Two of the Big 12’s best players will be on display in this game, as Jerrod Heard and the Texas Longhorns head to Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium to play Skyler Howard and the West Virginia Mountaineers. Winners of three of its last five, Texas (4-5) has shown signs of life as of late, following what has been a less than spectacular season. The game will air Saturday, Nov 14 at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPU.
West Virginia beat Texas Tech 31-26 last week. Rushel Shell had a huge game on the ground in the win, totaling 111 yards and two TDs on 14 carries. Wendell Smallwood also had a great game with 163 rushing yards and a TD on 22 carries. Texas also won last week’s performance, dominating Kansas 59-20. D’Onta Foreman had a great game running the ball for the Longhorns, gaining 157 yards and two TDs on 12 attempts. John Burt also had a big game with 113 receiving yards and a TD on four catches.
The Longhorns are a seven-point underdog against the Mountaineers and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 58 points.
Sitting at 4-4 Straight Up (SU) and 2-6 Against The Spread (ATS), the Mountaineers will look to improve heading into Week 11. In the past five games, West Virginia has struggled ATS with a record of 0-5. The West Virginia run game is productive, currently ranking 19th in the nation with 220.1 rushing yards per game. West Virginia likes to run an up-tempo, fast-paced offense. With an average of 82.9 plays per game, they rank fifth in Division I.
As for their opponent, the Longhorns head into Week 11 with records of 4-5 for both ATS and SU. The Longhorns went 3-2 for both SU and ATS over the last five games. The defensive front seven better be ready for Texas’s bruising rushing attack which has averaged 239.2 yards on the ground over its past five games. During their last five games, the Longhorns have also done a better job of keeping their opponents off the scoreboard. They’re allowing 29.0 PPG, but have given up an average of 24 over their last five. The Texas pass defense has given teams fits during those games as well. During that time, opponents have gained an average of only 223.2 passing yards against this terrorizing group. The Longhorns have been embarrassing their opponents’ offensive lines this year. Texas’s defense ranks sixth in the country with an average of 3.3 sacks per game. Special teams usually provides a spark for Texas. They average the 22nd-most return yards in the nation with 112.4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Texas, ATS Winner – Texas, O/U – Over
Notes
West Virginia is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
West Virginia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of West Virginia’s last 17 games.
West Virginia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of West Virginia’s last 5 games at home.
Texas is 4-1 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. West Virginia is 4-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Remarkably, West Virginia is only 1-4 SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet undefeated (2-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
West Virginia has induced an average of 8.4 penalties on opponents over its last five games. Texas is only 1-4 SU this season when penalized at least eight times in a game.
The West Virginia rushing attack is ranked 19th in the country, while the Texas run defense is only ranked 89th. The Longhorns running game is ranked 30th, compared to the 83rd-ranked rush defense of the Mountaineers.
