West Virginia is coming off a much needed bye after getting destroyed by Baylor the week before. Now they have another tough test in front of them as they take on the 16th ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders. While many people may think that Texas Tech has this game in the bag, they should really look at the Raiders' close win against Iowa State. A horrible call by the refs put the Cyclones in the hole and allowed the Red Raiders to win. West Virginia is much better than Iowa State, and they may be able to give Texas Tech some problems on Saturday.
There is breaking news at the quarterback position. Ford Childress is now out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. With Childress done it looks as though Clint Trickett will get the start on Saturday. Trickett had problems handling the Baylor defense and after a
few hits he looked as though he was in pain. Surprisingly, he didn’t get injured, though he finished up the Baylor game with a lot of bumps and bruises. In fact, Trickett got so banged up that Paul Millard had to come in for him in a few series. Millard did pretty well during his appearance in the Baylor game, throwing for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
This game will be no walk in the park for Trickett as the Texas Tech defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks sixteen times while only allowing them to throw for 231 yards. While Trickett is the obvious option to start this game, don’t be surprised to see Millard if Trickett struggles or gets injured.
The running game did well too, but there is still much room for improvement. Charles Sims was the leading back, carrying the ball nineteen times for 92 yards and one touchdown. Sims has had some up and down games this season, but he showed that given the opportunity he can be a big playmaker. The other running back, Dreamius Smith, had a much harder time getting something going on the ground. Smith ran for 25 yards on eight carries, which is disappointing for him since he is sometimes used more than Sims. If he hopes to take over the reins someday he is going to have to prove more on the field.
The running game also had another player pick up some decent yards. Vernon Davis (unfortunately not the tight end for the 49ers, but the wide receiver for the Mountaineers), ran for 25 yards on two end-around plays. It will be interesting to see if Dana Holgorsen decides to call some of those this week just to get the Red Raiders’ defense off balance. Their defense is allowing right around 113 yards per game, so the chances are good that the running backs could have a big day.
In the receiving game, only two players really stood out against Baylor. Kevin White had a monster game hauling in seven catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The other was Ronald Carswell who had two receptions for 58 yards. This was White’s coming out party and now that he is more involved in the offense, they have a better chance of moving the ball efficiently. Daikiel Shorts was the next best receiver and he has to step his game up if the passing game is to be its most effective. The Texas Tech defense is giving up 10 yards per catch for receivers, so this works in the receivers' favor to pick up a ton of first downs.
The WVU defense was completely picked apart by Baylor's quarterback and running backs. They had very little chance to rest, and every time they came onto the field they got torched by the deep ball or the speed of the backs. Granted they did come away with three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. They also scooped up a fumble, but at the end of the day the Bears’ offensive stats speak for themselves. The defense has to step up against both forms of attack this weekend.
Texas Tech will not let up off the gas if the defense begins to show any signs of weakness. They can be just as dangerous as Baylor and they can drop huge points in a short amount of time. Currently they are averaging 135 yards rushing the ball and over 400 yards passing the ball. If West Virginia allows them to throw for 400 or more yards then it will be game over in no time. The Mountaineers defenders have to contain quarterback Davis Webb. The defense does get a break with Raiders star Baker Mayfield being out with a knee injury, but still they can’t sleep on anyone Saturday.
There are any number of players on this Red Raiders' squad that can do some serious damage to the Mountaineers. Based on the poor rush defense two weeks ago the defense really has to pay attention to DeAndre Washington. Washington has 53 carries for 207 yards and four touchdowns on the season and if the defense played like it did last week, then there is a very good chance that he could add significantly to his season total. The Mountaineer defense is giving up 208 yards per game to opposing running backs. If they play like they did two weeks ago, expect a huge game from Washington.
Even though West Virginia did have some major problems in the Baylor game, that bye week really helped them rest and get ready for this game. Texas Tech is a very beatable team and if the Mountaineers can play like they did against Oklahoma State, then there is a very good chance that they could shock the country again by pulling off another upset.
Prediction: WVU-38 Texas Tech-31
Player of the Game: Charles Sims 23 carries 110 yards 2 TDs
Who knows maybe this will happen again:
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