week. “(Offensive line coach Matt) Moore does a phenomenal job working on it. It’s just … I’m not sure.”
When errant snaps started becoming a problem against Iowa State, coaches said that center Brandon Yates had hurt his hand and the wrap around the hand had created complications with gripping the ball. Since then, though, Scott isn’t sure what has allowed those problems to hang around.
“It’s an issue that we’ve got to continue to work,” Scott said, “and we are working it daily. And they’ve been great. Since we’ve been back (from the bye week), they’ve been great. So we have to continue working it daily.”
Scott lauded quarterback Nicco Marchiol for his ability to corral those bad snaps against Arizona in his first start of the season. There were several, Scott said, and Marchiol made sure they didn’t turn into negative plays or turnovers.
“He didn’t allow it to affect him,” Scott said. “He didn’t panic. He caught the snap, got his eyes back up … he didn’t get up and make a bad decision. He caught the ball, got his eyes back up, and trusted the guys in front of him.”
That poise will be necessary no matter which quarterback starts at noon Saturday for WVU (4-4, 3-2 Big 12) versus Cincinnati (FS1). Head coach Neal Brown said starter Garrett Greene was doubtful for that game as he continues to recover from a head injury suffered against Kansas State. The Bearcats (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) are tied with six other teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision for seventh place with eight fumbles recovered.
Games added to future schedules
The Mountaineers have added two games to its upcoming slate of contests in Charlotte, North Carolina, announcing Wednesday that WVU will play the University of Virginia twice in Bank of America Stadium in upcoming seasons.
WVU will play the Cavaliers first on Sept. 19, 2026, and again on Sept. 4, 2032. West Virginia has another Charlotte game on the horizon, in 2028 against Tennessee.
“The Charlotte region has a huge amount of WVU alumni, and adding these two games allows us to further engage our fans in the region, while putting a quality ACC regional opponent on our schedule,” WVU Athletic Director Wren Baker said. “Our players get to play in a great NFL football stadium and working with the Charlotte Sports Foundation over the years has proved to be a great partnership.”
With the announcement of the two UVA games in Charlotte, WVU also announced it has notified East Carolina it will use its cancellation clause in its contract to cancel a previously scheduled Sept. 19, 2026, game in Greenville, North Carolina.
“In today’s ever-changing landscape of college athletics, the financial aspect of adding these two games in Charlotte is far too important for us to pass up,” Baker said. “Aside from all the positives of playing a neutral site game in Charlotte, we have a fiscal responsibility to our future, and adding these two games makes strong financial sense for our department.”
TV time
Throughout the season, especially during bye weeks, many Mountaineer players try to catch college football games on television, especially games featuring future opponents. Wide receiver Traylon Ray said he enjoys sitting down and watching games with his roommate, fellow receiver Rodney Gallagher.
Ray admits watching games with teammates takes the practice to a different level than just a bunch of buddies sitting together around the television.
“Sometimes we have fun,” Ray said, and sometimes we’ll get a little mad because we’ll see something on screen that it will be like, ‘oh, you should do it here,’ or something like that. Or he’ll be like, ‘He’s right there. He’s wide open,’ and stuff like that. So, it’s kind of like we’re watching film sometimes.”
