The maligned Texas offense beat up on the Jayhawks, piling up 598 yards of offense in Saturday’s 59-20 win. It marked the first time this season that he didn’t throw a touchdown pass.
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Junior running back Wendell Smallwood is nearing a 1,000 yard rushing season.
The future of West Virginia football got brighter on Wednesday as the Mountaineers added a pair of commitments to the 2016 class – one planned, and the other a surprise.
Texas Tech came into this game averaging almost 600 yards of total offense and 45 points per game. If West Virginia can do what they do well which is pound the ball with Smallwood while Skyler Howard makes plays with his legs and arm they are a risky team for anyone to face.
West Virginia’s defense may have had issues with its schedule, but it has been a turnover machine in 2015.
As the United States celebrates and honors our veterans, both past and present, the Mountaineer coaching staff was able to secure 2 key commits for the 2016 class. The first came this morning when DB Sean Mahone announced that he had committed to WVU. Safety Karl Joseph who is the biggest playmaker on the defensive side was lost for the season to a knee injury this past week. They have recovered three fumbles and have recorded 14 interceptions. West Virginia’s ability to force turnovers creates another issue for Texas.
WVU opens regular season play on Friday, November 13 against Northern Kentucky at 7 p.m. Tickets are priced at $15 and $10 and can be purchased at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU GAME. With a touchdown to interception ration of 16/9 on just 55% passing, it’s clear he will give Texas plenty of opportunities. “There’s a lot that goes into it. Sharper throwing, better timing and tempo, pass protection, improved route running, the speed in which you run the routes – a lot of subtle things”. Morgantown is a tough environment, and the home stadium has been kind to West Virginia.
West Virginia began its slate of Big 12 games 0-4 after playing the conference’s top teams – Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and TCU. Thanks to a dominant ground game, the Mountaineers snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday with a 31-26 win over Texas Tech. West Virginia’s rebound can continue against the Longhorns as it season gets vastly easier beginning with Texas.
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That was especially imperative over the final two drives, when the Mountaineers used seven runs in eight plays for the deciding touchdown, then salted the game away via 13 runs over 16 plays to reach inside the one-yard line before Howard took consecutive knees to end the contest. Smallwood ran for a career-high 163 yards and Rushel Shell had 111 yards against the Red Raiders.
