# Mountaineers host UT Martin, and the numbers behind it

> West Virginia opens at home against UT Martin, and the program's own numbers say a lot about how the day should go.
- Title: Mountaineers host UT Martin, and the numbers behind it
- Summary: West Virginia opens at home against UT Martin, and the program's own numbers say a lot about how the day should go. West Virginia wins when it runs the ball…
- Keywords: west virginia, college football, ut martin, big 12, rich rodriguez, sports, Mountaineers, host, Martin, numbers, behind, West Virgina Mountaineers On SI
- Source: West Virgina Mountaineers On SI — https://si.com/college/westvirginia/football/mountaineer-mantrip-ut-martin-edition
- Published: 2026-09-12T15:20:06+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: west virginia, college football, ut martin, big 12, rich rodriguez, sports
## Saturday at Mountaineer Field
West Virginia (1-0) hosts UT Martin (1-1) at 1:00 p.m. EST. The game streams on ESPN+ rather than showing up on cable.

> Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.
## 134 seasons deep
This is West Virginia's 134th season of football. The Mountaineers are the winningest program in the Big 12 and rank 16th in all of college football.
## Rodriguez is 194 wins in
Rich Rodriguez carries 194 career victories into the season, third most among active Power Four head coaches.
## A fortress since 1980
Milan Puskar Stadium is in its 47th season. West Virginia is 203-83-4 there, a .711 win rate across nearly three hundred games.
## Home openers are nearly automatic
West Virginia is 103-22-6 in home openers and has won 20 of the last 22. Since 2000 the mark is 23-3.
## Nonconference at home is a rout
Since 2010 the Mountaineers are 41-19 in nonconference games, and 29-2 of those came in Morgantown.
## An almost new roster
Only 34 players return, nine of whom have started a game. West Virginia added 88 new players in 2026, split 40 offense, 44 defense, four special teams.
## The ground game decides it
Over the past decade West Virginia is 68-31 when it rushes for at least 100 yards. It has cleared 140 rushing yards in 33 of the last 40 games.
## Passing yards are not the tell
Since 2012 the Mountaineers have thrown for 300-plus yards 54 times, but they are only 36-19 in those games. Volume through the air does not guarantee a win.
## Win the turnover battle, win
Since 2002 West Virginia is 105-19 when it wins the turnover margin. That is the single clearest predictor in the whole sheet.
## Key takeaway

West Virginia wins when it runs the ball and wins the turnover battle, and home openers at Milan Puskar have been close to automatic.