West Virginia’s reliance on redshirt sophomore Nicco Marchiol at quarterback has led to consecutive road victories in the absence of starter Garrett Greene. While Marchiol’s numbers haven’t been spectacular, he’s made critical plays to secure wins, especially by utilizing deep passes and finding a reliable target in Traylon Ray. However, in the recent game against Cincinnati, Marchiol’s performance wasn’t as polished, showing room for improvement in key areas.
Head coach Neal Brown noted the contrast in Marchiol’s play between the games against Arizona and Cincinnati. Against Arizona, Marchiol was highly efficient, completing 18-of-22 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. The Cincinnati game, however, revealed some inconsistencies in Marchiol’s fundamentals, which affected his overall performance. Brown observed that small, correctable issues—such as where Marchiol focused his eyes and the depth of his drop-backs—impacted his timing and led to missed opportunities. For example, Marchiol missed a potential big play with Ray due to a lapse in reading the defensive setup.
Brown acknowledged that while Marchiol showed flashes of strong play, like his touchdown run and a well-thrown deep ball, maintaining consistency in these fundamentals would be crucial for his development. Brown hasn’t decided yet whether Marchiol or Greene will start against Baylor this weekend, but he expressed confidence in both quarterbacks’ ability to perform at the Big 12 level. While the starting decision will be made later this week, Brown indicated that it would likely remain private until game time to keep Baylor’s defense uncertain.
