West Virginia holds off Coastal Carolina 31-24 in season opener
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 5, 2026, 7:53 PM
Last updated Sep 5, 2026
West Virginia secured a 31-24 victory against Coastal Carolina in Morgantown on Saturday. The Mountaineers established an early 24-0 lead behind the play of Cam Cook and Michael Hawkins Jr. Cook rushed for 142 yards and two scores, while Hawkins contributed a passing touchdown and a rushing score. Coastal Carolina mounted a comeback in the second half as redshirt freshman quarterback Deuce Bailey threw three touchdown passes. A late field goal by Nico Cavanillas Alti narrowed the deficit to seven, but West Virginia recovered to end the game. West Virginia will face UT Martin next Saturday, while Coastal Carolina is scheduled to host Fordham.
- •Cam Cook recorded 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns for West Virginia.
- •Coastal Carolina quarterback Deuce Bailey threw three second-half touchdown passes.
- •West Virginia outgained Coastal Carolina 413-425 in total yardage.
- •West Virginia next hosts UT Martin on Saturday.
- •Coastal Carolina hosts Fordham in their next matchup.
- 7:53 PMYahoo Sports — Cook, Hawkins lead West Virginia over Coastal Carolina 31-24
"Cam Cook rushed for 142 yards and two short touchdowns, Michael Hawkins Jr. threw for one score and passed for another TD, and West Virginia held on for a 31-24 win over Coastal Carolina in the teams’ season opener Saturday. On a day in which West Virginia retired the No. 5 jersey of record-setting quarterback Pat White, the Mountaineers dominated the game early but looked disheveled on both sides of the ball for much of the second half. Coastal Carolina's Nico Cavanillas Alti kicked a 32-yard field goal with 27 seconds left to cap the Chanticleers' rally from a 24-0 deficit.
Sources
External linksOriginal reporting and copyright belong to the linked sources. SportsNewsReport.com aggregates and links — it does not republish full articles.
Related Stories
Last 14 days
Football•Sep 5, 2026, 9:10 PMESPN moves end of close Houston-Oregon State game to show start of Texas-Texas State
NFL•Sep 5, 2026, 9:08 PMMike Vrabel could get involved with Christian Gonzalez contract talks
Football•Sep 5, 2026, 9:07 PMIndiana football's Khobie Martin injured in season opener
NFL•Sep 5, 2026, 9:00 PMDallas Cowboys countdown to kickoff: Top 100 iconic games - Day 8
NFL•Sep 5, 2026, 8:46 PMAaron Donald Court Fight With Ex Came to Light Ahead of NFL Return
FootballFootball•Sep 5, 2026, 8:46 PMEagles blank Invaders 42-0 for second straight win