Mike Roach
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- Dec 5, 2013
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Who: Texas Longhorns 4-5 (3-3) vs West Virginia Mountaineers 4-4 (1-4)
When: Saturday November 14 at 11:00 AM Central
Where: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown WV (ESPNU)
Odds: West Virginia -8.5
The Good: Though they have struggled this season, the Mountaineers still have an offense capable of generating points and eating up large chunks of yards. Holgorsen's bunch are led by a strong rushing game spearheaded by Wendell Smallwood. The highly productive back has 954 yards and 6 touchdowns on 6.7 yards per carry this season. When Smallwood needs a rest the Mountaineers turn to Rushel Shell who's contributed 5 touchdowns of his own albeit with a less explosive 4 yards per carry. On defense the Mountaineers have Nick Kwiatkoski back as their leading tackler. The hybrid linebacker is responsible for 53 total tackles this season and can disrupt any offense. The tough part of the West Virginia schedule is over. A brutal five game stretch against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech resulted in a 1-4 record, but there were some encouraging moments for West Virginia during the stretch. At times it looked like they could compete with the best teams in the conference. Skyler Howard is a dual threat quarterback who can evade a pass rush and extend a play so the Longhorns will have to scheme for that since they've had trouble defending that type of passer. Morgantown is a tough environment, and the home stadium has been kind to West Virginia. Their home/road splits show they are nearly 150 yards better on both sides of the ball in the comfy confines of Milan Puskar Stadium.
The Bad: Injuries and turnovers have been a big problem for West Virginia on the trot this season. While Howard can produce big plays he is also apt to throw the ball away. With a touchdown to interception ration of 16/9 on just 55% passing, it's clear he will give Texas plenty of opportunities. Safety Karl Joseph who is the biggest playmaker on the defensive side was lost for the season to a knee injury this past week. Prior to that, Joseph generated 5 interceptions and a forced fumble. On average West Virginia is much better against the pass than the run and could have issues if the Longhorns establish the power run game early on.
The Uncertain: It's difficult to say what West Virginia really is at this point. For the past month they faced 5 of the best teams in the conference including three that have one loss or less. When you have that tough of a road in the middle of the season it's easy to forget the success gained in the early part of the season. If West Virginia can do what they do well which is pound the ball with Smallwood while Skyler Howard makes plays with his legs and arm they are a dangerous team for anyone to face. The Longhorns haven't fared well on the road, and the 11AM start time generally hasn't been kind to them either outside of the Oklahoma game.
What's at stake: Just like last season, both teams are fighting for bowl eligibility, but with games against Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State left on the docket it is less of a must win for the Mountaineers who need 2 of the next 4.
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