MORGANTOWN, W.V. – West Virginia jumped into the top 10 in the FBS rankings but is still finding things to improve upon, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The eighth-ranked Mountaineers will try to put together four full quarters and stay undefeated when they host Kansas on Saturday.
TV: Noon, ET, ESPN2. LINE: West Virginia -28.5
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West Virginia took a 35-10 lead into the half at Texas Tech last week but did not score an offensive touchdown after the break and needed an interception return for a score late in the fourth quarter to hold on for a 42-34 triumph. "I don’t think it’s a recurring problem," Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen told reporters of the second-half struggles. "It didn’t happen in the other three games, so I don’t think it’s a recurring problem. They know it. We came in here on Sunday, and we watched the video. All you have to do is watch the video. The first half, it looks really good. The second half, it looks like crap. So, they know, and we have to go out, and we have to do better." Kansas is an improving team but is still looking for success in the Big 12 after falling to Baylor and Oklahoma State in the last two games. "Well, you're in the Big 12. It's a whole different monster," Jayhawks coach David Beaty told reporters. "I think one of the things is knowing that people are smart. They know exactly where your strengths lie, so understanding where you're going to devote numbers is something that we obviously know that is going to come our way."
ABOUT KANSAS (2-3, 0-2 Big 12)
Jayhawks quarterback Carter Stanley threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-24 loss to Oklahoma State last week but also was sacked five times. "We've got to stay out of those (obvious passing) situations as best we can and being efficient on first down helps us do that," Beaty told reporters. "Not just sitting in situations where they know we're going to have to drop back and they have to pin their ears back. That can give us problems." Kansas is not enjoying much success pressuring the opposing passer either, with the defense recording a total of five sacks in the first five games.
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (4-0, 2-0)
Mountaineers quarterback Will Grier is completing 72.1 percent of his passes for 1,487 yards and 17 TDs through the first four games but feels there is room for improvement. "It's a long season, and you have to continue to get better," Grier told reporters. "The teams that end up winning championships and being remembered are the teams that play well in November and December, so we've got to continue to play better as the season goes and learn from things like that (second half at Texas Tech)." Grier threw for 347 yards and two TDs and recorded his only two rushing scores of 2017 in a 56-34 win at Kansas last season.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Kansas freshman RB Pooka Williams Jr., who sat out the season opener, has rushed for 474 in the last four games, passing Gale Sayers (403) for the most in school history through his first four contests.
2. West Virginia is converting 59 percent of its third-down attempts and is 15-of-15 when it comes to scoring on its red-zone opportunities.
3. The Mountaineers have taken the last four meetings by an average of 29.3 points.
PREDICTION: West Virginia 51, Kansas 17