The West Virginia Mountaineers will make the long trip to Fort Worth this week to square off against the TCU Horned Frogs in Week 8, which will be the final contest before a much-needed bye week for WVU football.
This is one of those match-ups between two teams who are in remarkably similar situations – each carrying momentum from conference wins after a less-than-desirable start to their Big 12 schedules, looking for a crucial win in establishing bowl eligibility.
And remarkably, both team's seem to pose a perfect match-up for each other – meaning each team will have a major opportunity for success in front of them. One team will just have to take advantage of that opportunity.
TCU's offense vs. West Virginia's defense
West Virginia fans are well-aware of their team's defensive deficiencies. So is head coach Rich Rodriguez, and you know that TCU will be as well. But TCU's offensive deficiencies aren't exactly a secrety to anyone.
The Horned Frogs enter with the 125th rushing offense in the FBS, averaging just 110 yards per game on the ground. They're 69th in the FBS in total offense with 22 yards per game, and 95th in scoring offense in the FBS with 24 points per game. If you look solely at their games against Power 4 competition, they've averaged just 12 points per game.
But the Mountaineers enter with the 130th scoring defense in FBS football, allowing 34 points per game. Against Power 4 opponents, that goes up to 41 points per game. The total defense is next-to-last among FBS teams, allowing 483 yards per game – including two games where they allowed over 600 yards. The pass defense? Dead last in FBS football, allowing 310 yards per game.
This one will be a battle of the 'stoppable force' vs. the 'movable object?' And who can take advantage of the golden opportunity in front of them will likely determine the outcome of this game.
West Virginia's offense vs. TCU's defense
On the other side of the field, both units are among the best in the country. West Virginia has the fifth-best rushing offense in the FBS with 272 yards per game, and the eighth-best total offense with 479 yards per game. Michael Hawkins Jr. leads the nation in rushing touchdowns with 14. He and Cam Cook are both among the Top 10 players in FBS in individual rushing yards.
But TCU has the seventh-best defense nationally, allowing just 264 yards per game. Their scoring defense is third in FBS football, allowing just 12 points per game. Against the run, they're 15th nationally, allowing just 92 yards.
This battle will be more about which unit is able to eek out enough plays. Will TCU be able to consistently stop Wet Virginia's skill players without allowing any cracks? Or can Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook make just enough plays to put enough points on the board to win? But exactly how many plays need to be made by both units will largely determine on which of the two bad units gives first.
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