MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia looks to get back on track Saturday when the Mountaineers play host to Kansas under the lights at Milan Puskar Stadium in a 7 p.m. game that will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Fourteenth-ranked WVU lost for the first time last Saturday at Oklahoma State, 37-20, when three critical turnovers led to 17 Cowboy points and the game’s deciding margin. West Virginia outgained Oklahoma State, 421-358, and had a 27-17 edge in first downs, but a 3-0 turnover disadvantage was the Mountaineers’ undoing.
Kansas, meanwhile, lost for the seventh time in eight games following last Saturday’s defeat at 16th-ranked Oklahoma. The Jayhawks have lost all four road games this season by scores of 43-7 at Memphis, 55-19 at Texas Tech, 49-7 at Baylor, and 56-3 last weekend at Oklahoma.
Kansas’ lone victory this year was a season-opening 55-6 win over Rhode Island.
Kansas enters Saturday’s contest having lost 34 straight Big 12 road games dating back to the 2008 season.
Former Mountaineer standout tight end Anthony Becht joins Beth Mowins and Rocky Boiman on the call for Saturday’s game, while the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG’s coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia and online via leanStream and the mobile app TuneIn.
Here is Saturday’s Countdown to Kickoff:
10 - West Virginia reach a season-high of TENTH in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll last week and currently sits at 14th this week.
9 - NINE different Mountaineers players have at least 18 career starts heading into Saturday’s game against Kansas: Tyler Orlosky (36), Noble Nwachukwu (33), Adam Pankey (30), Daikiel Shorts Jr. (30), Skyler Howard (22), Christian Brown (21), Shelton Gibson (20), Kyle Bosch (20) and Rushel Shell III (18).
8 - West Virginia is tied with Iowa State and Middle Tennessee State with the EIGHTH most graduate players on its roster this year with 10.
7 - SEVEN true freshmen have seen action so far this season for West Virginia: Reese Donahue, Adam Hensley, Kennedy McKoy, Zack Sandwisch, Marcus Simms, Steven Smothers and Jovanni Stewart.
6 - Junior wide receiver Shelton Gibson leads the team with SIX 40-plus-yard receptions so far this year and shows 15 since the 2015 season.
5 - West Virginia’s ground game produced FIVE touchdowns and 426 yards rushing in last year’s 49-0 win against Kansas in Lawrence.
4 - Kansas has lost its FOUR road games this year to Memphis, Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma by an average of 41.8 points per game.
3 - West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen shows THREE victories against Kansas, but he also has a loss to the Jayhawks in 2013 in Lawrence.
2 - The Mountaineers have lost only TWICE in their last 13 games dating back to November 7, 2015.
1 - The Mountaineers are now ONE game above .500 in all-time Big 12 play (27-26) following last Saturday’s loss at Oklahoma State.
Enjoy the game and be sure to stop back afterward for complete postgame coverage.
