Thursday, October 12
Houston, Texas
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Houston
Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
United Bank Playbook – Houston Preview
October 11, 2023 11:30 AM | Football
| Tale of the Tape |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Points Per Game | 27.4 | 26.4 |
| Points Against | 29.8 | 19.0 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game | 132.8 | 191.8 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game | 163.6 | 114.8 |
| Passing Yards Per Game | 281.2 | 155.6 |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Game | 242.2 | 220.6 |
| Total Yards Per Game | 414.0 | 347.4 |
| Total Yards Allowed Per Game | 405.8 | 335.4 |
| First Downs For | 111 | 98 |
| First Downs Against | 110 | 90 |
| Fumbles/Lost | 3/0 | 4/3 |
| Interceptions/Return Yards | 6/72 | 5/95 |
| Net Punting | 41.7 | 40.9 |
| Field Goal/Attempts | 4/8 | 4/5 |
| Time of Possession | 30:54 | 32:53 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 35/76 | 21/65 |
| 3rd Down Conversion Defense | 27/66 | 20/72 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 2/12 | 9/18 |
| 4th Down Conversion Defense | 7/8 | 7/14 |
| Sacks By/Yards Lost | 9/47 | 12/77 |
It's the first time since WVU played Bobby Bowden in the 2010 Gator Bowl that it's happened. Bowden also faced the Mountaineers in the 1982 and 2004 Gator Bowls.
The other times it occurred were when Clarence Spears coached Maryland in 1943 and 1944, Toledo in 1937 and Wisconsin in 1933, and when Sol Metzger led archrival Washington & Jefferson to a 7-0 victory in 1917.
Bowden won all three times he faced his old team; Spears went 1-2-1 and Metzger was 1-0.
"If this game happened sooner, the buildup would have been a little bigger," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said earlier this week. "When Dana comes back here for the first time, I think it will be a little bit bigger deal. Time heals a lot of things."
Holgorsen, 29-23 in his fifth season at Houston, was asked Monday what it's going to be like facing his old employer.
"It's a question I'm going to get all week, obviously," he said "This is the first-ever meeting between West Virginia and Houston and at the end of the day, I've been in this situation a lot where you leave a place, and you play them and all that. So, the best way I've figured out how to approach it is turn the phone off and go to work.
"This is for the fans. The fans get into that. I mean, I enjoyed my time at West Virginia, there's no question. A lot of really, really good people there and I know a lot of them are coming," he added. "It should make for an exciting game, but at the end of the day, it's about me doing my job and getting my team ready to play."
It's also unique for West Virginia in that the Mountaineers are facing the first of four Big 12 newcomers this year, requiring some additional preliminary preparation to get familiar with them.
"We're both coming off open weeks, and we've got to continue to get better; that's the focus," Brown said. "It's a challenge in this league any time you go on the road. We've got our hands full, and it's a program we've got a lot of respect for."
Holgorsen said his Cougar team is in good physical shape following their 49-28 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday, Sept. 30. Houston also dropped its Big 12 opener to TCU 36-13 and are 2-3 overall through five games.
The big issue for Houston, according to Holgorsen, has been the football basics of blocking and tackling, which has been a strong suit for West Virginia so far this year.
"This team we're playing, West Virginia, they're really good at blocking and tackling," Holgorsen said. "You turn the video on, and you can see it. They just don't miss a whole lot of tackles, and offensively, it's all about the run game and blocking people up front. It's a huge challenge for us for where we're at."
Second halves have been especially difficult for the Cougars, particularly in their Big 12 losses to TCU and Texas Tech. The Horned Frogs outscored Houston 16-0 in their 23-point victory in Houston on Sept. 16, and the Red Raiders blanked Houston 14-0 in a 21-point triumph on Sept. 30.
Defensively, Houston is allowing an average of 5.31 yards per rush and is defending four fewer passes in the second half because teams have been so successful running the ball on it after intermission.
"Our tackling was horrendous," Holgorsen noted. "I mean, I think it was over 20-some missed tackles (against Texas Tech). It's as bad as it's been since I've been here, so that's been a focus."
Holgorsen said the Cougars had a couple of physical practices early last week to try to rectify that. West Virginia, meanwhile, took a completely different approach last week after a stretch of very physical games in victories over Pitt, Texas Tech and TCU.
Against the Horned Frogs, the Mountaineers lost starting inside linebacker Trey Lathan for the season and saw their starting free safety Aubrey Burks taken off the field on a medical cart. Brown said his status for Thursday night is questionable.
Starting left guard Tomas Rimac will not be available after reinjuring his ankle against TCU, and starting left tackle Wyatt Milum is going to be a game-time decision after getting poked in the eye against the Horned Frogs.
Brown did indicate the couple of extra days of rest were beneficial to quarterbacks Garrett Greene and Nicco Marchiol, both nursing ankle injuries. Overall, the skill players are much better physically, including running back CJ Donaldson Jr., and Brown is hopeful that unit can finally break out with some explosive plays.
When you remove the game against FCS Duquesne, West Virginia has had just eight plays of 20 yards or longer from scrimmage so far this year. Against power conference foes, the longest rush was Greene's 35-yard touchdown run against TCU and the longest pass was Devin Carter's 37-yard reception in the opener against Penn State.
"We've been a little handcuffed offensively (by injuries) and our skill guys are the healthiest they've been," Brown pointed out Monday. "Both quarterbacks are healthy and will be available. I think Garrett is throwing the ball better now than at any point even before his injury, so I'm excited to see him play fully healthy."
Holgorsen is well known for his offenses at Oklahoma State, West Virginia and now Houston, and he's one of the best game planners and play callers around. He has an uncanny knack of figuring out what his team does well and taking advantage of it.
Brown said Houston quarterback Donovan Smith's size (6-foot-5, 241 pounds) and mobility are what Holgorsen is leaning on. Smith, a coach's son, can break tackles and make throws downfield scrambling in either direction. He is also utilized in the run game and ranks second on the team with 162 yards and three touchdowns.
The Cougars have a trio of downfield receiving threats in Samuel Brown, Joseph Manjack IV and Matthew Golden, a dangerous returner on special teams.
"They are probably as talented at the skill positions as anyone in our league," Brown noted.
Sam Brown is a name familiar to Mountaineer football fans. Neal Brown recruited him out of Savannah, Georgia, and he spent two years in the program before transferring to Houston where he has really blossomed. He leads the Cougars with 34 catches for 518 yards and a touchdown.
Other former Mountaineers on this year's Houston roster include tight end Mike O'Laughlin (four catches for 26 yards), running back Tony Mathis Jr. (23 rushes for 111 yards) and defensive back Noah Guzman (seven tackles and one pass breakup).
Holgorsen has several former West Virginia guys on his staff as well, including defensive coordinator Doug Belk, special teams coordinator Mark Scott and wide receivers coach Daikiel Shorts Jr.
His strength staff includes Darl Bauer and Kevin McCadem, and his player personnel staff includes Ryan Dorchester and Casey Smithson. Former wide receiver T.J. Simmons also is involved in the program as an offensive graduate assistant coach.
Defensively, Brown compares Houston's front favorably to Texas Tech's, which has given the Mountaineers issues in recent years.
"West Virginia is going to shorten the game," Holgorsen predicted. "They're going to control the clock. They're one of the nation's leaders in time of possession, and they try to limit possessions; that's how they play."
Houston is promoting a "Black Out" for Thursday night's game, to be televised nationally on FS1 (Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman).
Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage on stations throughout West Virginia and online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday mobile apps begins at 4 p.m. with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show.
Regular network coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning starts at 6 p.m.
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