Eastern Kentucky isn’t the opener Mountaineer fans were looking forward to, having a bout with Florida State scheduled at the Mercedes Benz Dome in Atlanta, but football is football at this point. I just hope the Colonels play better than the last time they squared off against a Power Five opponent (they lost 42-0 to Louisville last season).
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This should be an easy win for West Virginia, even with the unusual offseason they’ve endured. EKU dealt with the same thing, but this is one of those instances where it’s about the Jimmys and the Joes — and West Virginia simply has the better players.
I’m not expecting WVU to win 50-0, but we should at least see some improvements from where the team was a year ago. The running game should be a major focus of the offense early on. If they can get rolling against the Colonels and build some momentum, it could really open things up for players like Ali Jennings and Winston Wright. Sam James is going to get his, and if the run game can do anything at all, those other guys will step up and produce.
The defense will have plenty of success in this game, and hopefully there won’t be too many assignment breakdowns to work on after. But if they’re flying around, hitting everything that moves — following an offseason that was anything but normal — they should be fine. There’s a ton of youth on the defense, but if Dante and Darius Stills can set the tone up front, everybody else should fall in line.
Prediction: West Virginia 33, Eastern Kentucky 16 (1-0)
Following the EKU contest, the Mountaineers have an off-week before traveling to Stillwater to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys. In last season’s bout, the Mountaineers struggled to score, posting only 10 points. Their defense held up, though, allowing just 20, keeping the team afloat until the very end.
The Mountaineers were one dimensional on offense, but quarterback Jarret Doege still managed to complete 28-of-28 attempts for 307 yards. If only Chuba Hubbard played for West Virginia, though.
Hubbard dominated the Mountaineers, piling up 106 yards on 26 carries while also catching seven passes for 88 yards. Unfortunately, he returned to Oklahoma State for his senior season and will once again terrorize the Big 12.
Prediction: Oklahoma State 33, West Virginia 23 (1-1, 0-1 Big 12)