After a Week 9 bye, WVU Football (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) returns to action when it travels to Lubbock, Texas, to face No. 15 Texas Tech (7-1, 4-1 Big 12). Read more: Keys to the game: WVU travels to face ranked Texas Tech following bye week.
The Mountaineers’ conference play started rough with three straight losses. Lately, WVU has built up a two-game winning streak against conference opponents and is just one game away from bowl eligibility.
WVU is in a “prove it” point of its schedule. With four games remaining, WVU has to face three opponents that are currently ranked in the CFP Top 25 to close out its season.
The first test in its pursuit of becoming bowl-eligible will be the Red Raiders. Overall, Texas Tech has been dominating, only dropping one contest this season to Cincinnati on October 24.
Texas Tech will be WVU’s first opponent since Virginia this season that is ranked ahead of the game. Virginia was No. 25 at the time, and WVU won 38-27.
Related: WVU faces Texas Tech rushing challenge with bowl eligibility possible
Texas Tech preview
The Red Raiders and Mountaineers meet for the 16th time in program history on Saturday. WVU will travel to Lubbock for the eighth time.
Texas Tech leads the all-time series 8-7 and is 4-3 when facing WVU at home.
Related: Tale of the Tape 2.0 – Texas Tech
The Mountaineers’ best years facing the Red Raiders were 2014-2018, defeating them five years in a row.
However in recent years, WVU has not been on the winning side of the conference rivalry. Texas Tech has won six of the past seven meetings, with the Mountaineers only coming out on top in Morgantown in 2023.
Last year’s game in Morgantown was not pretty. The Red Raiders were the No. 5-ranked team in the nation at the time and shut out WVU 49-0.
Texas Tech has shown the same dominance this season as well. It has defeated ranked opponents including Arizona and Houston. It has also defeated all of its unranked opponents by 10 points or more except Cincinnati.
Cincinnati sneaking a win on Texas Tech was very surprising. The Bearcats are a team the Mountaineers defeated this season.
The Mountaineers have a very good offense, one that ranks highly in the NCAA. This certainly looks like a team that is improved and not going to let the Red Raiders shut it out this time.
Here are the keys to the game:
Passing the ball is a must
Texas Tech overall has been a great team, but there are two areas where it has fallen short this season. The first is that it ranks among the bottom in passing yards allowed.
Allowing teams to complete passes is one of the biggest inconsistencies the Red Raiders have. It ranks 135th out of 138 in passing yards allowed per game with 285.
Overall, Cam Cook and Michael Hawkins Jr. run the ball well, but Texas Tech will come prepared for that. Texas Tech has the 13th-ranked rushing defense as it only averages allowing 94.9 yards per game.
Initially, WVU was ranked amongst the bottom in passing offense, but it now averages 206.5 passing yards per game ranking them at 95. The passing game appears to get better as the season goes on.
Hawkins struggled against TCU, only putting up 79 passing yards. The week prior, however, Hawkins threw for 464 yards. The capability is there, and this is another week that Hawkins must get the ball in the air.
Stop the rush
Like WVU, Texas Tech is a run-heavy team. It ranks 18th in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 207 yards per game.
J’Koby Williams is the Red Raiders No. 1 option at running back. He ranks 18th in the nation in rushing yards with 794.
Williams takes a majority of the load, but all-around other players are utilized, and Texas Tech racks up big numbers in the rushing department. In total, it has rushed for 1656 yards this season.
WVU’s rushing defense is far from great, as it ranks 102nd in the nation and allows an average of 166 yards per game.
Against TCU, however, WVU held the Horned Frogs to just 112 total rushing yards, which is a massive improvement from most games this season.
Texas Tech touts a much better run game than TCU, but perhaps the Mountaineers can carry over its momentum and start building on defensive capabilities.
Be prepared for Texas Tech to pass the ball
Texas Tech’s second biggest inconsistency is its passing game. It initially started the season with Will Hammond, but it seems Thomas Castellanos is in the driver’s seat moving forward.
Castellanos was consistent. had two passing touchdowns against Arizona and led the Red Raiders to a victory. He got the job done, but the rushing game was still better.
Still, with Castellanos taking over, Texas Tech may be in for a better passing game soon. It is likely WVU is the opponent Texas Tech is looking for to test out Castellanos’ abilities, as WVU ranks as the worst passing defense in the NCAA.
Overall, it is safe to say the defense is in for a major challenge. A newer QB who wants to prove himself combined with an elite rushing offense is going to be a challenge.
If WVU can limit Castellanos’ passing game, WVU could be in for an upset.
Conclusion
WVU vs Texas Tech kicks off at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Related: WVU promoted out of noon kickoff purgatory, but comes with a tough test
Texas Tech has already qualified for the postseason. For WVU, it is win-and-in.
However, Texas Tech needs wins to improve its chances at the College Football Playoffs. At this moment, it is not in the projection.
BYU and Utah currently hold the best odds in the Big 12, and a loss for Texas Tech against WVU would set it back further.
Both teams are fighting for something different. It certainly is a game that could be one of the best this week if both offenses shine.
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