(11) Texas at West Va
Time: 2:30 PM CST, Saturday
Spread: TEX -10.5
Total: 61
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Texas Longhorns are 3-1 and ranked No. 11 in the AP polls. It travels to face West Virginia in Week 6 as 10.5-point favorites on the road.
The game will kick off at 2:30 PM CST on ABC, and the over/under is set at 61 total points according to NCAA football oddsmakers at 5dimes.
TEX
Texas has won two straight after its week 2 loss to a No. 6 LSU team. It defeated Rice in Week 3 and knocked off Oklahoma State 36-30 last week to improve to 3-1. Sam Ehlinger had a very good week against OK State. He threw 20 of 28 for completion en route to 281 yards, four touchdowns, and just one interception to mark his quarterback ranking at 88.6. He rushed 10 times for 70 yards, as well, while Keaontay Ingram led the team with 114 yards on 21 carries. Only Roschon Johnson (nine rushes for 30 yards) had a rushing TD.
Devin Duvernay led all receivers with 12 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Brennan Eagles, Cade Brewer, and Jake Smith all also scored receiving touchdowns. Texas picked up nearly 500 yards total offense while allowing roughly the same, but it intercepted Spencer Sanders twice in the game, and though the Longhorns did force two fumbles on Oklahoma State, it recovered neither. The defensive effort was still fairly good overall, considering it did not allow a receiving touchdown. Caden Sterns was everywhere, with 12 tackles (10 solos). Texas had 12 tackles-for-loss in the game, while Oklahoma State had just three. The Longhorns also had two sacks to the Cowboys’ zero.
Ehlinger has thrown for 1,237 yards on the season at a 72.9 percent lip with 15 touchdown passes and just one interception. He has rushed for 191 yards and a touchdown on a No. 2 ranking 42 carries. Ingram has 55 attempts for 295 yards and a team-best three touchdowns. The Longhorns average 4.5 yards-per-carry as a team, and it is good for 12.0 yards-per-pass-completion. With six rushing touchdowns, the team could bear to go on the ground more for its end zone options, but there is still a nice overall balance provided by Ehlinger’s accurate arm and his rushing ability, combined with Ingram’s as well.
W VA
West Virginia is 3-1 after its consecutive wins over NC State and Kansas. It lost in Week 2 to Missouri but defeated James Madison in Week 1. Last week in the win over Kansas, Austin Kendall was fairly decent with 25 of 37 passing, but he averaged just 5.5 yards-per-completion and threw no touchdowns. Kendall also picked up just eight yards on his nine carries. The Mountaineers got good production from Kennedy McKoy and Leddie Brown, as they both rushed for 73 and 70 yards, respectively, with McKoy rushing for a TD. Martell Pettaway had six rushes for 40 yards, but he scored two of the three touchdowns.
The Mountaineers had three receivers with 40 yards or more and five with 20 yards or more, but the team failed to record an attempt over 20 yards and averaged just 8.1 per completion while failing to reach the end zone. West Virginia has got just 3.1 yards-per-attempt from McKoy on the season while Leddie Brown averages a more solid 5.5 per. Even so, Brown has just 19 attempts, and McKoy has seen 48, as he leads the team with three rushing TDs, as well.
Pettaway averages just 2.6-per-carry, but he has two touchdowns and 54 yards on his 21 attempts. The Mountaineers are not making many big plays, but it is consistently moving the ball and defending at a high level. It is probably still outmatched by Texas in Week 6.
