Five West Virginia players to watch
West Virginia comes to town reeling from a one-point loss to TCU. The Mountaineers blew two 13-point leads to the Horned Frogs. The dagger was Jaden Oberkrom’s 37-yard field goal as time expired.
Texas will have its hands full with a West Virginia team that can move the ball. The Mountaineers rank 11th in the country in passing. A potent offense means the defense just needs to make enough plays to keep the team in the game. In other words, this will be a dog fight.
Texas fans will want to keep an eye on these five players.
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- Karl Joseph, safety
Joseph has stepped up his play in big games. He had 18 tackles against Alabama. He racked up 13 more in the Oklahoma game. Normally it’s a bad sign when your safety is one of the team’s top tacklers. In Joseph’s case, he gets his tackles close to the line scrimmage in run support. Shawn Watson may want to work in more play-action passes to take advantage of Joseph’s aggressive play around the line of scrimmage.
- Nick O’Toole, punter
Not many schools count its punter as a weapon, but West Virginia has one of the best in the country. O’Toole is averaging 43 yards per kick, just slightly below his 44.1 yard average from 2013. O’Toole is one of those special teams players who can influence a game. He has the ability to flip the field. The more field Texas has to cover, the more opportunity for the West Virgina defense to make a big play.
- Mario Alford, wide receiver
West Virginia likes to use Alford to stretch the field. He had three catches for 79 yards and a score versus TCU last week. He had 11 grabs and two scores against Maryland. At 5-9, Alford will probably draw Quandre Diggs. This should be a great battle to watch, especially because of who the Mountaineers line up at the other wide receiver spot.
Oct 4, 2014; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receivers Kevin White (11) and Mario Alford (5) celebrate after White scored a touchdown against the Kansas Jayhawks during the first quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
- Kevin White, wide receiver
White is having a breakout senior season. After catching 35 passes in 2013, White has 75 receptions and eight touchdowns. He has developed nice chemistry with quarterback Clint Trickett. The duo is one of the best in the country. Duke Thomas will most likely match up with the 6-foot-3 inch White. Expect Texas to roll a safety over to White’s side to help Thomas. Oklahoma State and TCU managed to hold him to a combined six catches. The Texas coaches will want to steal a page from these defenses in an attempt to contain White.
- Clint Trickett, quarterback
When Trickett transferred to West Virginia from Florida State in 2013, expectations were high. Instead, he struggled with Dana Holgerson’s offense. The result was Trickett splitting time with Paul Millard. The senior devoted the offseason to learning the offense. The hard work has paid off as Trickett is one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12. His 18:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio makes him one of the top signal callers in the country. He has been sacked 20 times this season. Texas would be wise to get pressure on him early, much like it did in 2013. Stop Trickett, and the Longhorns have a good shot at pulling off the upset.