As the West Virginia Mountaineers prepare to open up Big 12 Conference play on the road in Lawrence, let’s have some fun with a few “Over/Unders” to watch for in the matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks.
99.5 Rushing Yards for Tye Edwards
The Backyard Brawl hero, Tye Edwards, burst onto the scene in Morgantown in overtime against the Pitt Panthers. After transferring to WVU from Northern Iowa, Edwards was one of four Mountaineers to take legal action against the NCAA over its eligibility rulings. Just before the start of the season, Edwards was ruled eligible and finally able to begin practicing with the team. This lack of time with the team and a nagging injury prevented Edwards from getting a carry in the first two weeks of the season.
However, when Edwards did have his number called, he made the most of his opportunity in the backfield. Edwards had 141 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. Can he reach the 100-yard mark again for WVU? If the Mountaineers want to keep things headed in the right direction, he might need to have another big game. The Kansas defense is coming off a game in which they struggled to defend the rushing attack of Missouri. Two Missouri running backs rushed for over 100 yards, and as a team, the Tigers had 267 yards on 47 carries. That is good for an average of 5.6 yards per carry, which was the exact rush average that Edwards posted against Pitt. Take the over here, look for another healthy dose of Tye Edwards in the Mountaineer offense.
239.5 Passing Yards for Jalon Daniels
Kansas signal caller Jalon Daniels has returned for yet another season. His career at KU began in 2020 and has been a key reason for the renewed Jayhawks' success of recent memory. Through three games, Daniels has nine touchdown passes and two interceptions, while completing 72% of his passes. Despite the KU struggle to run the football and still being able to put up 31 points against Missouri, Daniels threw for just 223 yards. Take the under here and expect Daniels to get more involved in the running game. He comes into the matchup with WVU football with just 90 rushing yards on the season. In 2024, Daniels had 447 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
21.5 - Total Number of Sacks and TFLs (Both West Virginia & Kansas)
Both of these teams have proven to be effective at getting to the quarterback and disrupting plays in the backfield this season. Kansas finished with four sacks and seven TFLs in the loss to Missouri, while WVU had six sacks and eight TFLs in the win over Pitt. If history repeats itself, this could be a game where defenses continually disrupt the flow of the game by getting into the backfield. Expect this line of 21.5 to be close, but take the under.
1.5 - Turnovers Forced by West Virginia
West Virginia has won the turnover battle only once this season, and that was in a game that they lost at Ohio. West Virginia picked off Parker Navarro three times in that matchup. Against Robert Morris, WVU benefitted from two turnovers, and Darrian Lewis intercepted Eli Holstein in the end zone for the lone forced turnover in the Backyard Brawl for WVU. Jalon Daniels has thrown 26 interceptions throughout his collegiate career. Last season alone, he threw 12 paired with 14 touchdown passes. West Virginia's defensive coordinator not only likes to dial up pressure, but he also wants to force turnovers. With the struggles of the WVU offense at times this season, the defense may have to force a couple of turnovers in order to have a chance to pick up the road win, trust in Zac Alley, and take the over here.