Mountaineers Travel to Houston

West Virginia fans will see a familiar face this Thursday when the Mountaineers take on former Head Coach Dana Holgorsen‘s Cougars in Houston this Thursday. Actually, they will see a few familiar faces, as Sam Brown, Mike O’Laughlin, and Tony Mathis all transferred to Houston in recent seasons. We preview the tilt as the Mountaineers travel to Houston. Kick-off happens at 7:00 (EST), and FS1 will broadcast the game.

Mountaineers Travel to Houston

At Big 12 Media Days this Summer, the media asked Holgorsen how he felt about playing his former team. He left it at this: “I’ve known [Head Coach Neal Brown] a long time …, so it’ll be ok.” Once the kick happens, though, Holgorsen added “You really don’t give a crap of who you’re playing.” By itself, that may not offer much bulletin board material. Add to that fire a few comments he made in his final days in Morgantown and after his departure. After blowing a huge lead against Oklahoma State that cost the Mountaineers a spot in the Big 12 championship game, he simply said, “That’s big boy football.”

On his way out, he added, “We weren’t going to get high school kids at West Virginia that we were going to win the Big 12 with.” Doug Nester, Wyatt Milum, and Zach Frazier–each of whom was overlooked by Holgorsen–might disagree. Then there is the anonymous comment made by one of the Big 12 coaches about West Virginia in the pre-season: “This might be the worst roster in the league. They have some talent, but they’re not physical at all. They’re really small, especially compared to the old WVU teams. … The defense is legitimately bad. They look like a MAC team compared to the rest of the league.” Holgorsen may not have said those words, but rumors certainly abound. No doubt Mountaineer players have those words posted on their bulletin boards.

Add this to their “14 Who?” mantra created after pre-season pollsters picked West Virginia to finish dead last in the conference, and the Mountaineers certainly have plenty to play for. Now the Mountaineers travel to Houston sporting their surprising 4-1 record.

What Houston Brings to the Table

Houston certainly has some talent. The aforementioned Brown leads the team in receiving yards with 518 yards on 34 receptions. Parker Jenkins leads the team in rushing yards with 218 on 41 carries. Quarterback Donovan Smith has also played well, completing 65% of his throws for over 1300 yards. Smith adds nine touchdowns to three interceptions, with three additional touchdowns on the ground. Surprisingly, however, the Cougars have not fielded quite the high-octane offense this season that college football fans have come to expect out of a Holgorsen-led team. They average just over 27 points per game, good for 81st in the country.

Defensively, the collective results have been much worse, as they surrender 30 points per game and stand at 100th in the nation. Houston gives up 250 yards through the air per game and over 160 yards on the ground per game. Individually, the team has some star power, though. On the defensive line, Nelson Ceasar leads the way with four-and-a-half sacks and six tackles for loss. At the second level, Malik Robinson leads the team with 37 tackles. In the secondary, Malik Fleming leads the team with three interceptions, and Isaiah Hamilton adds two.

For his talk about “big boy football,” however, Holgorsen has struggled against Power Five teams since joining Houston. Indeed, over the last five seasons, his lone win over a Power Five team was a 17-13 win over Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl in 2021. Houston has lost seven, and it is zero for two this season, with losses to Texas Tech and TCU.

How West Virginia Can Win

The Big 12 newcomers have yet to win a game against the established conference teams this season. The upstart Mountaineers certainly do not want to be the first established team to lose a game. By all measures, West Virginia really should win this game, but nothing is ever certain in college football. Teams still have to execute, and results often defy predictions. Indeed, the Mountaineers have proved that this season.

The key in this game will be to take advantage of the Cougars’ suspect run defense. They give up 164 yards per game on the season, but those results have been worse in conference play. Texas Tech gashed them for 239 yards to average six-and-a-half per carry. TCU piled up 250 yards with just under five per carry. That provides a good blueprint for the team with the most experienced offensive line in the Big 12 that already averages 192 rushing yards per game. CJ Donaldson has run with some hesitation this season, but this could offer a get-right game for him. Jaylen Anderson and Jahiem White will also look to add to their totals.

Houston has been opportunistic and it owns a plus-six turnover margin, but the Mountaineers, especially with Greene at the helm, have protected the ball extremely well. They have also limited penalties and found those hidden yards on special teams. If they continue to limit mistakes, they should walk out of Houston with a win.

The defense has dealt with injuries that limit its depth, but, so far, it has played extremely well through that streak. It will also need to do more of the same to shut down an offense that has explosive play potential.

What a Win Would Mean

As the Mountaineers travel to Houston, we cannot help but consider what a fifth straight win would mean for West Virginia. That would put the Mountaineers at 5-1 on the season, with a 3-0 record in conference play. They would have a long week to rest for Oklahoma State’s trip to Morgantown the next weekend. The team certainly should not get caught looking ahead, but, as we do, the potential results for a West Virginia team that entered the season with its head coach on the hot seat look tantalizing. An 8-1 record headed to Norman in early November remains a distinct possibility. If that were the case, that game would most definitely have conference championship implications.