Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Kansas

The West Virginia Mountaineers (2-1) will hop on the plane for the first time this season as they open up Big 12 Conference play on the road against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Here are our picks for this week's game.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 24, Kansas 23

I totally understand why the Jayhawks are favored. They're a home team that is coming off a bye after a loss, while West Virginia just won an emotional overtime thriller against Pitt. Situationally, I get it. But what I saw from Kansas in their lone meaningful game against Missouri makes me wonder why they're so heavily favored.

Their offensive line is a mess, just like West Virginia's. Their third-down conversion rate is among the worst in the country, just like West Virginia's. And West Virginia's defense is a much better unit than Kansas', which missed over 20 tackles in that loss to Mizzou.

It might be bold to pick the Mountaineers to win this game, but I think Zac Alley can drag this team into a rock fight, and as long as it's a one-score game late, I like WVU's chances. After watching the tape and studying the numbers to support what I saw, I like the matchup on the field. I don't like the situation. West Virginia wins by one.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 27, Kansas 24

West Virginia is coming off an emotional win in the Backyard Brawl while Missouri had a bye week to stew in the Border War loss to Missouri.

The Mountaineers offense is still looking for consistency. Nicco Marchiol had the Mountaineers leading 14-3 at halftime, but head coach Rich Rodriguez was searching for a spark and opted to put in backups Scotty Fox Jr. and Jaylen Henderson for a combined five series. Fox did lead a scoring drive, but consecutive interceptions ended his afternoon. Marchiol returned to the field to lead the offense to 17 unanswered points to beat Pitt in overtime.

The defense, for the most part, held the Pitt offense in check. Aside for a 67-yard pass completion, the Mountaineer defense put the clamps on the quarterback Eli Holstein and the Panther offense. The WVU defense has improved in each of the three weeks.

There is concern this week with Kansas quarterback Jaylon Daniels. He’s a threat with his arm and his legs and after Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro threw for 247 yards and a touchdown while running for an additional 87 yards, concerns is growing of Daniels’ explosive play. However, Navarro threw three interceptions, and although Daniels has taken care of the ball this season thus far (12 TD, 2 INT), turnovers plagued the senior last season, throwing 12 interceptions.

The Jayhawks defense allowed nearly 600 yards of total offense on the road against Missouri, but have only allowed 14 points in two games, highlighted by a 31-7 win against Fresno State – a Fresno State program averaging 44.6 points per game in the last three games.

This will ultimately be a tough test for the Mountaineers, but despite Daniels’ playmaking ability, he has a history of turning the ball over and I believe defense coordinator Zac Alley will dial up the pressure and force some turnovers.

The key will be the Mountaineer offense. Can they move the ball on the road? It did not bode well for the Mountaineers at Ohio – only producing 10 points.

Tye Edwards led the rushing attack last week (141 yds) after Jahiem White went down with a season-ending injury and they will need a similar effort in Lawrence.

I suspect Alley and the defense will give the Mountaineers good field position with some key turnovers to help the offense and the up-tempo will wear down the Jayhawks. Mountaineers pull out the victory, 27-24.

Anthony Halkias: West Virginia 28, Kansas 21

West Virginia just rose from the grave with that come-from-behind victory over Pitt. That win clearly meant a lot to Rich Rodriguez and now WVU sits at 2-1.

WVU is currently a 14-point underdog to the Kansas Jayhawks. I watched Rich Rod on The Pat McAfee Show, and I worry a little bit about a hangover after that comeback on Saturday. However, I like WVU to keep rolling.

I trust Rich Rod to actually head into Kansas and come away victorious. I really think WVU found something with RB Tye Edwards and gained a lot of confidence against Pitt. I predict WVU catches Kansas and wins 28-21. Zac Alley has done a tremendous job with this defensive unit. I fully expect them to make life hard on Kansas QB Jalon Daniels on Saturday. WVU's defense gives them the edge in my opinion here.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 24, Kansas 23

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 27, Kansas 24

Anthony Halkias: West Virginia 28, Kansas 21

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