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West Virginia beats No. 25 Virginia 38-27 in the Duke’s Mayo Classic

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Cite

The Associated Press. (2026, September 20). West Virginia beats No. 25 Virginia 38-27 in the Duke’s Mayo Classic. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/west-virginia-beats-no-25-virginia-38-27-in-the-duke-s-mayo-classic/article_f12dff0a-5604-5d46-b149-25842da3f8ad.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-20 · by The Associated Press

Quick Summary

In the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium, West Virginia defeated No. 25 Virginia 38-27 in a high-scoring game that saw Michael Hawkins Jr. contribute 313 yards and five touchdowns for the Mountaineers. Hawkins led West Virginia to its third consecutive victory under coach Rich Rodriguez. The article highlights Hawkins's performance and the significance of West Virginia’s win against an undefeated opponent, suggesting potential implications for the team’s standing in the Big 12 conference.
Written by AI on 2026-09-20, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On Saturday night, West Virginia defeated No. 25 Virginia 38-27 in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Michael Hawkins Jr., who transferred to West Virginia from Oklahoma earlier this year, led the team with an impressive performance that included 313 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. His contributions helped the Mountaineers secure their third consecutive victory under new head coach Rich Rodriguez, marking a strong start to the season. Hawkins' efforts were pivotal in overcoming Virginia’s challenges, particularly leading a crucial drive late in the game to seal West Virginia's win.

Written for “West Virginia Beats Virginia” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 West Virginia Beats Virginia
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
26
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 26 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-20 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 11229 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

The Associated Press
1789 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
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Topics

Cavaliers Mountaineers Oklahoma Virginia West Virginia

Subjects

West Virginia GPE · 7× Hawkins PERSON · 6× Virginia GPE · 6× Cavaliers ORG · 2× Mountaineers ORG · 2× Oklahoma GPE · 2× Rodriguez PERSON · 2× CHARLOTTE GPE · 1× Michael Hawkins Jr. PERSON · 1× N.C. GPE · 1×

Narrative

Hawkins accounted for 313 yards of total offense and five touchdowns and West Virginia beat No. 25 Virginia 38-27 on Saturday night in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at the Carolina Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-20
🔮 Hawkins accounted for 313 yards of total offense and five touchdowns and West Virginia beat No. 25 Virginia 38-27 on Saturday night in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at the Carolina Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium.
2026-09-20 · Toronto Star
West Virginia beats No. 25 Virginia 38-27 in the Duke’s Mayo Classic · assertive framing

Claims (26 extracted, 0 hedged)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Hawkins Jr. says he learned a lot at Oklahoma before transferring to West Virginia in January. asserted
he → say → January
Hawkins accounted for 313 yards of total offense and five touchdowns and West Virginia beat No. 25 Virginia 38-27 on Saturday night in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at the Carolina Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium. asserted
Virginia → account → Stadium
Hawkins has led the Mountaineers to a 3-0 start for coach Rich Rodriguez. asserted
Hawkins → lead → Rodriguez
“It feels great,” Hawkins said. asserted
Hawkins → feel → ?
“Coming to a new program and getting the guys behind you and playing as a whole is a big key. asserted
Coming → come → whole
I learned a lot at Oklahoma. asserted
I → learn → Oklahoma
I just brought that along with me to West Virginia.” asserted
I → bring → Virginia
Hawkins, who had two TD runs and a TD pass in the first half, threw his second TD pass to D.J. Epps late in the third quarter to give West Virginia the lead for good. asserted
who → have → lead
Virginia responded by driving to the 13 before a sack moved the Cavaliers back to the 22 and Will Bettridge’s 41-yard field goal attempt was wide right with 9:13 to play. asserted
attempt → respond → 9:13
Following that miss, Hawkins directed a 78-yard drive to clinch the victory, scoring on a 5-yard run with 5:24 play. asserted
Hawkins → follow → play
Hawkins finished with 10 completions in 17 attempts for 190 yards and two TDs. asserted
Hawkins → finish → yards
He ran 18 times for 123 yards and three TDs. asserted
He → run → yards
“He’s a dynamic player and I think he’s going to keep getting better,” Rodriguez said. asserted
Rodriguez → ’ → ?
“I mean, it’s just his third game in the system. asserted
it → mean → system
“He knew exactly what was going on. asserted
what → know → ?
So I think he grew a lot. asserted
he → think → lot
I think our offense grew a lot today at certain moments, but Mike was, well he’s electric. asserted
he → think → moments
He’s got a lot of really good football in front of him too.” asserted
He → get → him
Following wins over Coastal Carolina (31-24) and UT Martin (52-7) to open, perhaps the Mountaineers will get some attention as a Big 12 title contender after knocking off previously unbeaten Virginia. asserted
Mountaineers → follow → Virginia
The Cavaliers hadn’t trailed this season until late in the first half on Saturday. asserted
Cavaliers → trail → Saturday
Virginia still looks to be an ACC title contender but doesn’t begin league play until Oct. 3 at Florida State. asserted
Virginia → look → State
Rodriguez said their support aided his team’s victory. asserted
support → say → victory
“Really excited for our players and our fans, a really nice win,” he said afterward. asserted
he → say → players
“I thought we had a home field advantage. asserted
we → think → advantage
Up next West Virginia: Hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday. asserted
Virginia → host → Saturday
Virginia: Hosts Delaware on Saturday. asserted
Virginia → host → Saturday
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