Mountaineers: Previewing Kansas
One quarter of the Mountaineers’ regular season of football is in the books. After Saturday’s matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks, one-third of the season will be down. And perhaps the biggest story involving this game is this: since when have fans actually been nervous to see the football team travel to Lawrence? After a convincing 48-24 win against Boston College last week, Les Miles’ Jayhawks made a statement. The question remains, can they do it again? The Mountaineers face a similar query. Will they keep climbing after their convincing win over N.C. State? As Week Four’s slate opens, we are previewing Kansas.
Previewing Kansas
While it’s not often that a win over Boston College will earn a team many second looks, this is different. After all, it is Kansas. Before Saturday, Kansas had not won a road game against a Power 5 team since 2010. Not only that, but the Jayhawks won the game convincingly, controlling all three sides of the ball. Kansas certainly wiped away the memory of their 12-7 loss to Coastal Carolina in Week 2. All of a sudden, Kansas looks like a tough out, or at least a tougher out than they have been in a decade.
The Offense
Senior signal-caller Carter Stanley will start his fourth consecutive game this Saturday in Lawrence, marking the first time in his career he has done so. On the season, Stanley has been accurate by completing over 70 percent of his passes. So while he is not asked to air it out often–this is a Les Miles offense, after all–he has been efficient when doing so. Stanley has also thrown five touchdowns against two interceptions.
The Jayhawks’ offense, however, is led by a fearsome duo in Pooka Williams and Khalil Herbert. Both average over 100 yards per game on the ground this year. Herbert averages just under ten yards per carry, and Williams averages five. Both backs are playmakers, and they do it in different ways, one providing the power, and the other flashing speed and finesse. That makes the two difficult to plan for.
Mountaineer fans will easily recall Herbert gashing their team for almost 300 yards a couple of years ago. He only added 46 yards last season, but also rushed the ball only six times. The Mountaineers did hold Williams to only 65 yards last season, so there is at least some recent evidence that the pair can be contained.
The Defense
The Jayhawks’ defense is led by its strong, veteran secondary. Mike Lee made our list of top returning safeties in the Big XII. And Hasan Defense has been solid in coverage for the Jayhawks the past few seasons. Bryce Torneden also made honorable mention on our list of best returning safeties. So far, Torneden and Lee are two of the Jayhawks’ top four tackles. And Defense has returned a pick six, accounting for one of the Jayhawks’ only two turnovers through their first three.
Linebacker Dru Prox is also off to a solid start this season, and he leads the team in tackles with 30. Azur Kamara leads the team with two-and-a-half sacks and three tackles for loss. Darrius Moragne follows closely behind with two sacks and two tackles for loss.
Kansas’ defense has surrendered some yardage this season, especially on the ground. Opponents rush for an average of 182 yards per game against Kansas. They have mostly held opposing quarterbacks in check, on the other hand, surrounding only one 200 yard passing game to date.
The Prediction
Honestly, this is a tough game to predict. Miles knows how to use running backs. And while he has employed Stanley plenty, the Jayhawks still overwhelming favor the run, calling run plays 61% of the time. And the Mountaineers have had some trouble against the run, especially on the second level. West Virginia has tended to improve in the second half. As a result, the game hinges on whether the Mountaineers can get off to a quick start and contain Williams and Herbert just enough in the second half to take an advantage into the locker room. And whether the Mountaineers can start off hot depends on whether the Mountaineers can either get a couple of deep ball completions early or whether they can duplicate the running success they had against the Wolfpack. We think they will check all these boxes, and Head Coach Neal Brown will keep his young men climbing. Mountaineers win by a final score of 38-20.
