West Virginia and Texas Tech are both looking to end the regular season on a positive note.
The Mountaineers (6-5, 5-3 Big 12) aim to secure their fourth consecutive conference road win on Saturday when they travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech (7-4, 5-3) is hoping to achieve six conference victories in a season for only the fifth time in the program’s history.
Additionally, the Red Raiders are seeking to win eight regular season games for the first time since 2009.
“We have to take advantage of our opportunities,” said Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire. “At the end of the day, we’re going to take care of business on Saturday, and we’re going to go into a bowl game. Our expectations would be 8-4 with an opportunity to get to that ninth win.”
Texas Tech leads the Big 12 in points per game (37.4) and ranks second in yards per game (450.0).
They are one of only three teams in the Big 12 averaging over 290 passing yards per game.
The Red Raiders operate a fast-tempo offense that generates a lot of plays, guided by quarterback Behren Morton.
Morton threw for 401 yards on 37-of-53 passing with four touchdowns and one interception in last week’s 56-48 victory over Oklahoma State.
Running back Tahj Brooks has 1,317 rushing yards on 263 carries and 14 touchdowns.
“We’ve got to get aligned to their tempo,” said West Virginia coach Neal Brown. “That’s where they really excel—when they can establish their tempo.
That typically happens after a successful first down or a really positive play early in the drive. So, we need to do a good job of getting set quickly.”
West Virginia’s offense will look to exploit a Texas Tech defense that ranks last in the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing 36.3 points per game, and second-to-last in yards allowed per game (456.2).
The Mountaineers come off a 31-21 win against UCF, where they rushed for 200 yards. CJ Donaldson Jr. contributed 96 yards on 19 carries, scoring two touchdowns in the victory.
