2017 NCAA Football Texas at West Virginia Preview and Prediction

Texas at West Virginia

Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m. ET

TV Channel: ESPN

Spread: West Virginia -3

Texas has been a team under new coach Tom Herman that has improved a lot since the start of the year. West Virginia has been good all season and has had some nice wins. This will be a big game for both teams as we wind the season down, so let’s take a closer look.

Can Texas run the ball

The Longhorns have been one of the nation’s worst at running the ball; on the other hand, West Virginia is one of the nations worst at stopping the run. So something has to give here and the game could be decided on which way this matchup slants. West Virginia has an under-sized defensive front and that will hurt them. The question will be: does it hurt them enough to keep them from winning?

Will Offensive Lineman Connor Williams return for the Longhorns

Williams has been out since a week 3 injury and it has been a big reason why the Longhorns have struggled offensively. If he returns it could go a long way in Texas’ ability to pull the upset.

Can Texas handle the run

Any team as bad as Texas is at running the ball cannot like the weather forecast of rainy and cold on Saturday. If it’s bad weather, expect the Mountaineers to have a huge advantage in their ability to run the ball.

Prediction

I expect the Texas defense to give the West Virginia offense trouble for most of the game. The Longhorns defense is designed to give teams that run a spread offense trouble. But when all is said and done the Longhorns will come up short. Offensively, look for the Mountaineers to win this one and give the three points.

West Virginia 27  Texas 20
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