Oct 4, 2014; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Wendell Smallwood (4) carries the ball as Kansas Jayhawks defensive lineman Kapil Fletcher (90) defends during the third quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. The Mountaineers won 33-14. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
KICKOFF: Saturday, 3:30 ET
GAMEDATE: 11/1/14
SITE: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, West Virginia
TV: ABC
SERIES: West Virginia leads 2-1. Both meetings as Big 12 rivals were decided in overtime, with TCU winning on the road in 2012 and West Virginia winning on the road last season.
RANKINGS: TCU 10th, West Virginia 20th
KEYS TO THE GAME
After generating 82 points last week, TCU attracted much attention. Not all of it was the kind Gary Patterson wants to deal with as a coach.
He was asked if he ran up the score against Texas Tech after scoring with 1:16 left.
That final touchdown, however, came on a 25-yard rush by backup running back Trevorris Johnson, who was left free and really had no choice but to bolt to the end zone.
“I had a 21-point lead a couple weeks ago and lost it playing up-tempo offense, so it’s hard,” Patterson said, referencing the 61-58 loss in which Baylor ended the game with 24 unanswered points. “Never do you want to get to a point where you want to be in that kind of situation. At least I haven’t. I’ve always been a guy that’s run the ball out, run the clock out.”
In throttling Texas Tech 82-27, quarterback Trevone Boykin set a career best with 433 yards passing and set a TCU record with seven touchdown strikes. He ranks third nationally — and tops the Big 12 — in total offense, with a 382.9-yard average.
West Virginia, however, may not be all that impressed with such numbers.
The Mountaineers have two wins over teams ranked in the Top 10 at the time of the meeting (Oklahoma and Baylor) and still remains the only team to defeat Baylor and its high-powered offense.
West Virginia proved it can be diverse on offense if it needs to be, rushing for 210 yards and holding a decided edge in time of possession last week in a 34-10 win at Oklahoma State. Wendell Smallwood, filling in for injured starter Rushel Shell, ran for a career-best 132 yards.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Horned Frogs
–QB Trevone Boykin became the first quarterback in the 14 seasons Gary Patterson has coached the Horned Frogs to top 250 yards passing in seven consecutive games. In addition, Boykin rates a close second on the TCU rushing chart with 374 yards.
–WR Deante’ Gray was the latest receiver to sparkle for the Horned Frogs. He enjoyed his first 100-yard performance, with four catches for 165 yards in the blowout of Texas Tech to give him has six touchdown grabs in the last five games.
–CB Kevin White has an interception in two of the last three games and a team-high four pass breakups. White has drawn 34 consecutive starts, tops among TCU’s active players.
–WR Josh Doctson leads TCU in receiving with 35 catches for 573 yards. He has seven catches for touchdowns, one more than Deante’ Gray for team honors.
Mountaineers
–QB Clint Trickett is having an outstanding season with 17 touchdown passes against only five interceptions. He has completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 2,763 yards.
–WR Kevin White was often double-teamed by Oklahoma State after going into the game leading the nation in receiving yards. He has 72 receptions for 1,047 yards (third nationally) and eight touchdowns
–DT Kyle Rose played a key role in last year’s win over TCU and he notched a season-high six tackles last week at Oklahoma State. His career high of seven tackles came against TCU last year.
–FS Dravon Henry got his first two interceptions in WVU’s win at Oklahoma State. Henry became the first Mountaineer with two interceptions in the same game since Brodrick Jenkins had two against Rutgers in 2011.
