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Countdown to Kickoff
October 29, 2015 10:38 AM | Football
FORT WORTH, Texas - West Virginia continues its tour of the top 25 with tonight’s Big 12 game against third-ranked TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.
It’s the fourth consecutive top-25 opponent for the Mountaineers in a span of 26 days, making it WVU’s most difficult stretch of football games in more than three decades.
West Virginia (3-3) is looking to snap its three-game losing streak and knock off a top 10-ranked opponent on the road for the first time since 1982 (WVU has never defeated a top-5 team on the road).
The Mountaineers were keeping up with second-ranked Baylor until midway through the third quarter when the Bears put their foot on the gas pedal and outscored WVU 28-14 over the final 23 minutes of the game to pull away with a 62-38 victory in Waco.
TCU (7-0) has a spotless record under veteran coach Gary Patterson and is coming off a 45-21 win at Iowa State on October 17. The Horned Frogs have won 15 straight games dating back to last season, including 10 straight at home. TCU is 71-14 at Amon G. Carter Stadium under Patterson.
Tonight’s game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. (EST) and will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1 (Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Molly McGrath). The Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG’s coverage will begin at 4 p.m. with the Mountaineer Tailgate Show leading into the regular game coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning at 6:30 p.m.
Here is tonight’s Countdown to Kickoff, presented by the Friends of Coal:
10 – TCU has a 37-3 record as a Top-TEN ranked team under coach Gary Patterson.
9 – West Virginia’s defense still ranks NINTH nationally in third-down defense allowing opponents to convert just 29 percent of their third-down tries.
8 – EIGHT West Virginia players on this year’s roster have already earned their bachelor’s degrees: Jared Barber, Isaiah Bruce, Terrell Chestnut, Skyler Howard, Nick Kwiatkoski, KJ Myers, Jordan Thompson and Stone Underwood.
7 – Just SEVEN different players have carried the football for West Virginia this season, led by junior running back Wendell Smallwood’s 101 rushing attempts. All but 36 of the Mountaineers’ 302 rushing attempts have come from Smallwood, Rushel Shell and quarterback Skyler Howard.
6 – Sophomore wide receiver Shelton Gibson leads the team with SIX touchdown receptions so far this season. Gibson is also the team’s leader with 23 catches for 540 yards, an average of 23.5 yards per catch.
5 – Nick O’Toole ranks FIFTH in the country this week with an average of 46.8 yards per punt.
4 – The Mountaineers are looking to go FOUR games over .500 all-time in games played on Thursday night. West Virginia is currently 35-32-3 in those games.
3 – The largest margin of victory for either TCU or West Virginia in the three games the two have played since joining the Big 12 in 2012 is THREE points when the Mountaineers defeated the Horned Frogs 30-27 in overtime in 2013.
2 – Quarterback Skyler Howard has TWO rushes of more than 30 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run at Oklahoma.
1 – A difference of only ONE point separates these two teams in their three games since West Virginia and TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012.
Enjoy tonight’s game and be sure to stop back afterward for complete postgame coverage.
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