Saturday, October 25
Morgantown, W.Va.
6:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
17
vs
23
TCU
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineers Drop Big 12 Contest to TCU
October 25, 2025 09:39 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – TCU got 247 yards and a touchdown through the air from quarterback Josh Hoover to defeat West Virginia 23-17 in a competitive Big 12 football game tonight at Milan Puskar Stadium.
The two-touchdown-plus underdog Mountaineers, with true freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. making his second start of the season, played their most contested game in league action this season.
Fox set a WVU record for true freshman quarterbacks with his 301 passing yards, eclipsing Dan Kendra's 51-year record of 208 passing yards in a home loss to Temple in 1974.
Fox completed 28 of his 41 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the first time in eight games this season that a starting Mountaineer quarterback played the entire game.
"The kid battled and competed," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said of his freshman quarterback. "But when you don't run the ball for more than (41) yards, then you aren't going to win."
Fox's counterpart connected on 24 of 39 pass attempts, nine of those going to Eric McAlister for 124 yards and a touchdown.
TCU's Trent Battle led all ball carriers with 89 yards on 19 attempts.
Cam Vaughn made all six of his receptions for 89 yards in the second half to lead West Virginia, which drops to 2-6 overall and 0-5 in Big 12 play.
TCU remains in Big 12 championship game contention with a 6-2 overall record and a 3-2 mark in conference play.
Neither team had much success running the football in the first half, but Battle's 46-yard jaunt late in the second quarter did put Nate McCashland in position to kick his second field goal of the half, a 22-yarder.
McCashland's first came on TCU's opening possession after the Mountaineers had punted. Hoover's 26-yard pass to Major Everhart set up McCashland's 35-yard boot.
West Virginia's ground game netted only 33 yards on 23 first-half rushes and failed on four of its five fourth down tries, two of those coming on the Mountaineers' side of the 50.
The first unsuccessful one, at the WVU 34, led to the game's first touchdown, a Battle 1-yard plunge.
The second, at the TCU 30, also ended with the Horned Frogs crossing the goal line. TCU had its best drive of the half, marching 70 yards in 11 plays and culminating with McAlister's 4-yard touchdown reception from Hoover.
WVU's lone score in the first half came in the second quarter as a result of a short field. Ethan Craw's short 23-yard punt bounced backwards to the Horned Frogs' 35, where West Virginia took over.
After Cyncir Bowers was thrown for a 3-yard loss, Fox completed a 15-yard pass to Jarod Bowie, who was hauled down at the TCU 23. A Bowers 6-yard run got the ball to the 17, where Fox flipped a pass down the middle to wide open tight end Grayson Barnes standing near the end zone.
The WVU defense, which failed to register a sack in its prior four Big 12 games, got its first of the season in the second quarter when Devin Grant sacked Hoover for an 8-yard loss.
West Virginia scored the only points of the third quarter on Kade Hensley's 28-yard field goal, reducing TCU's lead to 20-10. The Mountaineers' possession began at their own 20 as a result of Grant's pass breakup on fourth and 2.
Fox completed 6 of his 8 pass attempts on the drive, including a 29-yarder down the middle of the field to Vaughn to the TCU 10. But Fox's next pass was batted down by Max Carroll, and then he was thrown down for a 5-yard loss on third and goal.
Hensley's field goal came with 1:20 left in the third.
The Horned Frogs answered West Virginia's score when McCashland kicked his third field goal with 4:48 remaining in the game, culminating a 13-play drive that consumed 6:50 of clock.
TCU converted three third downs before the drive stalled at the Mountaineer 24.
Here, Fox directed West Virginia's best drive of the game by completing passes of 7, 6, 18 and 16 yards before connecting with Jeff Weimer down the far sideline for a 28-yard touchdown. The march covered 75 yards in just 1:33.
Hensley's conversion kick reduced TCU's lead to 23-17 with 3:15 left.
West Virginia, using two timeouts on the prior defensive possession, chose to try an onside kick, which Battle recovered at the WVU 44.
The Mountaineers forced a third and 6 at the 40, but Hoover completed a 21-yard pass to the far side of the field to McAlister. The football was punched out of his grasp, but Everhart was able to recover it at the West Virginia 18.
The Horned Frogs then took a knee three times to run out the clock.
"The last game was embarrassing. We were loafing and were not hitting, but today, I thought we were more physical," Rodriguez said.
A crowd of 54,110 witnessed tonight's Coal Rush-themed homecoming game.
It was also TCU's first appearance in Morgantown since 2022 when it played in the national championship game against Georgia.
West Virginia is back on the road to face Houston on Saturday, Nov. 1. Game time and television information is forthcoming.
The two-touchdown-plus underdog Mountaineers, with true freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. making his second start of the season, played their most contested game in league action this season.
Fox set a WVU record for true freshman quarterbacks with his 301 passing yards, eclipsing Dan Kendra's 51-year record of 208 passing yards in a home loss to Temple in 1974.
Fox completed 28 of his 41 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the first time in eight games this season that a starting Mountaineer quarterback played the entire game.
"The kid battled and competed," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said of his freshman quarterback. "But when you don't run the ball for more than (41) yards, then you aren't going to win."
Fox's counterpart connected on 24 of 39 pass attempts, nine of those going to Eric McAlister for 124 yards and a touchdown.
TCU's Trent Battle led all ball carriers with 89 yards on 19 attempts.
Cam Vaughn made all six of his receptions for 89 yards in the second half to lead West Virginia, which drops to 2-6 overall and 0-5 in Big 12 play.
TCU remains in Big 12 championship game contention with a 6-2 overall record and a 3-2 mark in conference play.
Neither team had much success running the football in the first half, but Battle's 46-yard jaunt late in the second quarter did put Nate McCashland in position to kick his second field goal of the half, a 22-yarder.
McCashland's first came on TCU's opening possession after the Mountaineers had punted. Hoover's 26-yard pass to Major Everhart set up McCashland's 35-yard boot.
West Virginia's ground game netted only 33 yards on 23 first-half rushes and failed on four of its five fourth down tries, two of those coming on the Mountaineers' side of the 50.
The first unsuccessful one, at the WVU 34, led to the game's first touchdown, a Battle 1-yard plunge.
The second, at the TCU 30, also ended with the Horned Frogs crossing the goal line. TCU had its best drive of the half, marching 70 yards in 11 plays and culminating with McAlister's 4-yard touchdown reception from Hoover.
WVU's lone score in the first half came in the second quarter as a result of a short field. Ethan Craw's short 23-yard punt bounced backwards to the Horned Frogs' 35, where West Virginia took over.
After Cyncir Bowers was thrown for a 3-yard loss, Fox completed a 15-yard pass to Jarod Bowie, who was hauled down at the TCU 23. A Bowers 6-yard run got the ball to the 17, where Fox flipped a pass down the middle to wide open tight end Grayson Barnes standing near the end zone.
The WVU defense, which failed to register a sack in its prior four Big 12 games, got its first of the season in the second quarter when Devin Grant sacked Hoover for an 8-yard loss.
West Virginia scored the only points of the third quarter on Kade Hensley's 28-yard field goal, reducing TCU's lead to 20-10. The Mountaineers' possession began at their own 20 as a result of Grant's pass breakup on fourth and 2.
Fox completed 6 of his 8 pass attempts on the drive, including a 29-yarder down the middle of the field to Vaughn to the TCU 10. But Fox's next pass was batted down by Max Carroll, and then he was thrown down for a 5-yard loss on third and goal.
Hensley's field goal came with 1:20 left in the third.
The Horned Frogs answered West Virginia's score when McCashland kicked his third field goal with 4:48 remaining in the game, culminating a 13-play drive that consumed 6:50 of clock.
TCU converted three third downs before the drive stalled at the Mountaineer 24.
Here, Fox directed West Virginia's best drive of the game by completing passes of 7, 6, 18 and 16 yards before connecting with Jeff Weimer down the far sideline for a 28-yard touchdown. The march covered 75 yards in just 1:33.
Hensley's conversion kick reduced TCU's lead to 23-17 with 3:15 left.
West Virginia, using two timeouts on the prior defensive possession, chose to try an onside kick, which Battle recovered at the WVU 44.
The Mountaineers forced a third and 6 at the 40, but Hoover completed a 21-yard pass to the far side of the field to McAlister. The football was punched out of his grasp, but Everhart was able to recover it at the West Virginia 18.
The Horned Frogs then took a knee three times to run out the clock.
"The last game was embarrassing. We were loafing and were not hitting, but today, I thought we were more physical," Rodriguez said.
A crowd of 54,110 witnessed tonight's Coal Rush-themed homecoming game.
It was also TCU's first appearance in Morgantown since 2022 when it played in the national championship game against Georgia.
West Virginia is back on the road to face Houston on Saturday, Nov. 1. Game time and television information is forthcoming.
Players Mentioned
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RB
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DL
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WR
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WR
/ FootballEdward Vesterinen | Oct. 28
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Nick Krahe | Oct. 28
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Grayson Barnes | Oct. 28
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