Following West Virginia’s worst performance of the season last Saturday against Texas Tech, the road for the Mountaineers does not get any easier as they host No. 7 TCU on Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium.
The Mountaineer offense led by quarterback JT Daniels will look to get back on track Saturday against the Horned Frogs. Daniels completed 23 passes for 194 yards and also threw three interceptions — as many as he had thrown through West Virginia’s first six games combined.
In total, West Virginia would finish with less than 300 yards of total offense for the first time this season, finishing with only 282 combined yards.
“Just a poor performance, we didn’t play good enough at any position,” West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said of his offense.
Injuries on offense will play a role for the Mountaineers in their game plan. West Virginia will be without offensive lineman James Gmiter, and will also be without their top running back Tony Mathis. The Mountaineers currently run for 174 yards per game on the ground, and in their wins have rushed for 250 yards per game on the ground.
Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell said the Mountaineers need to eliminate negative plays.
“The biggest issue I think was we took negative yards plays,” Harrell said.
For West Virginia defensively, they will face a tall task in stopping quarterback Max Duggan and a potent TCU offense.
TCU is tied for first in the Big 12 in scoring offense, averaging 44.7 points per game. They also are first in total yards per game and in offensive efficiency, while ranking second in rushing offense.
“Max Duggan is playing at an extremely high level,” Brown said.
Duggan has thrown for 1,871 yards and 19 touchdowns, while only throwing one interception on the season. Big favorite target Quentin Johnston has caught 38 passes for 574 yards and three touchdowns.
“At wide out Quentin Johnston’s as talented as anybody in our league,” Brown said. “We’ve got to know where he’s at.”
The Mountaineers will be without cornerback Rashad Ajayi and could see both Wesley McCormick and Charles Woods play in a limited role at cornerback. West Virginia will also be without SPEAR Lance Dixon, and defensive lineman Sean Martin is still working his way back to 100 percent.
The Mountaineers will look to bounce back in a big way on Saturday, as they are 3-4 and bowl eligibility could be a serious question mark.
“I refuse to accept that’s who we are as a football team,” Brown said of the way his team played against Texas Tech. “Failure is temporary unless you accept it and I refuse to accept it.”
TCU comes in looking to stay at the top of the Big 12. TCU is undefeated and has beaten four ranked opponents in four consecutive games.
West Virginia and TCU will kickoff at noon and be televised on ESPN.
Photo by Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
