Holgorsens Take: Big 12 Coaches Teleconference

Don't expect No. 4/5 West Virginia (5-0, 2-0) head coach Dana Holgorsen to be sentimental this weekend when he travels back to Lubbock for a matchup with his former team Texas Tech (4-1, 1-1).

Holgorsen spent eight years as an assistant for the Red Raiders before moving to Houston then onto Oklahoma State before arriving at West Virginia. Because he's five years removed from his departure and has had the opportunity to play Texas Tech at both of his previous stops, it's now nothing more than just another game standing in the way on the schedule.

"I'm not going to think twice about it, I'm over that," he said.

However, one advantage to the matchup will be that Holgorsen can familiarize his team with Lubbock and what to expect as the Mountaineers make the trip to Texas for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

Holgorsen thought his team handled the atmosphere and adversity on the road against Texas "well," and was pleased with how his team traveled and prepared for the 48-45 victory. But there's a lot of road left to travel to reach the Mountaineers ultimate goal.

"We set a goal at the beginning of the season to win the conference and we're two games into that and the next challenge is Texas Tech," he said.

The matchup against Texas provided a raucous atmosphere on a national stage, and it's just one reason, out of many, that West Virginia was so excited to make the move to the Big 12 Conference, Holgorsen said.

"That stadium has never been more alive than it was Saturday," he said.

Holgorsen said that he liked the way the Mountaineers played run defense against Texas, with the exception of a couple plays that were busted due to improper alignment. The head coach singled out the play of both junior defensive lineman Shaq Rowell and redshirt freshman Isaiah Bruce.

Senior quarterback Geno Smith has yet to throw an interception this season and Holgorsen credited that to the offensive system, Smith's decision making, play calling and the wide receivers doing a good job of running their routes and getting open.

"That's what good players do, they do a great job taking care of the ball," he said.

When asked about Smith approaching the NCAA record, Holgorsen joked.

"You don't talk about it much, that's number one," he said.