After throwing a touchdown pass at Oklahoma State, one thing is for certain: Nicco Marchiol capitalizes on minimal opportunities.
WVU’s backup quarterback gets few chances behind Garrett Greene this season. In four appearances, Marchiol threw a total of four completions in five attempts and rushed for 63 yards in 11 carries.
Even with a fifth of Greene’s carries and a 25th of his throws, Marchiol has two touchdowns to his name this year. He scored both without much context, the first being his only rush attempt against Albany and the second being the first touchdown of WVU’s 38-14 upset against Oklahoma State this past weekend.
Aside from it being Marchiol’s only carry of the game, a 12-yard rushing touchdown to go up 35 against an FCS team holds little merit on its own. The pass against Oklahoma State does.
In an impressive 39-yard run to put WVU in scoring range, Garrett Greene suffered a bit of damage. As Marchiol entered the game, West Virginia’s early momentum was threatened, but after a pair of two-yard bursts from CJ Donaldson, Marchiol told fans there was nothing to worry about.
Marchiol’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Traylon Ray became his first and only completion of the game in his first and only attempt. By no means did Marchiol lead WVU to the upset, with Greene quickly returning to the game, but in that moment, it surely felt like he could.
Alongside the touchdown pass, Marchiol rushed for 46 yards in seven carries against Oklahoma State, including a gutsy 19-yard run through contact.
Marchiol shined in a small sample size, and as much as fans trusted him in the moment, coaches did even more, with offensive coordinator Chad Scott even saying the playbook looked the same for Marchiol as it would for Greene.
“That’s where Nicco has grown big time,” Scott said. “(The game plan) didn’t change at all… Coach Brown said ‘We’re just going to keep calling like we intended on calling- not going to change a thing- and he came in and executed.”
“That was great for him, and that was great for everybody to see,” Scott said.
Greene had words of support for his backup as well, saying he is confident in his abilities, as is the team around him.
“The confidence that I have in him- that the wide receivers and the o-line and the running backs have in him- he’s going to be a phenomenal player here,” Greene said.
Regardless of whether or not Marchiol proved in games that he can be a viable starter after Greene’s time at WVU, he is being treated like one now. A small sample size forces limited production, but two games through conference play, West Virginia has two wins and two capable leaders.
Photo by Tanner Mountz, Blue Gold Sports
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