PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Will Grier has thrown for 2,272 yards and 25 touchdowns, including 353 yards and three TDs in the win over Baylor last week. He has found 12 different receivers and recorded 14 300-yard passing performances and 15 multiple-touchdown games during his WVU career. Grier is tied for second nationally in touchdown passes per game (3.6). He ranks No. 3 nationally in passing touchdowns (25), No. 3 in passing efficiency (188.7), second in yards per pass attempt (10.37), and No. 5 in points responsible for per game (22.3).
–RB Kennedy McKoy carried seven times for 23 yards in the win over Baylor, in which the Mountaineers rolled to 172 yards on the ground. McKoy has had his share of carries over his first two years, and now has 64 totes for 366 yards and two touchdowns, and six catches for 64 more and a TD over West Virginia’s first seven games.
–S Kenny Robinson, who played in 11 games for West Virginia as a true freshman and was sixth on the team in tackles, had a team-high eight stops in the win over Baylor and now has 45 tackles on the season. Stats aren’t the best measure for a college defensive back, but Robinson shows up when you watch the tape, too routinely making decisive tackles with textbook technique.
SERIES HISTORY: West Virginia leads Texas 4-3. The Mountaineers have won three of the four previous meetings played in Austin, including a 24-20 win in 2016.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “OK, here we go. This one is one we’ve been looking forward to for a while. It didn’t quite end the way we wanted it to last year, and we haven’t forgotten about that.” — West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen
