Game Preview: WVU vs. Kansas State
Series: Kansas State 5-2
Last meeting: 2016: WVU 17 KSU 16
Television: 3:30 p.m. ESPN2, Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic, Jr. (analyst), Roddy Jones (sideline)
No. 23 West Virginia (6-3, 4-2) is coming off a win over its highest rated opponent in three years and will hit the road to try to win at a place they never have at Kansas State (5-4, 3-3) Saturday afternoon.
The Mountaineers knocked off No. 14 Iowa State by jumping out to a 20-0 lead and then holding on for a 20-16 win in Morgantown this past week. The West Virginia defense responded with its best performance of the season against a power five opponent holding the Cyclones to almost half of their season average with points and only 350 total yards, including forcing three field goals in the red zone.
Kansas State is coming off an impressive win as well, erasing an 11-point fourth quarter deficit with third string quarterback redshirt freshman Skylar Thompson to beat Texas Tech in overtime in Lubbock.
The Wildcats had dominated the series between the two teams since West Virginia joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012 holding a 4-0 advantage until the Mountaineers were able to rally in Morgantown a season ago for a 17-16 win over Kansas State.
West Virginia has lost both meetings in Manhattan, including the last trip in 2015 which was a heartbreaking 24-23 loss when the Mountaineers led almost throughout.
Kansas State is led by Bill Snyder, who is in his second tenure atop the Wildcats program and has amassed a career record of 207-109-1 in his 26th year. One of the most respected men in his profession and the dean of Big 12 coaches, Snyder has led the Wildcats to two Big 12 Championships and is one of only four people to ever be named to the College Football Hall of Fame as an active coach.
The veteran head coach has built the Kansas State program through a unique combination of junior college talent and program players and the Wildcats are known for their lack of mistakes and general discipline from the top down. Snyder has turned around the Kansas State program twice during his career first from 1989 to 2005 and then reassuming the role in 2009 after retiring.
While there is still uncertainty as to which quarterback could draw the start, the freshman Thompson is the safe bet to trigger the Wildcats offense with injuries to the other two starters. For two consecutive games, Thompson has come off the bench to close games out for Kansas State including the comeback win over Texas Tech where he was able to complete 5-8 passes for 96 yards and a score.
Regardless of who gets the football at quarterback, the Wildcats have one of the most balanced offenses in the nation averaging 33 points per game with a near even split coming on the ground with 193 yards per game and through the air with 184.7 yards passing.
Over the past three games, the Wildcats have rushed for 615 yards and eight touchdowns led by sophomore running back Alex Barnes who has accounted for 587 yards and five scores on the year. Kansas State also will use their quarterback on designed runs and while Thompson isn’t the scrambler as the other two options, he can still effectively use his feet and run the offense.
While Kansas State has only thrown for 10 total touchdowns this season, the Wildcats have playmakers on the outside with junior Byron Pringle serving as the deep threat catching 21 passes for 511 yards and 3 scores and sophomore Isaiah Zuber leading the team in catches with 38 for 387 and a trio of scores. Finally, sophomore Dalton Schoen has come on as a third option in the passing game hauling in 20 balls for 440 yards and three touchdowns.
Like usual, the Wildcats will use a number of run-pass-option plays including the trademark pop-pass to try to catch defenses being too aggressive for gains down the field.
On the defensive side, the Wildcats are coached by Tom Hayes and the unit has struggled this season giving up 422.6-yards per game. Although generally stout against the run ranking 25th nationally yielding only 126.8 yards per contest but through the air the Wildcats are allowing 295.8 yards per game, ranking almost dead last in all of college football in that department.
Kansas State won’t take a lot of chances often rushing four and dropping seven in coverage forcing opposing offenses to drive the field and limit the big plays over the top. The defense is equipped with a pair of talented cornerbacks and can allow them to use more man coverage. However, the Kansas State defensive line is particularly active and big reason for the success against the run.
Overall, Snyder is 4-1 against West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen in his career and the Mountaineers will look to even up their Big 12 road record to even with a win.
Kansas State will look to become bowl eligible with a win for the eighth consecutive season and give the Wildcats three straight Big 12 wins for the first time since the end of last year.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN2.
West Virginia Depth Chart:
OFFENSE:
QB: 7 Will Grier, (r-Jr.), 11 Chris Chugunov, (r-So.)
RB: 25 Justin Crawford, (Sr.), 4 Kennedy McKoy, (So.), 32 Martell Pettaway, (So.)
HB: 28 Elijah Wellman, (r-Sr.), 81 Trevon Wesco, (r-Jr.)
X WR: 13 David Sills, V, (Jr.), 8 Marcus Simms (So.)
Y/H WR: 12 Gary Jennings, Jr., (Jr.), 85 Ricky Rogers, (r-Jr.)
Z WR: 2 Ka'Raun White, (r-Sr.), 6 Reggie Roberson, Jr., (Fr.)
LT: 55 Yodny Cajuste, (r-Jr.), 72 Kelby Wickline, (r-So.)
LG: 73 Josh Sills, (r-Fr.), 78 Jacob Buccigrossi, (r-Fr.)
C: 79 Matt Jones, (r-So.), 58 Ray Raulerson, (r-Jr.)
RG: 62 Kyle Bosch, (r-Sr.), 56 Grant Lingafelter, (r-Sr.)
RT: 53 Colton McKivitz, (r-So.), 65 Isaiah Hardy, (Jr.)
DEFENSE:
DE: 88 Adam Shuler, (r-So.), 92 Jon Lewis, (r-Sr.)
NT: 49 Lamonte McDougle, (Fr.), 94 Jalen Harvey, (r-Jr.)
DE: 46 Reese Donahue, (So.), 93 Ezekiel Rose, (Jr.)
SAM LB: 5 Xavier Preston, (Sr.), 33 Quondarius Qualls (Jr.)
MIKE LB: 3 Al-Rasheed Benton, (r-Sr.), 45 Adam Hensley (So.)
WILL LB: 11 David Long, Jr. (r-So.), 10 Dylan Tonkery, (r-Fr.)
SPUR: 8 Kyzir White, (Sr.), 18 Marvin Gross, Jr., (r-Sr.)
BS: 16 Toyous Avery, (r-Jr.), 1 Derrek Pitts, Jr., (Fr.)
FS: 6 Dravon Askew-Henry, (r-Jr.), 9 Jovanni Stewart, (So.)
LCB: 19 Elijah Battle, (Sr.), 2 Kenny Robinson, (Fr.)
RCB: 4 Mike Daniels, Jr., (Sr.), 24 Hakeem Bailey, (r-So.)
SPECIAL TEAMS:
K: 48 Mike Molina, (r-Sr.), 30 Evan Staley (r-Fr.)
P: 15 Billy Kinney, (r-Jr.), 43 Luke Hogan, (r-Fr.)
LS: 52 Nick Meadows, (r-Sr.), 64 Rex Sunahara, (r-So.)
H: 15 Billy Kinney, (r-Jr.), 43 Luke Hogan, (r-Fr.)
KO: 30 Evan Staley, (r-Fr.), 43 Luke Hogan, (r-Fr.)
PR: 8 Marcus Simms (So.), 13 David Sills, V, (Jr.)
KOR: 8 Marcus Simms (So.) 12 Gary Jennings, Jr., (Jr.)
NOTES:
--This year marks the 126th year of West Virginia football with the Mountaineers currently sitting in 14th place all-time in wins in college football.
--WVU is 26-25 in Big 12 Conference Games, 12-13 on the road. West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen is 1-4 against Kansas State including never winning in Manhattan. The Mountaineers are 173-64-4 all-time at Mountaineer Field after it opened in 1980.
--Since 2000, West Virginia is 112-15 when scoring more than 30 points and 57-4 when scoring more than 40 points in a game.
--The Mountaineers are 83-11 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle.
--In the Holgorsen era, WVU has produced 82 games with 300 or more yards, 62 games with 400 or more yards, 34 games with more than 500 yards and 17 with more than 600 yards.
--Under Holgorsen West Virginia has scored 30 or more points in 57 games, 40 or more points in 29 games, 50 or more points in 10 games and 60 or more points three times.
--The West Virginia offense has had 29 scoring drives of 70 yards or more, with 27 of those resulting in touchdowns. The offense has put together 13 touchdown drives of 80-yards or more.
--West Virginia moved back into the AP Top 25 at No. 23. The Mountaineers have been ranked in six of his seven seasons atop the program and in the top 25 on 40 different occasions.
--The 2017 roster consists of 121 players from 20 different states.
--Coaching staff assignments: AHC/DC/LB Tony Gibson (field), OC/QB Jake Spavital (field), CB Doug Belk (press box), WR Tyron Carrier (field), S Matt Caponi (field), RB Tony Dews (field), LB/ST Mark Scott (press box), DL Bruce Tall (press box), OL Joe Wickline (field)
--There are 33 Mountaineers who have seen their first WVU action during the 2017 season: Hakeem Bailey (CB), Chase Behrndt (OL), Dante Bonamico (S), Druw Bowen (WR), Tevin Bush (RB), Mitch Chugunov (WR), Elijah Drummond (FB), Brendan Ferns (LB), Will Grier (QB), Isaiah Hardy (OL), Jalen Harvey (DL), Osman Kamara (S), Jake Long (CB), Sean Mahone (CB), Dominique Maiden (WR), Alejando Marenco III (WR), Lamonte McDougle (DL), Quondarius Qualls (LB), Xavier Pegues (DL) Derrek Pitts Jr. (S), Jeffery Pooler (DL), Ray Raulerson (OL), Reggie Roberson Jr (WR), Kenny Robinson (CB), Ezekiel Rose (DL), Josh Sills (OL), Evan Staley (K), Darius Stills (DL), Rex Sunahara (LS), Dylan Tonkery (LB), Kelby Wickline (OL), Corey Winfield (CB) and Jonn Young (P).
--West Virginia has run a total of 685 plays with 334 coming on the ground and 351 through the air. The rushing game has totaled 1,498 yards for an average of 4.5 per carry and 14 touchdowns. The passing attack has totaled 3,149 yards, 31 touchdowns and an average of 13.9 per completion.
--The Mountaineers have gained 87 first downs via the run and 125 with the pass. West Virginia has averaged 166.4 yards per game on the ground and 349.9 in the air for a total of 516.3 yards per game.
Injuries/Suspensions: Redshirt freshman linebacker Brendan Ferns will miss the remainder of the 2017 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. West Virginia was without a number of players against Iowa State including redshirt junior safety Toyous Avery, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Adam Shuler, senior linebacker Xavier Preston, senior cornerback Mike Daniels, redshirt junior defensive lineman Jalen Harvey, redshirt senior cornerback Corey Winfield and redshirt senior kicker Mike Molina. At this stage it is unclear if any of those players will be able to play against the Wildcats with all being listed day-to-day.
Redshirts: Six true freshmen played in the season opener against Virginia Tech in Tevin Bush (RB), Lamonte McDougle (DL), Derrek Pitts Jr. (S), Reggie Roberson Jr. (WR), Kenny Robinson (CB) and Darius Stills (DL).
--A total of fourteen redshirt freshmen have seen action for the Mountaineers in 2017: Chase Behrndt (OL), Dante Bonamico (S), Druw Bowen (WR), Mitch Chugunov (WR), Elijah Drummond (HB), Brendan Ferns (LB), Osman Kamara (S), Jake Long (CB), Sean Mahone (CB), Jefferey Pooler (DL), Josh Sills (OL), Evan Staley (K), Dylan Tonkery (LB), and Jonn Young (P).
--Others that have played and will not redshirt: Junior offensive lineman Isaiah Hardy, Junior wide receiver Dominique Maiden.
POINTS TO CLICK:
--Win up front. Kansas State is going to want to do two things. Run the football, which they do to the tune of 193 yards per game, and stop the run, where they allow only 126 yards per game. Last week, the West Virginia coaches challenged the team and particularly in the departments of rushing offense and run defense to recapture a physical element and win up front. The Mountaineers did that against the Cyclones and will need to recapture the magic on the road against the Wildcats. If the Mountaineers can keep Kansas State behind the sticks it takes away some of the threat of the run-pass-option being effective and could force a young quarterback into some difficult situations against an unorthodox defensive scheme. On the flip side, if the Mountaineers can control the line of scrimmage and run the football like they did against Iowa State it opens up the playbook and puts pressure on the Wildcats. It will be equally important for the West Virginia offense line to control the Wildcats up front and give Grier time to show the football down the field.
--Start fast. Kansas State doesn’t lose games very often when the Wildcat are able to go into the locker room with the lead. That mark is 177-11 under Snyder, although West Virginia was able to rally for a win in that situation last year. Even scoring first can pose a problem with Kansas State holding a 164-33 mark since 1990 when they strike first blood on the scoreboard. Over the last four seasons that number is 19-4 meaning that on the road West Virginia has to respond quickly and try to get out to a good start.
--Frustrate the young gun. It appears all but certain that redshirt freshman Skylar Thompson will be quarterbacking the Wildcats when they take the field Saturday. With limited experience, Thompson has played well in relief in back-to-back weeks showing a good arm as well as athleticism to move in the pocket. West Virginia will bring an unorthodox style of defense to Manhattan however and one that often presents problems for young quarterbacks. The Mountaineers have to stop the run to force Thompson into situations behind the chains and then disguise and bring a number of pressures to help force the issue. West Virginia has to win this matchup.
--Tackle, tackle, tackle. The biggest difference between the Oklahoma State contest and the Iowa State one the following week on the defensive side was two things; effort and tackling. West Virginia is going to need that same type of intensity against the Wildcats with defenders flying to the football and making plays but it has to be controlled. The Mountaineers weren’t perfect in the tackling department against the Cyclones but they were much improved and getting ball carriers to the ground is essential to winning in tough spots on the road. Wrapping up and driving through is key if West Virginia wants to snap its struggles in Manhattan.
--Alignment and assignment. Kansas State is going to try to make things difficult with its run-pass-option by taking advantage of a West Virginia defense that is built to be aggressive. The quarterback will have the freedom to hand the ball off or go to a pass play off the same looks as the run. The key in the backend will be to maintain eye-discipline and technique and tackle once the ball does get there. Those plays can become big chunks of yards quickly if ball carriers aren’t on the ground.
--Special teams. Just go ahead and take out a space for this point every week, because it’s going to be there. Special teams have been a sore subject at times this year for West Virginia as the Mountaineers have struggled in different areas throughout the year. However, the unit has been gradually improving and even was a huge swing in favor of the Mountaineers a week ago. Still, special teams always loom large and West Virginia will need to continue to play well in the third phase.
--Turnovers. West Virginia is 83-11 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle which is a very telling sign. Turnovers have already cost the Mountaineers dearly this year and it won’t be any different against a Kansas State defense that has been highly opportunistic this year in spite of its struggles.
