The No. 22 Texas Longhorns are looking for their third-straight win when they take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET in Austin, TX.
The Longhorns are coming off a 41-34 overtime win last week over the No. 6 Oklahoma State Cowboys. Texas senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger had 18 completions on 34 attempts for 169 yards and three touchdowns, and it was the first time since Week 1 that he did not throw an interception. Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Smith led the Longhorns in receiving with seven receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. While Ehlinger is the main focus of Texas’s offense, they will miss the presence of running back Keaontay Ingram. The junior running back will miss Saturday’s game with a high-ankle sprain suffered last week.
On the defensive side of the football, Texas got all they could handle from the Cowboys’ offense. Oklahoma State sophomore quarterback Spencer Sanders had 27 completions on 39 attempts for 400 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. However, they forced and recovered two fumbles off of the young quarterback.
Two of Sanders’ four touchdowns went to standout wide receiver Tylan Wallace, who had 11 receptions for 187 yards. But the good news for the Longhorns’ defense is they held dynamic running back Chuba Hubbard to only 72 rushing yards on 25 carries. The UT defense will need to tighten up their pass defense as they face a West Virginia offense that can put up yards and points.
As for the Mountaineers, they are coming off of a dominating 37-10 win over Kansas State. West Virginia’s defense forced three interceptions, while their offense put up 485 total yards. Junior quarterback Jarret Doege completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns, and junior running back Leddie Brown posted 102 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown, his second 100-yard game in three weeks. This season the Longhorns’ defense is giving up 130.3 rushing yards per game.
Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming
You can watch West Virginia vs. Texas on Saturday, November 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET on ABC, or you can stream it via ESPN app with a cable or streaming service login.
Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends
Point spread: West Virginia (+5) vs. Texas
Point Total: O/U 54
Money line: West Virginia (+155), Texas (-195)
- West Virginia is 5-2 straight up in its last seven games.
- The point total went over in four of West Virginia’s last six games.
- Texas is 6-2 straight up in its last eight games.
- The point total went over in five of Texas’s last six games.
Betting splits
West Virginia: (38% of handle, 37% percent of bets)
Texas: (62% of handle, 63% percent of bets)
The Best Bet
This has a strong chance to being a shootout down in Austin on Saturday. The Mountaineers’ offense led by duo of QB Jarret Doege and RB Leddie Brown, averaging 33 points per game this season. Texas is averaging 39 points at the home, thanks in large part to the dual threat ability of QB Sam Ehlinger.
Pick: Over 54
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