MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia safety Karl Joseph made three interceptions and a pair of young receivers produced 100-yard games as the Mountaineers romped past Georgia Southern 44-0 on Saturday night.

Skyler Howard threw for 359 yards and two scores, overcoming some first-half misfires to finish 16 of 25. His top targets were sophomore Shelton Gibson (three catches for 130 yards) and true freshman Jovon Durante, who went for 121 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown on his first college series.

West Virginia (1-0) won its 12th consecutive home opener by creating five turnovers -- four of them on interceptions of Eagles quarterback Favian Upshaw, who finished 2 of 13 for 29 yards. Joseph victimized Upshaw three times in the third quarter.

After leading the nation in rushing in 2014, Georgia Southern (0-1) never got its option attack rolling. The Mountaineers amassed 544 yards in total offense compared to the Eagles' 224 yards.

The Mountaineers led 16-0 at the half, settling for three red-zone field goals and failing on a fourth-and-1 at the Georgia Southern 18. They had no trouble finishing drives in the second half, however, scoring on Gibson's 26-yard grab, Rushel Shell's 6-yard run and Wendell Smallwood's 19-yard carry.

The second-team offense tacked on William Crest's late 3-yard touchdown.