MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Twenty-fourth ranked West Virginia meets Texas Saturday in a noon game at Milan Puskar Stadium that will be televised nationally on ESPN.
 
Prior to kickoff, 20 seniors will be recognized before playing their final home game at Milan Puskar Stadium: Elijah Battle, Al-Rasheed Benton, Kyle Bosch, D.J. Carozza, Hodari Christian II, Shane Commodore, Justin Crawford, Mike Daniels Jr., Marvin Gross Jr., Jon Lewis, Grant Lingafelter, Alejandro Marenco III, Nick Meadows, Mike Molina, Xavier Pegues, Xavier Preston, Elijah Wellman, Ka'Raun White, Kyzir White and Corey Winfield.
 
"Of the 20 seniors, 10 of them are high school guys, and 10 of them are transfers, which, over the course of the last four years that's kind of been our thing," West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. "As we get a bunch of high school kids in here and develop them over the course of four or five years, and then add a bunch of transfers and junior college transfers, this class has a mix of them all.
 
"So, everything we do this week is about those guys, and getting them a victory on Saturday to close out their career," Holgorsen added.
 
It won't be easy against improving Texas with a 5-5 overall record that is very deceiving. The Longhorns, under first-year coach Tom Herman, have played better of late and are coming off a 42-27 victory over Kansas last Saturday.
 
In that game, quarterback Shane Buechele completed 22-of-32 passes for 249 yards, and the Longhorn defense limited the Jayhawks to just 96 yards rushing on 35 attempts.
 
Texas has one of the most formidable defensive lines in the country, the Longhorns' front four ranking 12^th in the country against the run allowing just 115 yards per game. The only team that has gotten anything on the ground against Texas was Maryland in the opener.
 
After that opposing teams are averaging just 98.5 yards per game rushing, the most coming from fourth-ranked Oklahoma (174) back on Oct. 14.
 
"Regardless of position, they always have the best players and this team is no different," Holgorsen noted. "Their defense is probably the best defense we will have faced all year. They have a whole bunch of talent - all guys we've faced in the past - with a couple of new guys."
 
Last year's game in Austin came down to the final play before West Virginia escaped with a 24-20 victory. The Longhorns had the football on West Virginia's 27-yard line for one last play, a pass into the end zone that fell incomplete.
 
Two years ago, West Virginia ran the ball 51 times for 257 yards in a surprisingly easy 38-20 victory over the Longhorns.
 
Overall, West Virginia owns a 4-2 record against Texas with Holgorsen defeating the Longhorns three times in 2012, 2015 and 2016.
Texas needs one more victory to become bowl-eligible with games remaining on Saturday against West Virginia and next weekend in Austin against Texas Tech.
 
WVU concludes its regular season next Saturday on the road at Oklahoma.
 
Former Mountaineer tight end Anthony Becht joins Beth Mowins and Rocky Boiman on Saturday's telecast, while the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG's radio coverage begins at 8:30 a.m. with the Go-Mart Mountaineer Tailgate Show (Dan Zangrilli, Dale Wolfley and Jed Drenning) leading into regular network coverage with Tony Caridi and Dwight Wallace at 11 a.m.
 
The broadcast can be heard on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and through the popular mobile app TuneIn.
 
Here is Saturday's Countdown to Kickoff:
 
10 - West Virginia has had TEN scoring drives of 10 plays or more, but 31 scoring drives of 70 yards or longer this season.
 
9 - The Mountaineers rank NINTH nationally in passing efficiency this week with a team rating of 161.5.
 
8 - West Virginia is tied with Texas Tech among Power 5 schools with the EIGHTH-most graduates on its roster (10).
 
7 - SEVEN offensive players played more than 70 snaps in last Saturday's 28-23 victory at Kansas State.
 
6 - The Mountaineers are seeking their SIXTH defensive touchdown since 2015. WVU has two defensive scores this year from cornerback Mike Daniels Jr. and safety Kenny Robinson, it scored one last year and two in 2015, including linebacker Jared Barber's 42-yard fumble return against Texas.
 
5 - Dana Holgorsen has lost only FIVE times in his last 21 Big 12 games dating back to 2015, including a 9-1 record in November during that time.
 
4 - David Sills V leads the country with 18 touchdown catches, but senior Ka'Raun White ranks FOURTH this week with 10, of which eight have come in his last six games.
 
3 - Saturday's game will be Texas' THIRD appearance in Morgantown since the two teams began playing on a regular basis in 2012. West Virginia has won once and lost once.
 
2 - Quarterback Will Grier, a Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist, ranks SECOND in the country in touchdown passes this week with 34. That figure is the second-most in school history for one season.
 
1 - West Virginia's offense is seeking its FIRST second-half points since scoring 29 in a 50-39 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday, Oct. 28.
 
Enjoy Saturday's game and be sure to stop back afterward for complete postgame coverage.