The West Virginia Mountaineers have one more game to get through before they get to their much-needed bye week. But before they have a week off to fix some problems, they've got to get through a road showdown with the TCU Horned Frogs in what will be just their third game away from MIlan Puskar Stadium and second true road game of the season.
And as always, we will have answers to a few more questions after the Mountaineers leave the field against the Horned Frogs – regardless of the result. Let's take a look at three questions we'd like to see answered in Week 8 for the Mountaineers.
Is there any offense that WVU football's defense can stop?
Outside of the first half against Coastal Carolina and the UT-Martin game, can you really think of an offense that West Virginia held in check on the scoreboard? The Chanticleers scored 24 second half points in the opening game. Virginia scored 27 points. Oklahoma State upped the season-high to 41 points allowed. It wouldn't hold.
They allowed 45 points to Iowa State, the worst offense they had faced at the time. Arizona scored 52 points, and Cincinnati managed 42 points. None of that screams "game-winning defense." TCU might be West Virginia's best opportunity.
They're 69th in the FBS in total offense, 95th in the FBS scoring offense, and 125th in the FBS in rushing offense. They're averaging just 12.5 points per game against Power 4 opponents. If West Virginia can't slow TCU's offense down, they're probably not stopping anyone on their schedule.
If they can contain the Horned Frogs, it's nice reassurement that the defense might be getting better after getting just enough stops against Cincinnati. It could also help build some momentum and give the team a starting point to find some solutions during the bye week. If they're unable to do so, it probably tells you to expect more 600-yard performances from your final four opponents.
Does anything after the bye week matter for the Mountaineers?
The West Virginia Mountaineers have their bye week after the TCU game, but what comes after that? A four-game stretch to close the season that includes clashes with No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 10 Utah, and No. 14 Houston, with two of those on the road.
West Virginia is currently 4-3. If they win, they get to enter their bye week just one win away from bowl eligibility and with some momentum to carry into a match-up with Texas Tech on the other side. If they lose, they're sitting at .500 on the season, need to go 2-2 to make the postseason, and have little answers to their problems entering the bye week.
The Mountaineers probably aren't winning two games in that final stretch with this defense. A home game against Kansas is winnable, but little else looks similar. But Rich Rodriguez does have a tendency to pull off upsets once a year or so against teams he shouldn't beat. You feel better about pulling that off if you look good against TCU, and only need one win to go bowling.
But who feels good about beating Kansas and pulling off an upset if TCU puts up a season-high in offensive yards and West Virginia can't win another a game against a winnable opponent? Probably not a ton of people reading this. This game will tell us how to feel about the season going forward after the bye week.
Can Michael Hawkins Jr. keep being a player who puts the game on his shoulders?
Mike Hawkins Jr. has put up some pretty impressive statistics this season, but you can only really point to two games where it felt like he stepped up and led the team to victory against the odds. Those were the win against Virginia, and last week's win against Cincinnati.
Last week was a significant step because it showed Hawkins Jr. could do it again. It also showed he could do it through the air, which was largely unproven until last week. But after throwing for 464 yards and three touchdowns through the air against the Bearcats, it certainly feels proven now.
This game could become yet another shootout. It could also be a game where West Virginia can contain TCU's offense, but the Horned Frogs use their defense, which allows the third-fewest points and seventh-fewest yards in the FBS, to limit West Virginia as well. In either case, the Mountaineers will need Hawkins Jr. to step up and put the game on his shoulders once again.
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