WVSports.com: Staff Predictions: Texas
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West Virginia will head on the road for another Big 12 Conference match up against Texas in a few hours and that means it's weekly prediction time.
The WVSports.com staff, Keenan Cummings, Patrick Kotnik, Matt Keller, Anthony Krumpach and Vernon Bailey offer their final thoughts on the match up as well as their predictions for the game.
This will be a weekly feature where the performance of each picker will be tracked throughout the season both on wins and losses and actual point differential on the final results.
So who wins week ten?
KC: West Virginia enters unquestionably the biggest challenge of the season on the road at Texas for the inside track to one of the top two spots in the conference. That is important given the fact that the top two teams will meet for the Big 12 Championship game in December. Texas is coming off a narrow loss on the road to Oklahoma State, while West Virginia put together its best performance of the season against Baylor. Let me be clear that I don't think this is a great match up for West Virginia as Texas is physical on the lines and can do many of the same things with their coverage that Iowa State presented. The Longhorns have a dual-threat quarterback and big wide receivers on the outside, but somehow someway this team will find a way to get it done at Texas. The Mountaineers showed me a lot last week and while that doesn't carry over the fact they responded the way they did tells me that this team isn't dead yet. It will be close, but West Virginia will pull this one out.
West Virginia 27-24
MK: The defining month - and moments - of the season have arrived. Will West Virginia prove to be what some thought capable and reach the Big 12 title game, or will it again wilt down the stretch and limp home little more than an Alamo Bowl-caliber squad. There are two keys to clearing the first major hurdle in Texas: Effectively run the ball, likely getting vertical quickly between the tackles, and limit UT in the run game, including quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
Neither of those two prospects are easy, and the Mountaineers will face a Texas team that on the surface looked to perform poorly in a 38-35 loss to Oklahoma State, but was sans its top two corners in the first half before allowing a lone touchdown drive over the final 30 minutes, that coming on a short field. WVU has been up and down offensively this season, and it reasons that the defense will have to carry it in this one. This Texas team, now at rapt attention after the OSU defeat and heading home to 100k at DKR, uses the running game and a solid defensive effort to thwart the Mountaineers chances at remaining atop the Big 12.
Texas 31-27
AK: West Virginia has its first real fight of the season. Every game the Mountaineers have played this season the game has been mostly in control (even in their loss to ISU it wasn't a close game). West Virginia will show real grit by trying to run the football and have long sustained drives allowing their defense to stay off the field. Still this will be a back and forth game as the Mountaineers take a 17-14 lead into halftime. Texas will score in the middle of the 4th to go up 28-24 but a late touchdown and defensive stop will keep the Mountaineers in the Big 12 championship game picture.
West Virginia 31-28
PK: We can all agree that this is West Virginia’s toughest challenge to date. While the Mountaineers played their best and most complete game of the season last week against Baylor, Texas will look to rebound from a narrow loss to Oklahoma State in a similar way West Virginia did.
This game is a toss up for me and while I do think this game doesn’t favor West Virginia given that it’s on the road and that Texas’s defense will likely do some of the same things Iowa State’s did, this team’s energy against Baylor and improvements on each side of the ball will be present again. West Virginia will squeak by with a win led by their defense and some key big plays from Will Grier and the offense.
Had Texas won last week, I may have given them the edge this week, but I think you’ll see West Virginia come out more aggressively and show further that they have learned from its mistakes against Iowa State, Kansas and the second half against Texas Tech. It’ll be another tough road environment, but the experience from the loss and atmosphere in Ames could pay dividends.
West Virginia 28-27
VB: This is the game that I have pointed to since before the season suggesting it would be the difference between a good season and a great one. West Virginia must pick up the win today to reach the level many of us felt they could for 2018.
The Texas defense will have success against WVU's offense at times but Will Grier will lead the Mountaineers to the win with a solid game plan and execution.
Look for a close game but when needed the West Virginia defense will step up and give the offense a chance to put the Longhorns away.
West Virginia 31-27
CURRENT STANDINGS:
1. Patrick Kotnik 6-1, 98 point differential
2. Matt Keller 6-1, 105 point differential
2. Keenan Cummings 6-1, 105 point differential
3. Vernon Bailey 6-1, 113 point differential
5. Anthony Krumpach 6-1, 143 point differential
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