United Bank Playbook – Texas Tech Preview

Tale of the Tape
Points Per Game	34.3	39.0
Points Against	29.8	31.3
Rushing Yards Per Game	119.2	191.3
Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game	146.5	112.0
Passing Yards Per Game	365.0	271.0
Passing Yards Allowed Per Game	220.5	262.5
Total Yards Per Game	484.2	462.3
Total Yards Allowed Per Game	367.0	374.5
First Downs For	171	162
First Downs Against	101	121
Fumbles/Lost	10/3	7/3
Interceptions/Return Yards	2/36	2/33
Net Punting	39.9	39.8
Field Goal/Attempts	15/16	10/10
Time of Possession	30:46	32:52
third Down Conversions	33/96	45/90
third Down Conversion Defense	30/90	30/71
Sacks By/Yards Lost	15/86	13/92

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A pair of three-3 soccer groups will meet Saturday afternoon at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas, when West Virginia faces Texas Tech.
 
The two groups have gotten to their 3-3 marks in numerous methods, West Virginia profitable three of its final 4, together with a powerful 43-40 come-from-behind win over defending Big 12 champion Baylor final Thursday evening in Morgantown.
 
Texas Tech has dropped three of its final 4, together with again-to-again losses to nationally ranked Kansas State and Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders additionally present an early season defeat at nationally ranked NC State and likewise clipped nationally ranked Texas 37-34 in additional time.
 
A powerful argument may be made that Texas Tech has confronted essentially the most troublesome schedule within the Big 12 up so far.
 
The Red Raiders have had an additional week to prepare for West Virginia, a bonus in addition they had of their 2019 and 2020 victories over the Mountaineers. Texas Tech has gained the final three in opposition to West Virginia, together with final yr’s 23-20 triumph in Morgantown. Six of the final 10 video games between these two have been decided by one possession and just one by greater than 11 factors.
 
Besides Big 12 play, the one different assembly between these two got here within the 1938 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, when West Virginia was victorious 7-6.
 
On Saturday, West Virginia goes to need to cope with coach Joey McGuire’s excessive-tempo offense, an assault much like what the Mountaineers used to face when Kliff Kingsbury was teaching the Red Raiders.
 
McGuire was a effectively-recognized Texas highschool soccer coach whose in depth Lone Star State prep contacts have been interesting to the Red Raider brass throughout the hiring course of.
 
It has already paid off with a 39^th-ranked recruiting class final yr and doesn’t embrace redshirt freshman quarterback Behren Morton (6-foot-2, 210 kilos), thought of the best-rated quarterback recruit to signal with Texas Tech.
 
Injuries to starter Tyler Shough (6-foot-5, 230 kilos) and backup Donovan Smith (6-foot-5, 230 kilos) compelled McGuire to go together with Morton in opposition to Oklahoma State. The Lubbock resident accomplished 39 of his 62 cross makes an attempt for 379 yards in Tech’s 10-level loss to the Cowboys.
 
Smith had gotten a lot of the QB reps as much as that time after Shough, an Oregon switch, injured his non-throwing shoulder within the season opener in opposition to Murray State.
 
Smith led Tech to additional time wins over Houston and Texas, the sophomore passing for 350 yards in opposition to the Cougars and 331 yards in opposition to the Longhorns. In six video games, he is finishing 66.4% of his cross makes an attempt for 1,475 yards and 11 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
 
The Red Raiders are the one FBS crew within the nation with two quarterbacks who’ve thrown for greater than 300 yards in a sport this season, and McGuire indicted earlier this week that every one three ought to be wholesome sufficient to play in opposition to West Virginia.
 
Morton is coping with a sprained ankle whereas Smith and Shough have skilled shoulder points. Offensive coordinator Zach Kittley even teased the thought of taking part in all three in opposition to West Virginia.
 
“They’ve run upwards of 100-plus plays three times now in their six games, so we’ve got to be able to practice that this week,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown stated. “Our defensive players have got to get aligned, first and foremost, and have their eyes where they need to be. Then, we’ve got to be able to rally to the football.”
 
Tech’s main receiver, Myles Price (5-foot-10, 180 kilos), can also be coping with an ankle harm suffered within the first quarter of the Oklahoma State loss however may have had 14 days to get well. He exhibits 31 catches for 309 yards and two touchdowns. Nine totally different Red Raiders have no less than 11 receptions to this point this yr.
 
Running again SaRodorick Thompson (6-foot, 220 kilos) has confronted West Virginia 4 instances and has skilled success in opposition to the Mountaineers. He’s the crew’s main rusher this yr with 310 yards and two touchdowns on 64 carries, however Tech is simply averaging 119.2 yards per sport on the bottom.
 
“It’s a different style offense week to week – different plays and different pass concepts, although the run game is similar week to week,” Brown famous. “It’s a unique challenge, unlike any opponent that we’ve played thus far.”
 
The Red Raiders rank 127^th this week in turnover margin at minus-7, and still have surrendered an unusually excessive variety of sacks (23) for an up-tempo offense. That’s one thing a West Virginia protection, ranked 104^th within the nation giving up 31.3 factors and 116^th in passing effectivity, will attempt to exploit.
 
The Red Raider protection is among the many oldest within the Big 12 and ranks among the many center of the pack in most statistical classes.
 
Brown believes Tech’s energy is up entrance, the place six seniors man the 2-deep spots at nostril, defensive deal with and defensive finish. Edge rusher Tyree Wilson is a possible first rounder who leads the Red Raiders with six sacks to this point this season and has collected 13 over the past two years. The 6-foot-6, 275-pounder has 22½ tackles for losses over his final 19 video games.
 
Mike linebacker Krishon Merriweather (6-foot, 235 kilos) is the crew’s main tackler with 50 whole stops, whereas security Reggie Pearson Jr. (5-foot-11, 200) has each interceptions for the Red Raiders to this point this yr.
 
Corners Rayshad Williams (6-foot-3, 195 kilos) and Malik Dunlap (6-foot-3, 215 kilos) are lengthy and will probably be requested to play loads of man protection on West Virginia’s outdoors receivers.
 
“They have nine super seniors that are playing, which are the most we’ve seen thus far. If you went back a year ago, a lot of the defenses in the league were older, but Tech has the oldest group in our league this year, Brown pointed out. “Their defensive coordinator (Tim DeRuyter) is thought for sending strain, and we are going to see much more man protection than we have seen because the Pitt sport. It’s a really difficult unit on that aspect as effectively.”
 
Punter Austin McNamara (6-foot-4, 195 kilos) is the varsity’s profession common chief (46.3 ypp.), however he is been slightly off that this season.
 
Team connections reside on the West Virginia aspect, with Brown and assistant coaches Matt Moore, Chad Scott and Sean Reagan having as soon as labored on the Red Raider workers.
 
And, in fact, West Virginia offensive coordinator Graham Harrell is essentially the most prolific passer in Texas Tech historical past. Graduate assistant coach Stanton Keane was additionally a former Texas Tech participant.
 
From an historic perspective, coach Jim Carlen left West Virginia following his crew’s 1969 Peach Bowl victory over South Carolina to take the Texas Tech job and remained there till 1974 earlier than shifting on to South Carolina.
 
Saturday’s sport will kick off at 3 p.m. (ET) and will probably be televised nationally on FS1 (Noah Eagle and Mark Helfrich). 
 
“We played well in all three phases (against Baylor),” Brown stated. “We’ve gained three of 4, and we simply didn’t play very effectively within the first half in opposition to Texas.
 
“We had great practices during the bye week, and we came back and our preparation was the best we’ve had going into the Baylor game, and now we’ve got to repeat that. We’ve got to go into one of the more challenging atmospheres in college football and be able to perform at a high level,” he concluded.
 
Mountaineer Sports Network radio protection begins with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show at midday main into common community protection with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning at 2 p.m. on stations all through West Virginia, on-line through WVUsports.com and the favored cell apps WVU Gameday and the Varsity Network.
 
WVU holds a 6-5 benefit in all-time collection play.