MORGANTOWN -- Had Charles Dickens written a book about West Virginia's football team's season opener against Robert Morris, it might be titled "The Tale of Two Halves."
The Mountaineers struggled in the first half on Saturday afternoon, fumbling four times and losing three of those, and led the Colonials out of Division I FCS just 10-3 at halftime.
However, a completely different West Virginia came out of the halftime locker room as the Mountaineers outscored the Colonials 35-0 after intermission en route to a 45-3 victory at Milan Puskar Stadium in coach Rich Rodriguez's first game back at WVU.
The Mountaineers outgained Robert Morris 625 yards to 123, with 393 of those yards coming on the ground.
"It was a typical first game, but I don't know if I've ever had or seen three fumbles in four plays," Rodriguez said. "We had three straight fumbles. So, we, obviously, didn't play well at all in the first half. Had West Virginia beating West Virginia.
"There were some things we did OK, but we [started] playing like we should have in the second half. It went like it should have. So, we'll take the win [and] learn from it. Obviously, there's a lot of things to clean up [and] fix, but there's a lot of guys playing for the first time."
Robert Morris experienced the opposite. Eighth-year Bernard Clark Jr. was pleased with the effort the Colonials displayed in the first 30 minutes of action, holding WVU to 10 points and forcing three turnovers.
However, Clark wasn't too enthused with the second-half performance, totaling three first downs and 42 yards in the final half.
"I was pleased with the first half, but I wasn't pleased with our second half," Clark said. "We forced three takeaways in the first half [but] couldn't capitalize on those. Our guys played hard."
Rodriguez's first game back at WVU marked his first in Morgantown in more than 6,400 days. The Mountaineers won 60 games during his first stint there before departing in 2007.
He soaked in the emotions throughout the game, as well as following the 42-point win and singing "Country Roads."
"Yeah, it did [feel different] a little bit," Rodriguez said. "Then, the man trip. We didn't do a man trip when I was here, and that was pretty neat. The crowd was unbelievable. Unfortunately, we didn't give them enough good moments in the first half. The West Virginia fans showed up today."
WVU's defense stood tall throughout the game, especially in the first half, as the Mountaineers held Robert Morris to 26 rushing yards and sacked quarterback Zach Tanner four times.
WVU also made eight tackles for loss.
Clark saw a more aggressive WVU team in the second half compared to the first.
"They overpowered us in the second half," Clark said. "They started running the ball more. The quarterbacks started carrying it more. The running backs started playing a whole lot better, which I was more worried about. [Jahiem] White was an outstanding running back [last year], and he proved it today more than anything else."
Quarterback Nicco Marchiol got the nod for WVU under center on Saturday.
Coming into this season, the Arizona native only had three rushing touchdowns in his Mountaineer career.
Marchiol added another from 10 yards out for the Mountaineers' first touchdown of the season.
"I saw green grass and ran right towards the weight room," Marchiol said.
Marchiol completed 17 of 20 passes (85%) for 224 yards and one touchdown. He was also efficient in the run game, with 56 yards on 13 carries and the TD.
That 10-yard touchdown was the only WVU score in the opening 18 minutes until kicker Kade Hensley, a Coastal Carolina transfer, connected on a 27-yard field goal to make it 10-0.
The Colonials' only score was off the foot of Jayson Jenkins, who drilled a 36-yard field goal.
WVU held Robert Morris to 81 total yards of offense in the first half, including 20 rushing yards.
"That is a scary defense to go against," Marchiol said of WVU's unit. "I've been waiting to say it because we've had to go against it all camp. Man, they got some guys, and I'm so happy [for them]."
White opened the second half with two touchdowns for the Mountaineers, as he broke off short scores of 1 and 4 yards.
The 4-yard touchdown came with 5:21 left in the third quarter, giving West Virginia a 24-3 lead heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter saw newcomers etch their names in the scoring column, starting with Jacksonville State transfer Cam Vaughn.
Vaughn made an over-the-shoulder catch down the right sideline for 46 yards from a pass from Marchiol.
Vaughn shined in his WVU debut, reeling in seven catches for 127 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 18.1 yards per reception and ran for 54 yards after the catch.
"The leverage they played was seven yards off right at the sticks," Vaughn said. "We really liked the route that we ran. I gave them a little stick inside and scored."
Running back Cyncir Bowers, an Iowa Central Community College transfer, tallied a 26-yard touchdown.
Bowers ran for 54 yards on six carries. The Bowers touchdown increased WVU's lead to 38-3.
Saturday's third-string quarterback, Scotty Fox Jr., was the final scorer for the Mountaineers.
Fox weaved his way through the Robert Morris defense for a 59-yard touchdown to set the final score.
Marchiol said he was happy to see Jaylen Henderson and Fox get reps Saturday.
"That was probably the highlight of my day, seeing all those guys have success," Marchiol said, "because it brought me back to my first touchdown at Mountaineer Field, when JT Daniels was the first one to congratulate me. I made sure I was the first one to congratulate Scotty Fox."
The Mountaineers will make the trip to Athens, Ohio next Saturday for a non-conference matchup against the Ohio Bobcats.
