Photo by Michael C. Johnson-USA Today Sports
Opponent Offensive Breakdown: Texas Tech Red Raiders
The West Virginia Mountaineers 3-5, (1-4) welcome the Texas Tech Red Raiders 3-5, (1-4) into Morgantown this weekend. Both teams have lost four of their last five with the Mountaineers losing four straight.
Texas Tech has competed in every game except for its trip to Norman where the Raiders suffered a 55-16 loss. Texas Tech's signal caller Jett Duffey caused quite a few problems for the Mountaineer defense a year ago and looks to do so again. He came into the game late last year after starting quarterback Alan Bowman left with an injury.
Duffey is more so a scrambling quarterback than a pocket passer. Last season, he finished with 86 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Duffey was 16 of 27 through the air for 172 yards. He finished with one touchdown and two interceptions and nearly brought Texas Tech back to win the game.
Duffey began the 2019 campaign as the backup to Bowman, eventually replacing him as the starter in week four against Oklahoma. Through five games, Duffey has compiled 1420 passing yards going 132 for 193. He has thrown nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. He has only taken off 39 times for just 93 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see Duffey use his feet more on Saturday than he has in any other game this year.
SaRodorick Thompson is the feature back for the offense. The 6-0, 210-pound redshirt freshman has been impressive thus far. He has amassed 549 rushing yards on 106 carries and eight touchdowns. Thompson also poses a threat in the passing game with 23 receptions for 95 yards. It's worth noting that he has yet to fumble in his college career.
Expect the size and length of T.J. Vasher to be a problem for a young West Virginia secondary. Vasher is 6-6, 210-pounds and is actually more of a possession receiver as opposed to a true deep threat. Vasher can see anywhere from 4-10 targets on Saturday and can be a key factor in the redzone. He has 37 receptions on the year for 473 yards and six touchdowns.
Dalton Rigdon is coming off of a seven-catch game against Kansas. The 5-11 sophomore has 27 receptions this year for 305 yards and three touchdowns. The Red Raiders utilized his quickness and speed with jet sweeps at the beginning of the season, but he hasn't had a rushing attempt since week six.
As a whole, the offense produces 30.8 points per game with 478.3 yards of total offense. Most notably, the Red Raiders provide a balanced attack on offense, willing to keep the ball on the ground to wear down defenses. This is not the same offense we have seen in year's past with Kliff Kingsbury at the helm.
The West Virginia defense will look to keep rolling after holding No. 12 Baylor to just 17 points despite allowing over 450 yards of offense. They forced three turnovers last week in Waco, and will hope to repeat that performance this week even with additional injuries.
Noah Guzman is listed as questionable after exiting the game against Baylor with an apparent head injury. Quondarius Qualls was recently ruled out for the year after having surgery. Linebacker Josh Chandler is also listed as questionable after sitting out last Thursday.