Kansas at West Virginia Preview: Donaldson or Daniels?

Tennessee Tech was a tune-up and now Kansas turns right around for its first Big 12 matchup of the season when the Jayhawks travel to Morgantown to face the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Opponent Overview

Team: West Virginia

Record: 0-1

Line: WVU -13.5

Team Form

The Mountaineers got the much bigger test in week one, having to go on the road to play a ranked rival in Pitt. And West Virginia came within a touchdown, falling 38-31. So while it still shows an 0-1 record, the Mountaineers showed some strengths in week one.

On the flip side, Kansas took full advantage of an outmatched FCS opponent and put up one of the most impressive performances in an opener in recent years.

Players to Watch

USC transfer quarterback JT Daniels is the biggest name on this team, but his debut as a Mountaineer was just OK. Daniels only averaged 5.4 yards per attempt in going 23-40 for 214 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. But what that stat line tells us is offensive coordinator Graham Harrell is willing to throw the ball all over the field.

The strength of the WVU offense was the running game, and it was on the back of a Devin Neal-esque performance by CJ Donaldson, who gained 125 yards on seven carries and scored a touchdown. Meanwhile, it’s just a sample size of one game, but Bryce Ford-Wheaton was Daniels’ favorite passing target. Ford-Wheaton averaged less than four receptions a game last year but hauled in nine catches against Pitt for 97 yards. Ford-Wheaton and Sam James were the only Mountaineer receivers to grab more than two passes.

On the defensive side, Dante Stills and Jared Bartlett were both trouble for Pitt’s offensive line, recording six tackles and 1.5 sacks a piece, while Stills had two tackles for loss and Bartlett 1.5 tackles for loss.

Matchup to Watch

If Kansas is going to keep it close, it’s going to have to contain West Virginia’s rushing attack. WVU averaged nearly six yards a carry on its way to 190 rushing yards against Pitt. Tennessee Tech ran the ball 43 times for just 93 yards, but this is a big step up in competition for the Jayhawks.

But the biggest matchup to watch is going to come down to intangibles. West Virginia only had two turnovers in week one, but the Mountaineers also put the ball on the ground two other times that they then recovered. KU had its own turnover problems, so whoever can capitalize on the other’s mistakes will have a big advantage. The other intangible is around penalties. WVU was called for 11 penalties for 72 yards. Leipold’s Jayhawks only committed four penalties for 40 yards. Not shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers and penalties is something to watch for both teams on Saturday.

Prediction

Kansas is having to go from an FCS opponent at home to a conference foe on the road, which is no easy task. But it should be doing so with quite a bit of confidence. West Virginia, on the other hand, is coming off an emotional game against its biggest rival with a transfer QB still getting adjusted.

While KU is going to be better later in the year, there may be some benefit to facing WVU early on while the Mountaineers are still adjusting with a first-year OC and transfer QB. I like KU to stay within two touchdowns, covering the +13.5, and the chance to win will come down to who can limit mistakes and slow the other down on the ground. I feel much more confident about KU keeping it within the spread than outright winning, but I’m going to drink the kool-aid and call an early Jayhawks upset against one of the projected bottom teams in the Big 12.

Kansas 35, West Virginia 34

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