Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
It’s Game Week!
August 31, 2026 11:05 AM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Game week has finally arrived!
The West Virginia University Mountaineers kick off their 134th season of play on Saturday, Sept. 5, against Coastal Carolina of the Sun Belt Conference.
The Chanticleers are now coached by Ryan Beard, who led Missouri State to 7-5 record last season. He brought both of his coordinators to Conway, South Carolina – offensive coordinator Nick Petrino, son of Bobby Petrino, and defensive coordinator L.D. Scott.
According to Phil Steele's 2026 College Football Preview, Beard added 56 new players to the Coastal roster this year, broken down to 38 transfers, five junior college transfers and 13 high school performers.
Surprisingly, he added only a handful of Missouri State players and among them, just three are projected to start, according to Steele.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Deuce Bailey is one of those Missouri State imports, and he is locked in a tight battle with Tyler Junior College transfer Tre Guerra, who put up big numbers and led his team to the 2025 NJCAA title. Beard has yet to publicly name a starter for Saturday.
Despite published reports last weekend, West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez has also not publicly revealed his starting quarterback. Returner Scotty Fox Jr. and Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. have been battling it out since spring.
Mountaineer fans wanting to know more about the quarterback situation and this week's opener are encouraged to tune into tonight's Rich Rodriguez Radio Show, live from Kegler's Sports Bar & Grille at 6 p.m.
Special guests include defensive coordinator Zac Alley and assistant quarterbacks coach Pat White, whose jersey No. 5 will be officially retired on Saturday. More on that below.
Rodriguez's weekly press conferences inside the Milan Puskar Stadium Team Room begin Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 12:05 p.m. and will be carried live by select Mountaineer Sports Network radio affiliates.
Rodriguez press conferences will take place each Tuesday at noon throughout the season and will be archived on WVUsports.com and West Virginia's official YouTube channel, WVUsports. Event, parking and ticket information as well as game notes will also be made available on Tuesday.
The Rich Rodriguez TV Show, presented by Little General Stores, premiered last weekend on these Nexstar TV stations in West Virginia:
WBOY-NBC (Clarksburg) – Saturdays at 9 a.m.
WOWK-CBS (Charleston – Saturdays at 9 am.
WTRF-CBS (Wheeling) – Saturdays at 9 a.m.
WVNS-CBS (Beckley) – Saturdays at 9 a.m.
DC News Now will be televising the shows at 11 a.m. on Saturdays while SportsNet Pittsburgh's coverage will air at various times on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the season. Check your local listings.
The Rich Rodriguez TV Show is produced by Gold and Blue Nation and is hosted by veteran WVU play-by-play man Tony Caridi and co-hosted by Nick Farrell and Sydney Cariel. Each episode will be archived at GoldandBlueNation.com for on-demand playback.
As mentioned above, prior to Saturday's game, West Virginia University will officially retire legendary quarterback Pat White's No. 5. Fans are encouraged to wear white to the game in honor of White, who became the first starting quarterback in NCAA history to win four consecutive bowl games while at West Virginia.
Fans who purchased their tickets before Aug. 1 received an exclusive ticket commemorating the historic occasion.
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased through the Mountaineer Ticket Office by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
Live game coverage begins on Saturday morning with the Mountaineer Tailgate Show at 9 a.m. on stations throughout West Virginia leading into regular network coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning at 11 a.m.
TNT, TruTV and HBO Max (J.B. Long, Mike Golic Jr. and Coy Wire) will provide live television coverage at noon.
Be sure to check out WVUsports.com and Mountaineer football's social accounts throughout the week for more game updates.
The West Virginia University Mountaineers kick off their 134th season of play on Saturday, Sept. 5, against Coastal Carolina of the Sun Belt Conference.
The Chanticleers are now coached by Ryan Beard, who led Missouri State to 7-5 record last season. He brought both of his coordinators to Conway, South Carolina – offensive coordinator Nick Petrino, son of Bobby Petrino, and defensive coordinator L.D. Scott.
According to Phil Steele's 2026 College Football Preview, Beard added 56 new players to the Coastal roster this year, broken down to 38 transfers, five junior college transfers and 13 high school performers.
Surprisingly, he added only a handful of Missouri State players and among them, just three are projected to start, according to Steele.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Deuce Bailey is one of those Missouri State imports, and he is locked in a tight battle with Tyler Junior College transfer Tre Guerra, who put up big numbers and led his team to the 2025 NJCAA title. Beard has yet to publicly name a starter for Saturday.
Despite published reports last weekend, West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez has also not publicly revealed his starting quarterback. Returner Scotty Fox Jr. and Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. have been battling it out since spring.
Mountaineer fans wanting to know more about the quarterback situation and this week's opener are encouraged to tune into tonight's Rich Rodriguez Radio Show, live from Kegler's Sports Bar & Grille at 6 p.m.
Special guests include defensive coordinator Zac Alley and assistant quarterbacks coach Pat White, whose jersey No. 5 will be officially retired on Saturday. More on that below.
Rodriguez's weekly press conferences inside the Milan Puskar Stadium Team Room begin Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 12:05 p.m. and will be carried live by select Mountaineer Sports Network radio affiliates.
Rodriguez press conferences will take place each Tuesday at noon throughout the season and will be archived on WVUsports.com and West Virginia's official YouTube channel, WVUsports. Event, parking and ticket information as well as game notes will also be made available on Tuesday.
The Rich Rodriguez TV Show, presented by Little General Stores, premiered last weekend on these Nexstar TV stations in West Virginia:
WBOY-NBC (Clarksburg) – Saturdays at 9 a.m.
WOWK-CBS (Charleston – Saturdays at 9 am.
WTRF-CBS (Wheeling) – Saturdays at 9 a.m.
WVNS-CBS (Beckley) – Saturdays at 9 a.m.
DC News Now will be televising the shows at 11 a.m. on Saturdays while SportsNet Pittsburgh's coverage will air at various times on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the season. Check your local listings.
The Rich Rodriguez TV Show is produced by Gold and Blue Nation and is hosted by veteran WVU play-by-play man Tony Caridi and co-hosted by Nick Farrell and Sydney Cariel. Each episode will be archived at GoldandBlueNation.com for on-demand playback.
As mentioned above, prior to Saturday's game, West Virginia University will officially retire legendary quarterback Pat White's No. 5. Fans are encouraged to wear white to the game in honor of White, who became the first starting quarterback in NCAA history to win four consecutive bowl games while at West Virginia.
Fans who purchased their tickets before Aug. 1 received an exclusive ticket commemorating the historic occasion.
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased through the Mountaineer Ticket Office by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
Live game coverage begins on Saturday morning with the Mountaineer Tailgate Show at 9 a.m. on stations throughout West Virginia leading into regular network coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning at 11 a.m.
TNT, TruTV and HBO Max (J.B. Long, Mike Golic Jr. and Coy Wire) will provide live television coverage at noon.
Be sure to check out WVUsports.com and Mountaineer football's social accounts throughout the week for more game updates.
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