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West Virginia Football: Defense has biggest challenge yet in Texas Tech

By Andrew Miller

FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Dana Holgorsen of the West Virginia Mountaineers looks on as the West Virginia Mountaineers prepare to take on the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Dana Holgorsen of the West Virginia Mountaineers looks on as the West Virginia Mountaineers prepare to take on the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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West Virginia football’s defense has a tall task in front of them in stopping quarterback Nic Shimonek and the Texas Tech offense.

Things should have gotten easier for West Virginia football after getting both the TCU Horned Frogs and Virginia Tech Hokies out of the way in the first five games of the season. However, the emergence of the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Big 12 means another huge challenge for the Mountaineers just one week after the seven-point loss to the Frogs.

Texas Tech broke into the AP Top 25 this week with a 4-1 (1-1 Big 12) record highlighted by wins over the Houston Cougars and Arizona State Sun Devils. They’re still in search for a trademark victory in the Big 12.

West Virginia and Texas Tech both have only one win in the Big 12 with both teams defeating the Kansas Jayhawks. While Kansas could be the worst team in the conference, there’s still a lot to prove for each squad. Mainly, West Virginia has not defeated a real quality opponent yet with the three wins coming against Kansas, Delaware State, and East Carolina.

The advantage of playing at home at Milan Puskar Stadium gives the Mountaineers the possible edge they need to finally defeat a ranked team this year. Quarterback Will Grier has played well enough to garner at least one big win.

Everything looks to be in place for the Mountaineers to make some noise in the Big 12. They gave TCU all they could handle and promise to be a tough out for teams like the Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, and Texas Longhorns. This is a pretty complete roster with an experienced secondary, deep receiving corps, and talented running back duo.

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Combine all those factors with having a quarterback like Grier commanding the offense, and it should equal a winning football team. It could only be a matter of time for head coach Dana Holgorsen to piece it all together. And, that could start with a big win over Texas Tech.

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