Texas Longhorns vs. West Virginia Mountaineers: Complete Game Preview
Each coming off much-needed wins, the Texas Longhorns and West Virginia Mountaineers will square off in Morgantown on Saturday.
Charlie Strong's Longhorns needed a confidence boost following a 24-0 loss to Iowa State on Oct. 31, and they got it in the form of the Kansas Jayhawks. The maligned Texas offense beat up on the Jayhawks, piling up 598 yards of offense in Saturday's 59-20 win.
The win helped quarterback Jerrod Heard find his groove again. The redshirt freshman cleared 200 yards for the first time since Week 3, and will try to carry that success over to a tough matchup with the Mountaineers.
While Heard and the Horns pounded Kansas, Dana Holgorsen's team shook off some demons of its own. Thanks to a dominant ground game, the Mountaineers snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday with a 31-26 win over Texas Tech.
Staying at home against a Longhorn team that's been outscored 112-10 on the road this season, they'll try to lock down a bowl appearance before Thanksgiving.
Date: Saturday, November 14
Time: Noon ET
Location: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, West Virginia
TV: ESPNU
Line: West Virginia -8.5, according to Odds Shark
Texas Keys to Victory
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Start Fast
It's well-documented that Texas is 0-11 in the Strong era when the opponent scores first, a figure that includes all five losses this season. The inability to be first on the board has been especially problematic on the road.
The Horns were down 17-0 before they scored on Notre Dame, 50-7 before scoring against TCU and never reached paydirt in a 24-0 loss at Iowa State. In contrast, an 84-yard bomb to John Burt on the first play from scrimmage sparked Texas' 59-20 win over Kansas. The offense needs to come with that same aggression this week.
Finish Tackles
Per OrangeBloods.com's Alex Dunlap, the Longhorns missed 16 tackles against Kansas, the most the site has charted since 2013. That's humiliating, and it's one of the main reasons the Jayhawks should have had a lead at halftime. Missing tackles at that rate will get these Horns embarrassed in Morgantown.
Keep Working Those High-Percentage Routes
In the win over Kansas, Heard cleared 200 yards for the first time since Week 3. The huge play to Burt helped, but this was Heard's best game getting the ball out fast and taking advantage of one-on-one matchups. The Longhorn offense needs that to keep defenses honest.
West Virginia Keys to Victory
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Keep Heard in the Pocket
The plan for stopping Heard is pretty simple—spy him, and force him to win with his arm. Oklahoma State, TCU and Iowa State all executed this plan to perfection, holding the explosive quarterback to 277 combined yards in wins. The redshirt freshman showed better against Kansas, but the Mountaineers should and will make him prove he can sustain that success.
Pound the Ball
Texas only allows a little over four yards per carry, but the tape says the Horns can be had on the ground. They've allowed four 100-yard rushers this season, and they allowed over five yards a pop to the Jayhawks. Wendell Smallwood should have a big day.
Convert Third Down
The Mountaineers have been a middling third-down offense this season, converting just over 41 percent of their tries. On the other hand, Texas is the Big 12's worst offense on the crucial down, and second-worst on the defensive side, per CFBStats.com. Keep the Longhorn defense on the field, and that offense will press itself into mistakes.
Texas Players to Watch
3 of 6LB Malik Jefferson
Slowed by a stomach bug the past two weeks, Texas will need Jefferson's best in Morgantown. With him at less than full strength, Iowa State bullied the Longhorns for 238 rushing yards, and Kansas really moved the ball before he entered the game late in the second quarter.
When healthy, he can cover, rush the passer and plug up running lanes. His versatility changes the complexion of this defense.
RB D'Onta Foreman
A regular in this spot, Foreman proved once again why he deserves to be the lead back in Texas' offense. The sophomore ran for a career-high 157 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas, including a 93-yarder that broke the game open. He now has two runs of over 80 yards this season, which is ridiculous considering he comes in at 241 pounds.
CB Holton Hill/CB Devante Davis
Texas' two rangy freshmen will remain the starting outside corners this week, which means they'll see a lot of Shelton Gibson. West Virginia's super sophomore ranks sixth in the conference in yards per game (per CFBStats.com), with the ability to blow by defenders with game-breaking speed.
Holgorsen's offense leads the Big 12 in rushing attempts per game, but he'll assuredly try these young cover men deep. Let's see if they can hold up.
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West Virginia Players to Watch
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RB Rushel Shell
The Mountaineers' junior tailback finally broke out against Texas Tech, keying the comeback with 111 yards and two touchdowns.
A powerful back at 221 pounds, he can soften Texas' front for the explosive Wendell Smallwood, who has been a force all season. If Shell's finally turned a corner, these two could form a fearsome one-two punch.
QB Skyler Howard
After a stellar start to the season, the shine has worn off of the junior quarterback. He hasn't completed more than 60 percent of his passes since Week 4 and hasn't gone over 300 yards since Week 1.
Texas will do what it can to make Howard win this game, but he has something going for him—his legs. The Longhorns have struggled with dual-threats all season, even ones with average athleticism such as Iowa State's Joel Lanning. Those opportunities will be there for Howard, and he can take the suspense out of it by taking advantage early.
LB Shaq Petteway
Nick Kwiatkoski leads West Virginia's veteran linebacking crew, but Petteway's the guy who figures to see the most action. By moving Kent Perkins over to left guard next to tackle Connor Williams, the Longhorns' two best blockers will be doing battle with Petteway all day. He better be ready for a workout.
What They're Saying
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Texas
Strong discussing the team's mindset heading into another tough road game on Monday:
"Well, they've been beat up so much about it and they've heard about it so much, so they understand how critical it is. With each game, you know, we haven't played well on the road, but even we're coming home, we dropped two at home, so it's more of us just putting it all together and playing good in all three phases, which we haven't done, and we need to get off to a good start. If we get off to a good start and the quarterback plays well, then that's what's going to…it relies on the quarterback. If he plays well, then we're going to get off to a good start.
"
John Bianco, Texas' director of media relations, on running back D'Onta Foreman:
"With a 93-yard run vs Kansas & 81 vs OU, Texas' D'Onta Foreman is the only Power 5 Conference player with 2 runs of 80 or more yards in 2015.
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West Virginia
Dana Holgorsen on quarterback Skyler Howard following Saturday's win over Texas Tech:
"The one thing that Skyler does well is get us in the right play in the run game. He’s able to execute quarterback stuff. He may not be flashy. He may not make a bunch of guys miss. He gets in the right play and goes down hill. We had two backs that averaged seven and a half yards a carry. That’s a credit to the offensive line, but Skyler has a role in that too. He’s getting us in the right plays. They’ve got to account for him because he can pull it and keep it anytime. He allows us to go empty and for them to spread the whole field. He’s able to be a run threat where they have to keep it. Overall, I was happy with those guys - the o-line, the quarterback and running backs.
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Rushel Shell, per WVMetroNews.com's Allan Taylor, on his struggles before his 114-yard, two-touchdown performance against Texas Tech:
"Honestly at times I was like, "Man, do I suck? What’s the deal?" I’m going hard as I can in practice and then in the game I’m getting stuffed every time I get the ball. I felt like Wendell’s getting all the plays that are opening and I’m getting all the plays that are busted.
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Prediction
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Aside from its road struggles, Texas has a few things working against it in this matchup.
As discussed earlier, the Longhorns have been terrible at getting off the field on third down. Per CFBStats.com, opponents' 48.65 conversion percentage ranks 120th in the nation. Only Texas Tech is worse among Power 5 teams.
We've also touched on Texas' overrated run defense. The Horns allow only four yards per carry but give up almost 190 yards per game. They've also taken 206 yards away from the opposition on sacks, which ranks seventh in the nation, also per CFBStats.com. Factor that in, and this team is giving up closer to five yards a pop.
The Mountaineers will pound the ball with Smallwood and Shell, putting pressure on the Horns to sustain drives and put up points in a hostile environment. If the Horns do that, it will be the first time in 2015.
As Holgorsen said after the win over Texas Tech, the Mountaineer offensive line has been in a bit of flux. That could open the door for Texas' front seven to wreak some havoc, but it's hard to give any Longhorns the benefit of the doubt on the road.
West Virginia 30, Texas 17
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com and WVUSports.com.
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