WVSports.com: Staff Predictions Week 5: Texas Tech
SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest in Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
West Virginia will hit the road for the first time this season in a few hours against Texas Tech 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 five?
KC: West Virginia travels to Lubbock in what has almost become an annual litmus test for how good the Mountaineers are each year in lieu of the missing Maryland game on the schedule. I had this as a win before the season and through three weeks I had little reason to doubt that pick until the Red Raiders traveled to Oklahoma State and dominated the Cowboys 41-17. The offense wasn't surprising but the defensive numbers clearly gave some reason for pause. Freshman Alan Bowman is good and Texas Tech is never going to struggle to score points and you couple that with the fact that this is a true road game for West Virginia and there are a lot of reasons for pause. But even with all that against them, this Mountaineers team has done little to make me not think that they can go on the road with an experienced a senior-laden team and win their third straight at Texas Tech.
I do think this game will be much closer than the three before it and could be decided late in the fourth quarter but Grier and company should be able to score on a Texas Tech defense that while somewhat improved still is bleeding yards and points. The Mountaineers defense has had a lot of success against the Red Raiders since Tony Gibson took over so this is going to be a close one but West Virginia finds a way to win a high-scoring affair.
West Virginia 41-31
MK: Haven't you heard? There's a new gunslinger in the Big 12 in Alan "the Showman" Bowman. The first year player followed his Big 12 freshman record-setting 605 yard performance against Houston - snapping TTU QB Pat Mahomes' mark of 598 yards set against Baylor in 2015 - with 397 yards in a 41-17 blowout at Oklahoma State. Besides helping the Red Raiders register their first win in Stillwater since Kliff Kingsbury was behind center in 2001, Bowman established himself as a force, and Tech as a legit player in this year's wide open league race.
The Mountaineers, meanwhile, dispatched Kansas State in rather easy fashion, rolling to 35 points behind five Will Grier touchdown throws, three to David Sills from as many feet out. That set-up a surprise match-up between ranked foes out in west Texas. This one is suddenly a major match-up with upset potential for West Virginia, installed as an early favorite, albeit by just 3.5 to four points. But where Oklahoma State largely backed off at corner and protected over the top, look for West Virginia to challenge Tech's wideouts more and look to develop pressure. Whether it can hit home is another story, as OSU led the nation in sacks and finished with three in the loss while still lacking the ability to steadily harass Bowman.
This one doesn't come down to the last second, but it's close.
West Virginia 38-31
AK: While at times the WVU offense has shot themselves in the foot with turnovers and penalties, especially early in games, I still think the West Virginia offense is one of the most efficient in the nation. Saturday I think the Mountaineer offense finally puts it together for an entire game. West Virginia may be an explosive offense but the Mountaineers will slow things down and have more long, drawn out drives that you aren’t use to seeing. Tech will stay close throughout the first half but the pressure from WVU offense will force the Red Raiders to rush their offense that will force turnovers and quick offensive possessions. By the late third quarter Tech’s defense will be tired and the Mountaineers will put the game out of reach.
West Virginia 45-24
PK: This contest has all the potential to be a classic back-and-forth, high-scoring game with two high potent offenses going head-to-head.
The difference in this game though will be the team’s defenses. Both teams have usually showcased inconsistent defensive units in the past, but this year, both have been improving week after week. Both offenses will definitely rack up yards and points, but rather the game coming down to who has the ball last, it could come down to who makes the most defensive stops and forces more turnovers.
It certainly won’t be an easy task for the Mountaineers to get a win on the road in Lubbock, but with the leadership and veteran personnel this team has, West Virginia can pull it off.
I’m expecting this one to go back-and-forth, but some key stops from Tony Gibson’s defense in the second half and a late touchdown from Will Grier and the offense will seal it for West Virginia.
West Virginia 42-34
VB: This isn't a game I'm comfortable with at all and West Virginia will need to come out ready to play or possibly fall behind. The Texas Tech offense can score quickly and as we see each year they can put up a lot of points on anyone they face.
What I do like about the match-up is West Virginia's ability to lean on their more experienced players. Will Grier is a great leader for this team and this is the type of game they will need him to step up. With Grier likely having another big day statistically the Mountaineers should be able to pick up the win.
Look for a shootout and the game could come down to the team who makes the fewest mistakes coming away with the win. WVU needs to hold onto the football and limit penalties.
West Virginia 42-38
CURRENT STANDINGS:
1. Patrick Kotnik 3-0, 28 point differential
1. Matt Keller 3-0, 28 point differential
3. Keenan Cummings 3-0, 32 point differential
3. Vernon Bailey 3-0, 32 point differential
5. Anthony Krumpach 3-0, 40 point differential
Enter the contest by clicking on the following link and choosing to subscribe to the channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=VideoGlide
