Everything you need to know for Texas vs. West Virginia

By Steve Habel, Senior Contributing Writer

AUSTIN, Texas – The Longhorns (6-2, 4-1 in Big 12 play) return home to square off against No. 13 West Virginia (6-1, 4-1 in Big 12) for a crucial conference dustup at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. Here’s what to watch for on the Texas side and what to expect from the Mountaineers in the matchup that could determine who plays for a Big 12 Championship:

[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]

EYEING TEXAS’ PATH TO SUCCESS

♦ QB Sam Ehlinger, a sophomore, had taken every snap at the position this year until suffering a sprained shoulder early in the Longhorns’ win over Baylor on Oct. 13. He returned to the backfield against Oklahoma State and was impressive, going 22 of 42 for 283 yards and two touchdowns while adding 47 yards and two more scores on the ground. He has now attempted a school-record 210 consecutive passes without throwing an interception, besting Major Applewhite’s previous school record of 156 set in 1999.

♦ WR Collin Johnson, a junior, had a team-leading five catches for 65 yards against Oklahoma State. With every game Johnson is continuing his role as the go-to receiver that the Longhorns have been looking for. Johnson is the huge, intermediate target that the Texas needs to help open up the offense because the 6-foot-6 receiver can go over or through most of the defensive backs that are covering him. He now has 47 catches for 628 yards and five TDs combined in the first eight games.

♦ LB Gary Johnson, a senior who came to Texas last year after playing in junior college, has already asserted himself as the Longhorns’ do-everything linebacker and be one of the team’s leaders. Johnson registered a team-high 10 tackles, 2½ of them for a loss that included a sack and two quarterback hurries, in the loss to Oklahoma State. At 6-foot and 230 pounds, Johnson might be a little undersized to be a constant run stuffer, but he plays bigger than his size and hits as hard as anyone in college football.

♦ CB Kris Boyd. No player on the Longhorns has been harder to predict over the past three seasons than Boyd, and continues his enigmatic play and actions two-thirds of the way into the 2018 campaign. Boyd was suspended for the first quarter of the loss to Oklahoma State and was most ineffectual when he got in the game, drawing criticism. Boyd has the skills to be a true shutdown corner – as long as he can keep his emotions in check. At 6-foot and 195 pounds, he has the size to take on and stop most of the receivers that will line up across from him. Boyd had four tackles in the loss to Oklahoma State, ½ of a stop for a loss, and a pass breakup and was not tested by the Bears’ game plan. He has 30 stops, a sack, 1 ½ tackles for a loss, an interception, and 10 pass breakups for the season.

SERIES HISTORY: Texas and West Virginia meet for the eighth time on the gridiron Saturday afternoon. UT is 3-4 all-time against WVU. The teams first met in 1956 and resumed the series in 2012 when the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 Conference. Each school has won three games in the six meetings as Big 12 Conference foes. Last season, Texas gained bowl eligibility with a 28-14 win on the road in Morgantown. WVU has won three of the four previous meetings played in Austin, including a 24-20 win in 2016.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Guys are starting for a reason, and it’s because they are playing better than the other guy. Any time you have a starter go down, by definition, the quality of play might go down a little bit. That’s why it’s so important when your number is called, that when you’re ready. We’re on our way in terms of, you know, creating some depth, but we’ve certainly got to accelerate it.” – Texas head coach Tom Herman explained about his depth.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL — GAME BREAKDOWN

KEY MATCHUP: The Texas offensive line versus West Virginia’s defense. The best way the Longhorns can counter West Virginia’s powerful offense is to keep the Mountaineers wide-open passing attack off the field. To do that, Texas needs to run the ball effectively and win the time of possession battle. Herman said Monday that he gives his offensive line a passing grade so far but needs them to be better at moving the defense and creating room for the run game.

DRAFT SLANT
♦ WR Collin Johnson has the size (6-foot-6, 215 pounds), athleticism and speed that the NFL loves, but he needs to be more aggressive. Texas coach Tom Herman has ordered his quarterbacks to go to the go-route to Johnson anytime and every time he draws single coverage, and that strategy worked for a 22-yard TD in the loss to Maryland. He now has 47 catches for 628 yards and five TDs combined in the first eight games.

ROSTER REPORT

♦ QB Sam Ehlinger is on the watch list for the 2018 Manning Award.
♦ DE Breckyn Hager suffered a severe right SC sprain (collarbone) in the loss to Oklahoma State and is day-to-day.
♦ WR D’Shawn Jamison has a mid-foot sprain and is day-to-day.
♦ LB Malcolm Roach , who Herman earlier his season said would miss the rest of the year with a broken foot, has been cleared to play in a limited role against Saturday against the Cowboys.
♦ DT Chris Nelson will miss Saturday’s game with an ankle injury suffered in practice this week.
♦ WR Joshua Moore has shoulder surgery this week and will miss an extended period of time.
♦ RB Keaontay Ingram, Jamison and CB Anthony Cook made their first career starts in the Oklahoma State game. Fourteen UT players have now made their first career starts in a game in 2018.
♦ TE Andrew Beck had a career-high 51 receiving yards and caught his third career TD pass in the loss to Oklahoma State.
♦ UT has had four turnover-free games so far in 2018 (TCU, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State).

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM WEST VIRGINIA

PLAYERS TO WATCH

♦ QB Will Grier, the fifth-year senior and Heisman Trophy contender has thrown for 2,272 yards and 25 touchdowns, including 353 yards and three TDs in the win over Baylor last week. He has found 12 different receivers and recorded 14,300-yard passing performances and 15 multiple-touchdown games during his WVU career. Grier is tied for second nationally in touchdown passes per game (3.6). He ranks No. 3 nationally in passing touchdowns (25), No. 3 in passing efficiency (188.7), second in yards per pass attempt (10.37), and No. 5 in points responsible for per game (22.3).

♦ WR David Sills V was in his first full season as a wideout last year and produced some prodigious offensive stats (60 catches, 980 yards and 18 touchdowns). He’s one of two West Virginia players (Grier is the other) named to the AP preseason All-America team and is off to a flying start this year with 37 catches for 529 yards and eight touchdowns over the first seven games. He’s a prototype slot receiver who can make the big catches over the middle and handle one-on-one hand-play with defensive backs.

♦ DE Ezekiel Rose played two seasons at the junior college level before transferring to West Virginia in January 2017, but the wait was worth it. After competing for playing time and earning some snaps last year, Rose has battled for playing time this season. He led the squad in sacks last season with five, but the senior will need to improve on those numbers to be a real force. He recorded an interception in the win against Kansas after having two tackles, including one for a loss, against Tennessee and added a season-high three tackles in the win against Baylor.

♦ S Kenny Robinson, who played in 11 games for West Virginia as a true freshman and was sixth on the team in tackles. Robinson had a team-high eight stops in the win over Baylor and now has 45 tackles on the season. Stats aren’t the best measure for a college defensive back, but Robinson shows up when you watch the tape, too routinely making decisive tackles with textbook technique. Robinson sets himself apart with his ability to make plays and is not afraid to mix it up in the run game as well.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “OK, here we go. This one is one we’ve been looking forward to for a while. It didn’t quite end the way we wanted it to last year, and we haven’t forgotten about that.” – West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen

ROSTER REPORT

♦ The Mountaineers have scored on 42 of their 81 drives this season, including 35 TDs, and they have scored 25-of-28 times in the red zone, including 20 touchdowns.
♦ West Virginia is just one of four Power Five conference teams to rank in the top 25 nationally in scoring offense (No. 16 – 39.9) and scoring defense (No. 23 -19.6).
♦ WVU is No. 1 in the Big 12 in scoring defense, No. 2 in opponent first-down defense and rushing defense, No. 3 in total and pass defense and opponent third-down defense.
♦ QB Will Grier and WR David Sills V have connected on 27 touchdowns since the start of the 2017 season – that’s nine more than any other QB-WR duo in FBS.
♦ Over the last two years, West Virginia has only allowed one 300-yard passer, including none in 2018.

[/s2If] [s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] [article-offer] [/s2If]