West Virginia faces their most challenging opponent yet this season on the road this Saturday. They travel to Houston to face the 22nd-ranked Cougars. WVU is 2-6 this season, and 0-5 in the Big 12, while Houston sits at 7-1 and 4-1 in the Big 12. The Mountaineers come into the contest as a two-touchdown underdog as they look for a big-time road victory. The game kicks off at noon Eastern on FS1 on Saturday, Nov. 1. Read more: WVU at Houston preview: Mountaineers seek first Big 12 win against Cougars.
WVU at Houston preview: Mountaineers seek first Big 12 win against Cougars
The injuries never seem to stop coming for the Mountaineers. They lost safety Jordan Walker for the season due to a broken arm. They are also dealing with some injuries to the offensive line. Malik Agbo, who started at right tackle last week, is dealing with a high ankle sprain and is doubtful for this week. Ty’Kieast Crawford could return to his starter role if healthy this week. The quarterback position should look similar to last week. Scotty Fox Jr. and Max Brown are both healthy, and Khalil Wilkins has a chance to dress.
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Head coach Rich Rodriguez liked the improved effort and intensity last week against TCU, but they still came up short. TCU is a tough team to beat with just effort, and the same goes for Houston this week. Rodriguez had the first-string offense and defense go at it last week, which likely helped the intensity come game day. He should do that again this week as they prepare for a tough Houston team.
Matchups to watch
Conner Weigman leads the Cougars’ offense and is a dual-threat quarterback. The junior has 354 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns to go along with his 1,581 passing yards and 12-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He is coming off an impressive performance against Arizona State, which helped Houston enter the top 25 for the first time since 2022. He ran 21 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing for 201 yards and one touchdown.
The Houston offense plays as well as Weigman plays, so WVU must force him into mistakes. He threw his two interceptions in their lone loss and an overtime victory over Oregon State. The Houston offense scores 28.8 points per game, which ranks in the bottom five of the Big 12. Turnovers can play a huge factor in this game, especially since WVU’s offense only scores 20.5 points per game.
The Cougars’ rushing attack is headed by senior running back Dean Connors, a Rice transfer. He leads the team with 586 rushing yards and is second with four rushing touchdowns. Their top pass-catchers are junior wide receiver Amare Thomas and senior tight end Tanner Koziol. They have 535 and 450 yards, respectively, and account for 58.6% of the team’s receiving yards. They each have four receiving touchdowns, which leads the team.
The Mountaineers must protect Fox this week. Houston has four sacks in each of their last two games and does a great job of getting after the quarterback. They disrupt their opponents and are a significant reason for their ranking. Their defense allows only 18.6 points per game, ranking fourth in the Big 12, and holds opponents to 120.4 rushing yards per game. The Mountaineers must establish the run early in this matchup to keep their defensive front honest.
Final analysis
WVU has a challenging task ahead of it this week against a tough defense. They must generate points somehow and sustain drives to keep the Houston offense off the field. They likely will not secure their first conference victory this week, but they can build momentum for an easier matchup against Colorado at home next week.
