West Virginia football hopes to keep bowl hopes alive vs. NC State
By Phil Poling
West Virginia football plays host to NC State on Saturday. Here you’ll find a preview, a prediction and how you can watch the game.
MORE WVU: Game-by-game predictions for 2019 season
There’s plenty of things WVU fans need to put behind them before Saturday’s meeting with North Carolina State. For starters, former head coach Dana Holgorsen. But also, last weekend’s 38-7 defeat at the hands of Missouri. It’s important to remember what happened, but it’s equally as important not to dwell on what happened — and what didn’t.
The team struggled all around, from the offense failing to reach double-digit points to the defense looking like a revolving door. But the Mountaineers will get an opportunity to right the ship Saturday against former WVU defensive coordinator Tony Gibson and the Wolfpack.
Austin Kendall and the offense will need to start fast as they’ve learned waiting till after halftime to get things going just won’t work. And we know how Gibson secondaries can play, having coached WVU’s for the past six seasons; they’re not exactly dominant.
The West Virginia defense is littered with all of Gibson’s former players, most of whom he recruited, and they’ll need to get after things if the Mountaineers’ are to have a chance. This means making stops, getting sacks, and forcing turnovers. The more they can do those things, the better chances the WVU offense will have at putting points on the board.
With those things in mind, here’s when and where you’ll be able to tune into the Mountaineers’ matchup with N.C. State this weekend.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 14
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Morgantown, WV
Venue: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium
TV: FS1
Live Stream: FS1 | MountaineerTV (audio) | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
There are three simple keys for a WVU victory Saturday against North Carolina State, and they should all come fairly easy: playing hard, starting fast, and capitalizing on mistakes. Putting forth a good effort shouldn’t be hard, as the ‘Eers are fighting for their season and the respect of their coaches. Starting fast could pose a problem, but with 60,000 fans at Milan Puskar Stadium behind them, the motivation to impress should be there. The last one – capitalizing on mistakes – can only happen if they do one other thing: force them. If the ‘Eers are able to force turnovers, pin the NC State offense deep in their own territory, or even force a couple punts, West Virginia will be in good shape.
Betting Odds
Odds via Bovada
Point Spread: N.C. State -7
Over/Under: 45
Next. Dear WVU fans, stop blaming Dana Holgorsen. dark
Prediction
Saturday’s game against North Carolina State will be an emotional one for the Mountaineers. They’re coming off a huge defeat, while also playing against their former defensive coordinator, who happened to be passed over for the job when Neal Brown was hired. The players will want to make a statement for not only themselves, but also for their head coach. While Brown will look to prove he was the right man for the job. All things considered, I believe West Virginia will get the job done.
Final score: West Virginia 27, NC State 23