The goal for West Virginia was to make quarterback Nicco Marchiol as comfortable as possible in his start on the road against Arizona.
Mission accomplished.
Marchiol was 18-22 for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions, to go along with 39 rushing yards leading the offense to a 31-26 win over the Wildcats.
“Throughout the week we wanted to make 8 as comfortable as possible. Not let him think as much just go out there and play,” wide receiver Traylon Ray said. “I think we did a good job as receivers and an offense as a whole let him just go out there and play and be comfortable with us.”
The focus of the week was for Marchiol to trust in the play calling and the system as the signal caller needed to play within the scheme and find a comfort level.
“Not trying to play outside myself, play within myself. Being accurate with the football and getting the ball to the play makers and letting them be special,” Marchiol said.
That was on display on one of the biggest throws in the game.
Ray only had a pair of catches in the game, but one of those was the most explosive passing play of the season with a 54-yard touchdown to put the Mountaineers ahead 31-13 with 13 minutes remaining.
On the play, the Wildcats finally presented a single-high safety look and the offense was able to dial up the explosive pass play down the field at a critical junction of the game after Arizona cut the score to 24-13 at the start of the third quarter.
“It was history after that I just had to go get the ball,” he said.
That wasn’t the only example of Marchiol making a pressured throw either as he connected on a three year touchdown on fourth and goal, a 17-yard strike on 3rd and 9 to set up the Ray touchdown and then finally the 9-yard completion to Jaylen Anderson on third down to ice the game.
“He just has that mentality and him thinking like that goes throughout the rest of the offense,” Ray said.
While starter Garrett Greene is the starter when healthy, the win was something that the football program needed moving forward for confidence.
“Definitely feels good. A lot of happiness in the locker room, a lot of hope in the locker room so hopefully that carries on through the bye week and for the rest of the season,” Ray said.
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