WEST VIRGINIA PASS OFFENSE VS TEXAS PASS DEFENSE – Another week, another top national passing attack the Texas offense will be facing. WVU quarterback Will Grier ranks fourth nationally with 344 passing yards per game. In talking to people who cover the WVU program, Grier has been everything they expected him to be and more, which is saying a lot because the expectations were extremely high. He’s fourth in passing yards per game and second in the nation in touchdowns. Grier will mainly hit three receivers. The big touchdown threat is David Sills, who leads the country by a wide margin with 18 touchdown catches (second best nationally is 11). Gary Jennings leads the team in receptions and yards and has been very dependable. Ka’Raun White is very athletic on the outside. Marcus Simms is the speed guy. The Mountaineers have a lot of different weapons they can go to but mainly utilize those four. Grier has thrown for more than 300 yards and multiple touchdowns in every game but Oklahoma State, a game in which WVU was just off, and in that one he went for 285 yards and 2 TDs (with 4 INTS).
Edge – West Virginia ***
WEST VIRGINIA RUN OFFENSE VS TEXAS RUN DEFENSE – As good as West Virginia’s passing game has been, the run game has been wildly inconsistent. In a three-game stretch between Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma State, WVU totaled just 212 on the ground. The Mountaineers have bounced back the last couple weeks. Holgerson has challenged his team to run the ball better and it’s worked to some degree, with WVU going for 328 yards on the ground against K-State and Iowa State. Justin Crawford leads the team with 899 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.
Edge – Texas *
WEST VIRGINIA OFFENSIVE LINE VS TEXAS DEFENSIVE LINE – West Virginia has a new center, Matt Jones, who has been up and down. Overall, the offensive line has looked really good at times and not-so-hot at other times. The line has been very good in pass protection. WVU quarterbacks have been sacked 18 times, but a lot of those have been coverage sacks. The run blocking has been inconsistent. The tackles have played pretty well for the most part. Josh Sills, a young guard, has had some issues but overall this has been a very solid unit.
Edge – West Virginia *
WEST VIRGINIA PASS DEFENSE VS TEXAS PASS OFFENSE – West Virginia has flipped guys around so much, it’s a completely different defensive back unit than the one that started the year. Kenny Robinson was a cornerback to start the year and now starts at free safety. WVU’s pass defense has played better the past couple weeks but that was against two teams that aren’t known as great passing attacks in Kansas State and Iowa State. The overall numbers are solid, with WVU ranking second in the Big 12 in passing yards given up per game (245) and fourth in pass efficiency defense. Despite the good statistics, the corner play has been inconsistent at times. Mike Daniels has been solid on one side, but the other side has been a revolving door.
Edge – West Virginia *
WEST VIRGINIA RUN DEFENSE VS TEXAS RUN OFFENSE – WVU has played the run better the last couple weeks against two teams who run the ball well overall, but it’s still a unit that ranks ninth in the Big 12. Guys are getting off blocks better, filling holes and just making tackles. Early in the year, WVU’s run defense would play well for stints but would be terrible for other portions of the game. The Mountaineers’ run defense looked great against ISU and really good against KSU the past two weeks. But other teams, like Baylor and Kansas, have been successful on the ground. Sophomore weakside linebacker David Long has an uncanny ability to get in the backfield and make plays. He will freelance and take chances at times, but middle linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton does a good job of covering him.
Edge – Texas *
WEST VIRGINIA DEFENSIVE LINE VS TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE – It’s not the biggest group up front for WVU’s defense but the line is deeper than it’s been the past couple years. There’s not a lot of experience with a freshman, sophomore and junior starting, but the group has played better of late. The return of Connor Williams is a wildcard that should tip the scales in UT’s favor, but I’m going to have to actually see it from the UT offensive line before I believe it enough to give Texas the edge against anyone.
Edge – West Virginia *
SPECIAL TEAMS – Overall, WVU’s special teams have been pretty bad and the team ranks near the bottom of the Big 12 in nearly every category. Pretty much anything bad that can happen has happened at one point, but things have stabilized some the past few weeks.
Edge – Texas **
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