Photo by: Austin Gaines
Countdown to Kickoff - Texas
October 05, 2019 09:33 AM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Eleventh-ranked Texas comes to Morgantown today looking to avenge last year's one-point loss to West Virginia and set themselves up for next weekend's Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma in Dallas.
The Longhorns bring a 3-1 record into today's game with victories over Louisiana Tech, Rice and Oklahoma State and a 45-38 home loss to fifth-ranked LSU.
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger is having a tremendous season so far, averaging 357 yards per game and accounting for 16 of Texas' 21 touchdowns through four games.
"He's a tough kid, and I think he's improved his passing ability," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. "I think his personality is what that team has really taken. He's a winner, and he loves everything that Texas represents."
Ehlinger is completing an impressive 72.9 percent of his pass attempts for 1,237 yards with 39 of those completions going to Devin Duvernay for 377 yards and four scores.
Six-foot-6 outside receiver Collin Johnson has been nursing a bad hamstring and has missed the last two games against Rice and Oklahoma State, but Longhorn coach Tom Herman said earlier this week Johnson could be ready to play on Saturday.
Johnson shows seven catches for 154 yards and a touchdown in two games this season.
Texas' top ground gainer is sophomore Keaontay Ingram with 295 yards and three touchdowns on 55 carries. Ehlinger also continues to be a big force in the running game with 191 yards and a touchdown on 42 attempts.
"He puts you in a bind because he throws the ball well enough to make you cover everything, and he also has the ability to make a play when it breaks down," Brown said. "That's probably the scariest thing because he does a great job of breaking containment and running and then when he scrambles he can also find the open guy."
The Longhorn defense has been stingy against the run, allowing 122 yards per game, but has given up large chunks of yardage in the passing game with a couple of key performers out in the secondary.
Two of the injured players, nickel back B.J. Foster and safety DeMarvion Overshown, could be back on the field on Saturday.
"They run a multiple defense, but it's based out of a three-down front," Brown explained. "They are big across the board, including a 340-pound nose tackle (Keondre Cobourn)."
"You just can't come off the ball and knock them backwards," co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Matt Moore added. "You've got to find angles and you've got to try and get the ball outside and try and do what other people have tried to do against them."
West Virginia has won four out of the seven meetings against Texas since joining the Big 12 in 2012 and owns a 5-3 overall record against the Longhorns.
However, the road team has had more success than the home team in this brief series. Four of West Virginia's five wins against Texas have come in Austin while two of the Longhorns' three wins have come in Morgantown.
A 3:30 p.m. kickoff has been assigned for today's Stripe-the-Stadium game, which will be televised nationally on ABC (Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay and Molly McGrath).
"It's going to be a great atmosphere, Stripe the Stadium, I'm looking forward to seeing that," Brown said. "We're going to need our crowd and we're going to need our students. I hope they show up in big numbers and I hope they stay because we're going to need them."
The Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College radio coverage begins at noon with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show on affiliates throughout the state and online via WVUsports.com and the popular mobile app WVU Gameday.
Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning will take over with regular network coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m.
The 1969 Mountaineer squad is on campus this weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of defeating South Carolina 14-3 in the Peach Bowl to cap a 10-1 season. That team will be recognized in the south end zone during a timeout in the first quarter.
Here is today's Countdown to Kickoff:
10 – The West Virginia offense has now generated seven scoring drives lasting TEN players or longer. Four of them occurred two weeks ago at Kansas.
9 – Linebacker Josh Chandler is the NINTH-leading tackler in the Big 12, averaging 8.0 tackles per game.
8 – Senior left tackle Colton McKivitz moved into a tie with Pat White for EIGHTH place in school history in career starts with his 39th against Kansas.
7 – The Stills brothers, Darius and Dante, are responsible for SEVEN of West Virginia's 11 sacks so far this season. The two have also produced 12 tackles for losses in four games.
6 – SIX true freshmen have seen action so far this season for West Virginia – Nicktroy Fortune, Jordan Jefferson, Ali Jennings, Kerry Martin Jr., Tykee Smith and Winston Wright Jr.
5 – FIVE of West Virginia's 12 offensive touchdowns this season have come on either first or second down. The Mountaineers have scored seven times on third down so far this year.
4 – West Virginia is one of just FOUR teams in college football not to have lost a fumble this season.
3 – Senior Kennedy McKoy leads the Mountaineer ground game with THREE rushing touchdowns so far.
2 – Martell Pettaway's TWO rushing touchdowns two weeks ago at Kansas make him the second Mountaineer running back to post multiple-TD games in 2019. McKoy is the other.
1 – Junior fullback Logan Thimons earned his FIRST career start two weeks ago in the 29-24 victory at Kansas.
Enjoy today's game and be sure to stop back afterward for complete postgame coverage.
The Longhorns bring a 3-1 record into today's game with victories over Louisiana Tech, Rice and Oklahoma State and a 45-38 home loss to fifth-ranked LSU.
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger is having a tremendous season so far, averaging 357 yards per game and accounting for 16 of Texas' 21 touchdowns through four games.
"He's a tough kid, and I think he's improved his passing ability," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. "I think his personality is what that team has really taken. He's a winner, and he loves everything that Texas represents."
Ehlinger is completing an impressive 72.9 percent of his pass attempts for 1,237 yards with 39 of those completions going to Devin Duvernay for 377 yards and four scores.
Six-foot-6 outside receiver Collin Johnson has been nursing a bad hamstring and has missed the last two games against Rice and Oklahoma State, but Longhorn coach Tom Herman said earlier this week Johnson could be ready to play on Saturday.
Johnson shows seven catches for 154 yards and a touchdown in two games this season.
Texas' top ground gainer is sophomore Keaontay Ingram with 295 yards and three touchdowns on 55 carries. Ehlinger also continues to be a big force in the running game with 191 yards and a touchdown on 42 attempts.
"He puts you in a bind because he throws the ball well enough to make you cover everything, and he also has the ability to make a play when it breaks down," Brown said. "That's probably the scariest thing because he does a great job of breaking containment and running and then when he scrambles he can also find the open guy."
The Longhorn defense has been stingy against the run, allowing 122 yards per game, but has given up large chunks of yardage in the passing game with a couple of key performers out in the secondary.
Two of the injured players, nickel back B.J. Foster and safety DeMarvion Overshown, could be back on the field on Saturday.
"They run a multiple defense, but it's based out of a three-down front," Brown explained. "They are big across the board, including a 340-pound nose tackle (Keondre Cobourn)."
"You just can't come off the ball and knock them backwards," co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Matt Moore added. "You've got to find angles and you've got to try and get the ball outside and try and do what other people have tried to do against them."
West Virginia has won four out of the seven meetings against Texas since joining the Big 12 in 2012 and owns a 5-3 overall record against the Longhorns.
However, the road team has had more success than the home team in this brief series. Four of West Virginia's five wins against Texas have come in Austin while two of the Longhorns' three wins have come in Morgantown.
A 3:30 p.m. kickoff has been assigned for today's Stripe-the-Stadium game, which will be televised nationally on ABC (Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay and Molly McGrath).
"It's going to be a great atmosphere, Stripe the Stadium, I'm looking forward to seeing that," Brown said. "We're going to need our crowd and we're going to need our students. I hope they show up in big numbers and I hope they stay because we're going to need them."
The Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College radio coverage begins at noon with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show on affiliates throughout the state and online via WVUsports.com and the popular mobile app WVU Gameday.
Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning will take over with regular network coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m.
The 1969 Mountaineer squad is on campus this weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of defeating South Carolina 14-3 in the Peach Bowl to cap a 10-1 season. That team will be recognized in the south end zone during a timeout in the first quarter.
Here is today's Countdown to Kickoff:
10 – The West Virginia offense has now generated seven scoring drives lasting TEN players or longer. Four of them occurred two weeks ago at Kansas.
9 – Linebacker Josh Chandler is the NINTH-leading tackler in the Big 12, averaging 8.0 tackles per game.
8 – Senior left tackle Colton McKivitz moved into a tie with Pat White for EIGHTH place in school history in career starts with his 39th against Kansas.
7 – The Stills brothers, Darius and Dante, are responsible for SEVEN of West Virginia's 11 sacks so far this season. The two have also produced 12 tackles for losses in four games.
6 – SIX true freshmen have seen action so far this season for West Virginia – Nicktroy Fortune, Jordan Jefferson, Ali Jennings, Kerry Martin Jr., Tykee Smith and Winston Wright Jr.
5 – FIVE of West Virginia's 12 offensive touchdowns this season have come on either first or second down. The Mountaineers have scored seven times on third down so far this year.
4 – West Virginia is one of just FOUR teams in college football not to have lost a fumble this season.
3 – Senior Kennedy McKoy leads the Mountaineer ground game with THREE rushing touchdowns so far.
2 – Martell Pettaway's TWO rushing touchdowns two weeks ago at Kansas make him the second Mountaineer running back to post multiple-TD games in 2019. McKoy is the other.
1 – Junior fullback Logan Thimons earned his FIRST career start two weeks ago in the 29-24 victory at Kansas.
Enjoy today's game and be sure to stop back afterward for complete postgame coverage.
Players Mentioned
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