Hawkins' late drive seals 24-20 win for West Virginia over TCU

Decisive Fourth-Quarter Drive

Michael Hawkins Jr. secured the win for the visiting West Virginia Mountaineers with a late-game touchdown pass, capping a 24-20 victory over the TCU Horned Frogs. The decisive play occurred in the final period when Hawkins connected with Cam Cook on a 13-yard pass. This drive gave West Virginia the lead for good, breaking a tie that had persisted since the third quarter.

The game concluded with West Virginia holding the advantage after a sequence of scoring plays that saw both teams trade blows in the final minutes.

Scoring Sequence Unfolds

The contest began with West Virginia taking an early 3-0 lead on a 54-yard field goal by Jack Cassidy. TCU responded quickly in the first quarter as Jaden Craig found Ka'Morreun Pimpton for a 6-yard touchdown pass, giving the home team a 7-3 lead. In the second quarter, Hawkins Jr. rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to put West Virginia back in front 10-7.

TCU tied the game at 10-10 with a 39-yard field goal by Nate McCashland. The third quarter saw TCU take a 13-10 lead on another McCashland field goal, this time from 37 yards out. West Virginia regained the lead with a 36-yard rushing touchdown by Hawkins Jr., but TCU answered with a 2-yard run by Craig to make it 20-17 in their favor.

The game remained tight until the fourth-quarter score by Cook.

Top Performers and Stats

Despite the loss, TCU quarterback Jaden Craig had a productive passing day, completing 33 of 47 attempts for 372 yards with one touchdown and one interception. On the ground, Jon Denman carried the ball 15 times for 58 yards, while Kari Ashley led the receiving corps with six catches for 118 yards.

For West Virginia, Hawkins Jr. completed 7 of 15 passes for 79 yards, adding one touchdown and one interception to his stat line. Cam Cook was a key contributor on the ground, rushing for 90 yards on 18 carries, and he also caught the game-winning pass. Prince Strachan added 24 receiving yards on two catches for the Mountaineers.

Final Records and Context

The game was played on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, in front of 36,216 fans. With the result, TCU falls to a 3-4 record on the season, while West Virginia improves to 5-3.

The Mountaineers' ability to execute in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in a close contest that saw the score change hands multiple times. Both teams displayed resilience, with TCU mounting a strong third-quarter effort before falling short in the final minutes. The final score of 24-20 reflects a tightly contested game where possession and execution in the final drive determined the outcome.

Sources

ESPN