West Virginia Football: Mountaineers ready for shootout with Texas Tech

Texas Tech upset Oklahoma State in Week 4, can they recreate the magic and hand West Virginia Football their first loss of 2018?

In a game that was just thought to be “another game” on the West Virginia Mountaineers’ schedule, is now one of the best games in all of Week 5. The Mountaineers travel to play newly ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Texas Tech is 3-1 on the season, and is coming off an upset win over Oklahoma State that put them into the AP Top 25 for just the second time since 2013. The Red Raiders have not only been getting things done through the air, averaging over 430 yards and nearly three touchdowns a game, but have also found success in the run game, averaging over 180 yards and four touchdowns a game. With both the run game and pass game clicking, the Texas Tech offense lead the nation in total yards and rank fifth in points scored.

Meanwhile, the favored West Virginia Mountaineers are 3-0 entering this game, and haven’t allowed any of their opponents to score over 17 points. Their offense has been getting the job done too, as Will Grier headlines an offense that is eighth in the nation in total yards.

They were viewed by many to be the lone team that could dethrone the Oklahoma Sooners atop the Big 12 conference, and so far, they’ve proven why. But with their Week 3 game versus NC State canceled due to Hurricane Florence, this will be the first real test West Virginia has had this season.

It should be another Big 12 classic, as both teams should score in bunches. But both defenses have the players to slow down the other team’s offense. It’s one of the first games of the day, so if you’re not out running errands, here’s everything you need to know about this Big 12 showdown:

How to Watch

Date: Saturday, Sept. 29th
Time: 12:00 PM EST
Location: Lubbock, TX
Venue: Jones AT&T Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: ESPN | FuBoTV

Keys to Victory

For West Virginia, they can’t afford to get ahead of themselves. They are the favorites but need to take this Texas Tech team seriously. For the Mountaineer offense, Will Grier will need to get going early. Any failed drives against this Red Raider team, could prove costly late in the game.

The Mountaineers should look to get their running back committee going, as Leddie Brown, Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway have almost split the load evenly this season. On defense, West Virginia shouldn’t have to pick their poison, as any good football team should be able to defend both the run and pass game, but if they’re having a hard time stopping both, they’ll have to make a decision quick or they’ll end up like Oklahoma State last weekend.

For Texas Tech, they’ll need to mix it up a little. They have found success in both the air and on the ground so far this season, and should look to continue that trend. Quarterback Alan Bowman should look to find receiver Antoine Wesley early on as the duo has been one of the best in the nation.

The Texas Tech defense has played two really good offenses this season, and have not withstood the challenge. Luckily for them, their offense was able to outscore one of those teams, splitting the two games. With the weapons at receiver that Will Grier has, they Red Raiders will need to be careful applying pressure on the West Virginia Quarterback.

Prediction

The scoring in this one will start with the first possession, and yes, both teams will punt once or twice, but turnovers will play a huge role in getting the ball away from one other. Will Grier tosses two first half touchdowns as the running game tacks on one more. But the Texas Tech offense is just as hot, bringing us to halftime all tied up.

Entering the second half, the Mountaineers are able to score 14-unanswered points providing a cushion for their defense to not let up. The Red Raiders fight back hard, scoring a touchdown just before the end of the third quarter and trade touchdowns with the Mountaineers in the fourth quarter.

Texas Tech find themselves down by seven, with just under five minutes left in the game, giving the Red Raiders one last chance to tie things up. Texas Tech takes advantage of that opportunity as Alan Bowman connects with Antoine Wesley for their second touchdown connection of the afternoon, but the Red Raiders leave too much time on the clock.

Will Grier leads the West Virginia offense down the field and the Mountaineers hit a 30-yard field goal as time expires, to win the game and knock Texas Tech back out of the AP Poll.

Final Score: West Virginia 45, Texas Tech 42.