Only one of those was by single digits. During 2014, Strong’s first Texas team was only 4-5 when it overpowered then-No.
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As it stands, a pass to Rushel Shell on second-and-5 – the second play of the drive – lost 2 yards and featured Shell fumbling the ball, recovering it and then saying, “If I’m getting pulled because of that fumble, I might as well try to do something helpful”.
“We’re able to run the ball better than any other team I’ve been with in my whole career”, Holgorsen said. “The hard part’s not over”.
“We’re not going to worry about where we’ve been”, Holgorsen said. We’re in a Power 5 conference.
On 18 third-down attempts, the kind of moments that could have drastically altered the final outcome, the Red Raiders, the FBS’ best third-down team, converted only seven times. Hardly anyone gives Texas a chance in the December 5 season finale at Baylor, placing the bowl-eligibility onus on two interim games against WVU and Texas Tech. West Virginia Mountaineers rank at 29 for 289.3 road passing yards where as Texas Tech Red Raiders rank at 65 for allowing 246.0 passing yards at home.
Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen, while optimistic about a strong finish, urges a few caution because his team’s aerial circus has been grounded.
The challenge is to replicate the performance in a hostile environment, with the top spot of the Big 12 conference at stake. “I’m just very proud of this defense, and where we’re at, and we’ll continue to get better”. “We haven’t thought about it. There’s nothing we can do about the schedule”. On several occasions this season, defensive coordinator David Gibbs has acknowledged that if he was an “OC” he would run the ball every play against Tech.
Excuses aside, quarterback Skyler Howard has completed just 48 percent of his passes and has nine turnovers during the losing streak. Howard is a first-year starting quarterback trying to throw to a revolving door of first-year wide receivers.
Texas did beat No. 12 Oklahoma, but that came on a neutral field in Dallas where half the stadium was wearing burnt orange. It was four different people.
The Mountaineers could have quit, especially after the 40-10 debacle at TCU, a game they could have won as unlikely as that may sound, had they not dropped four TD passes and a pair of interceptions. However, none may have more offensive excitement, as the game between the visiting Texas Tech Red Raiders and the West Virginia Mountaineers.
“All that stuff has got to improve”, Holgorsen said. “If that’s the case, let’s see if we can contain him”. Wendell right now is playing really, really well. “(Shell) needs to be the complement to that and have the confidence in himself to take advantage of whatever opportunities that he’s got”. He’s had multiple touchdown throws in four games this year, but has given away interceptions in each of the last six contests.
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Dislike the Mountaineers, if you must, because they are a notch or two below the league’s elite teams of Baylor, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and TCU – in that order after the Cowboys upset the Horned Frogs, but respect them for their approach.
