West Virginia and Texas Tech will take the field Saturday afternoon. The Red Raiders have won three straight matchups against the Mountaineers and Neal Brown has never beaten Texas Tech.
Ashley O’Brien: West Virginia is back on the road after a few extra days of riding the Baylor win high. The Mountaineers have struggled on the road under Neal Brown and Texas Tech tends to provide a rowdy environment, even midday. Expect to see tortillas flying and lots of offense in this one. If West Virginia can score last during the game, they pull through and get a much needed road win.
WVU 42, TTU 38
Wesley Shoemaker: It will come down to what team is better at what they are bad at. Will Texas Tech stop the run or will West Virginia stop the pass. I think Texas Tech has a better chance of limiting the run than West Virginia’s secondary at stopping the Red Raiders. I think the Mountaineers will fight and keep it close, but won’t be able to pull away in the end as their secondary will give up a big touchdown late.
TTU 45, WVU 41
Aaron Parker: I think it will be vital for the Mountaineers to get off to a fast start in Lubbock, as the Red Raider offense will surely air the ball out, and probably put points on the board. I think the WVU defense will struggle in the secondary and linebacker positions, so it will be vital for the lineman to win battles up front and put pressure on both Donovan Smith and Behren Morton. I think WVU will hang around in this game and both Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Justin Johnson will have good games, but I don’t see the defense making enough plays to get it done on the road
TTU 45, WVU 35
Jenks O’Donovan: Coming off two straight losses, Texas Tech is hungry to win its first game since the first of the month. Especially with freshman Behren Morton, who looked poised in his previous outing, set to make his first career start, this game will be an uphill battle for West Virginia. While it was great to see the Mountaineers earn their first conference victory in Morgantown, winning in Lubbock is a different task altogether. With CJ Donaldson’s return looking likely and Tony Mathis Jr. emerging as a star in his absence, this matchup will come down to the West Virginia running game. If the offensive line can create holes and the running backs consistently fight for extra yards, the Mountaineers will have a chance to win their first conference road game. However, I believe overcoming the raucous environment in Lubbock will be too much for Neal Brown and his team, falling to three and four on the season in a narrow loss.
TTU 35, WVU 31
Matt Natriello: The Mountaineers are coming off their biggest win of the season, and are on extra rest. Meanwhile, Texas Tech is coming off two straight losses. Despite giving up 40 points to Baylor, the Mountaineers defense was able to get key turnovers. West Virginia will be looking for that trend to continue as they search for answers on defense. It should be a shootout in Lubbock, and whatever team touches the ball last will probably win the game.
WVU 38, TTU 35
Tyler Prusina: With WVU back at .500 the hope is the team can ride the positive momentum from last weeks big win against Baylor. Defense will be the decider and the offense will give this Mountaineer team the final push for a road win against Texas Tech.
WVU 27, TTU 14
