Texas and West Virginia are set to play on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. West Virginia comes into this game having just beat Virginia Tech, while the Longhorns come into Saturday having lost to Texas Tech.
Ashley O’Brien: Well, well, well. The Mountaineers roll into Austin on a two-game win streak. This team has turned things around defensively since their debacle against Kansas. The Mountaineers need a conference win and so do the Longhorns. It will be interesting to see how these two teams come out as they are both in desperate need of a Big 12 win. Ultimately though, I think the Mountaineers’ success in Austin continues. Casey Legg will make a field goal late to seal the win.
WVU 38, Texas 35
Wesley Shoemaker: The only way West Virginia wins on Saturday is by way of a shootout. Both defenses have proven to have issues and expect both teams to score. I think Quinn Ewers starts and plays, and I think it will be interesting to see how JT Daniels plays with the longer layoff since last Thursday. I think West Virginia has a good chance, but the athletes on Texas’ offense will be too much. Texas wins, but West Virginia tries to make it close at the end but can’t.
Texas 45, WVU 38
Aaron Parker: After grabbing an all-important road win against Virginia Tech, I think the Mountaineers are going to come out and continue to run a good offense against the Longhorns in a hostile environment. I think Bryce Ford-Wheaton will make up for not catching a touchdown in the last game by catching two on Saturday. However, I don’t think WVU’s secondary will be able to stay with Texas’s burners as five different wide receivers have scored a touchdown this season. I see WVU losing in a close one, and I think the game will come down to a few clutch third down conversions by Texas.
Texas 40, WVU 30
Rachel Libert: This week’s matchup against Texas is going to be a true test for the Mountaineers and their winning streak. Texas comes off of a loss to Texas Tech while WVU comes off of a big win against Virginia Tech. I think the difference maker in this game is going to be how well West Virginia’s defense steps up to stop Texas’ rushing game led by Bijan Robinson. In the passing game, JT Daniels will continue to excel and outperform Texas quarterback Hudson Card, and if CJ Donaldson can also find the end zone a few times, I think the Mountaineers will leave Texas with a big win.
WVU 31, Texas 24
Jenks O’Donovan: With ample time to prepare for Texas and a decisive victory over Virginia Tech, West Virginia fans are rightfully confident heading into conference play. However, the Mountaineers do have to step up their play to overcome a talented Texas team in Austin. Especially with the Longhorns coming off a loss to in-state rival Texas Tech, I think Texas will be hungry to prove themselves. While West Virginia is building momentum at the right time, and JT Daniels will have his best game of the season, Texas will edge out West Virginia. Between the Longhorns’ home-field advantage, a possible return of Quinn Ewers, and Bijan Robinson playing at an extremely high level, Texas will be too much for the Mountaineers to handle.
Texas 31, WVU 24
Matt Natriello: The Mountaineers are rolling into Austin on a two game win streak, and looking for the first three game win streak of Neal Brown’s tenure. The Longhorns could still be without Quinn Ewers and Xavier Worthy. West Virginia showed signs of improvement on the defensive side of the ball in the second half of the Virginia Tech game, including mixing players up and will need to keep that momentum on defense to win this week.
Texas 38, WVU 35
Tyler Prusina: After coming off a big win at Virginia Tech I believe spirits are high with the team. They will be coming into Austin with there heads held high and the right attitude. As a team I think we need to rely on what has been working for us so far and that means the run game. If we give optimal chances to CJ Donaldson, Tony Mathis, and Justin Johnson I feel we will have a great chance to win big against the longhorns.
WVU 21, Texas 14
34/27 WVU