This has the makings of a high-scoring affair as the Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-4) meet the West Virginia Mountaineers (3-4). The nation’s top passer, Patrick Mahomes II (3,331 yards, 25 TDs), will be key to the outcome of this contest. It’s been a rough season for West Virginia and it hasn’t gotten any better as of late, having lost four of its last five. The game will begin Saturday, Nov 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on FS1.
West Virginia was blown out by TCU 40-10 last week. Wendell Smallwood had an outstanding performance on the ground in the loss, rushing for 113 yards on 20 carries. Texas Tech also fell short, getting beat by Oklahoma State 70-53. Jakeem Grant had a big game for the Red Raiders, totaling 13 receptions for 178 yards and one TD. Patrick Mahomes II had a big game as well, totaling 480 yards and four TDs through the air.
West Virginia is a seven-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable.
The Mountaineers enter the game with records of 3-4 Straight Up (SU) and 2-5 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. Over their last five games, the Mountaineers have records of 1-4 for both SU and ATS. Look for West Virginia to take advantage of an inferior run defense. The Red Raiders are 125th in the country against the run, giving up 271.8 rushing yards per game. Transitioning to the West Virginia defense, there are some things to keep in mind when it is on the field. The Red Raiders need to watch out for West Virginia’s tenacious defense. It averages the 11th-most turnovers with 2.3 per game. Keep an eye on West Virginia to turn it up a notch during the third quarter, when they average 9.4 points per game.
Across the field, the Red Raiders have 5-4 SU and 4-5 ATS records this season. The Red Raiders went 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS over the last five games. If earlier games are any indication, the Red Raiders will throw the ball a lot. They average 414 passing yards per game, good enough for second in Division I. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the Texas Tech defense can dominate if it takes advantage of some favorable matchups. The Mountaineers need to hold on to the ball if they want a shot against the turnover-minded Red Raiders. The Texas Tech defense generates two turnovers per game, 24th in the country. The Red Raiders usually get going immediately from the initial kickoff, averaging 13.3 points in the first quarter this year. With an average of 111.8 return yards per game (21st-most in the country), Texas Tech has had a great deal of success with its special teams.
Predictions: SU Winner – Texas Tech, ATS Winner – Texas Tech
Notes
West Virginia is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
West Virginia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of West Virginia’s last 16 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of West Virginia’s last 5 games at home.
Texas Tech is 4-1 SU when leading at the half this season. West Virginia is 3-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Texas Tech is winless (0-3 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (4-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
West Virginia has drawn an average of 8.8 penalties on opponents over its last five games. Texas Tech is only 1-4 SU this season when penalized at least eight times in a game.
Among all FBS teams, the West Virginia offensive passing game is ranked 43rd in the nation, while the Texas Tech pass defense is only ranked 122nd. The Red Raiders passing attack is ranked second, compared to the 97th-ranked pass defense of the Mountaineers.
