MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – An impatient person by nature, Rich Rodriguez is forcing himself to become more patient with his wounded West Virginia University football team that will likely be playing its second consecutive Big 12 road game with a freshman quarterback behind center.

Rodriguez wasn't asked during his Tuesday afternoon news conference whether it will be Khalil Wilkins or Scotty Fox Jr., nor did the game notes clarify things with an "or" printed between Wilkins and Fox, and also between Fox and senior Jaylen Henderson. 

Rodriguez did indicate that Henderson is "doubtful" for Saturday's game at UCF, while junior Nicco Marchiol has already announced on social media his intention of redshirting the remainder of the season. 

Junior Max Brown is the remaining quarterback listed on the depth chart, and Rodriguez termed his availability as "probable" for the UCF game.

Therefore, by way of deductive reasoning, signs point to Wilkins getting his second career start on Saturday afternoon in Orlando.

His first one in Provo, Utah, nearly two weeks ago against 23^rd-ranked BYU on a Friday night was a mixed bag. He completed just 7 of his 15 pass attempts for 81 yards, had two touchdown passes dropped, ran for one and nearly threw a pick six on the team's second offensive possession of the game.

Wilkins was the team's leading rusher with 89 yards on 23 attempts, and he also led the offense to a second-quarter field goal before giving way to Fox late in the game.

Fox immediately marched the team down the field and into the end zone against mostly BYU backups. His 29-yard touchdown pass to Cam Vaughn with 1:14 left in the fourth quarter completed the scoring for the game.

The true freshman was 3-for-3 through the air for 54 yards.

Both got plenty of practice reps leading into the open date last Saturday, and Rodriguez mentioned that both will get the majority of the reps in preparation for this weekend's game.

"The two young guys have been getting reps, which is good for them," he said. "Every rep they can take is going to help their growth. They are still learning our stuff, of course, but they are also still learning the speed of the game at this level and all of the stuff it takes to execute at a high level.

"Last week was good for them getting a lot of reps, and certainly they are going to do the same this week, so we'll see what happens," he added.

In order for 2-4 West Virginia to move forward, there must be a resolution to its quarterback situation. 

Rodriguez said it's fairly simple from his viewpoint.

"Basically, just run the offense, make good decisions, make the plays that are there when they're there and if the play is not there, and it's a bad play call, help it by not making it disastrous," he explained. "A lot of times, with your quarterback, people judge them on what they do with the good plays, but sometimes, if there is a play call that's not good, they can rescue it or at least minimize the damage a little bit. That usually comes with more experience, but we don't have the benefit of that happening, so they've got to grow in a hurry."

Which leads us back to the patience aspect of things.

"That's part of the problem," the coach admitted. "I wish I had more patience, because I have no patience. That has never changed. People ask, 'Why do you like to go fast?' Because I have no patience. I want to call plays right now. I want to win yesterday. I can stand up here and preach, 'Let's have patience until we get this roster where we want it to go and get the system in place.' Hell, there isn't anybody more impatient than I am.

"I'm trying to figure out what we can do right now, every day, to win, legally within the rules, of course. Sometimes, it's painful to wait or understand that you've got to have a little luck or a plan to get fixed what you need to get fixed," he continued. "We have a plan. We are in the process of fixing it. Some of that involves external things that we're in the process of doing, and it's not fun right now to go through some stuff we're going through, but I'm not giving up on this year's team at all."

It's difficult to watch the growing process play out in real time on Saturdays, for sure, but that's where the Mountaineer program is right now with 81 new players, many of those transfer portal additions, and the offense now being operated by young and inexperienced quarterbacks.

When this happens, coaches have to simplify things until their quarterbacks can catch up.

"You've got to dial it back a little bit because you're like, 'Whoa, we need this and we need this.' Well, these guys haven't run this before," Rodriguez observed. "It's not like they've run this last year or whatever. We have to be very conscious of how much we put in, or how much we add while these guys get their experience."

Coach Scott Frost, like Rodriguez, is undergoing similar issues in his return to UCF. The 3-3 Knights are currently on a three-game losing streak while using three different starting quarterbacks.

Marshall transfer Cam Fancher was the latest to get service time behind center in last Saturday's 20-11 loss at Cincinnati. He completed 28 of 49 passes for 222 yards, and ran 20 times for 108 yards, but could only lead his team into the end zone once in the fourth quarter.

Fancher was making his first start since hurting his back in the season opener against Jacksonville State. The Knights' other two options at quarterback, Tayven Jackson and Jacurri Brown, have been battling injuries as well.

"I've always said this, 'If you've got a great quarterback, you've always got a chance to win.' If you don't have one that's good, you will always struggle," Rodriguez explained. "It's a team game, but it all starts with that guy. You look at the pro or collegiate level, or the high school level, if you've got a guy there you are going to have a chance. I think we've got good ones on our roster, and we'll continue to recruit good ones."

The outcome to Saturday's game could hinge on another position, perhaps at running back or wide receiver. UCF believes it has the best player on the field in senior running back Myles Montgomery, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound speedster who ranks fifth in the Big 12 in rushing with 434 yards while adding 117 yards through the air.

With Montgomery and the threat of the quarterback run, Rodriguez said it will force his defense to defend all 11 players on the field.

"We've struggled at times with mobile quarterbacks this year, just getting the guys down and allowing them to extend plays and do stuff," he said. "We've got to put pressure on the quarterback without exposing our guys to one-on-one coverage all the time, and we've got to get them on the ground. They're athletic enough to where they'll extend plays, and that's the thing that makes you most nervous by playing all these athletic quarterbacks."

Despite West Virginia having an extra week in prep time, oddsmakers have installed the Knights as a touchdown favorite.

Saturday's game at Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff, to be televised nationally on TNT, TruTV and HBO MAX (J.B. Long, Mike Golic Jr. and Lauren Jbara).

Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning starts with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show at 10 a.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.

Regular network coverage begins at noon.

West Virginia will be making its third-ever visit to Orlando, where it has won previously in 2004, when Rodriguez was coaching the Mountaineers for his first stint, and in 2023 when UCF was in its first season in the Big 12. West Virginia has also claimed victories over the Knights in Morgantown in 2003 and 2024.