WVU Brings Nation’s Top Defense to Lubbock
Colombi to start at QB for TTU
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MORGANTOWN -- After a sluggish start a week ago, West Virginia was able to right the ship and secure a 38-17 victory over Big 12 Conference foe Kansas.
The Mountaineers (3-1, 2-1 Big 12) only led 17-10 at halftime before outscoring the Jayhawks (0-4, 0-3) 21-7 in the second half.
In the win, WVU's defense only allowed 157 total yards of offense, which puts them at No. 1 in the country in yards allowed per game with 240.3, just ahead of Air Force at 241 YPG and Clemson at 264.6 YPG.
In the second half alone, West Virginia only surrendered 17 total yards on 23 snaps.
The Mountaineers' defense is giving up just 148.5 yards passing a game and 91.8 yards rushing.
"Last week our defense had two takeaways, five sacks, 11 TFL's, 2 yards per rush and only gave up seven first downs, one coming on a penalty -- that's big time," WVU coach Neal Brown said. "That was a good Big 12 win and I thought we showed some real growth.
"I was proud of how our staff and players handled adversity in the first quarter and we enjoyed having fans back at Mountaineer Stadium."
Josh Chandler led the defense with nine tackles and 0.5 TFL's, while Tykee Smith followed with eight stops and two for a loss.
Jeffrey Pooler and Akheem Mesidor each had two sacks and Alonzo Addae and Darius Stills each intercepted a pass.
Leading the ground game once again was junior running back Leddie Brown, who racked up 203 yards and a thrilling 87-yard touchdown run.
He is now the nation's fifth top rusher this year with 515 yards, 187 yards behind the leader (UTSA's Sincere McCormick) at 702.
"Leddie Brown was the difference for us offensively," Coach Brown said. "We had 82 offensive plays, 544 yards and really controlled the clock. We were really good on first downs, which has really been a point of emphasis. We were 4-for-4 in the redzone with touchdowns and we had 13 explosive plays, which is something we worked on in the bye week. We were able to hit on some shots. We called 12 shot plays in the game."
Now, the Mountaineers travel to Lubbock to visit Texas Tech (1-3, 0-3) inside Jones AT&T Stadium for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2.
The Red Raiders come in on a three-game losing streak but bring an offensive line which has only allowed three sacks in 187 passing attempts this season -- providing the nation's top overall defense an interesting matchup.
"I really think they are good," Coach Brown said of the Texas Tech offensive line. "They are really big, they are long and they get the ball out quick with a lot of passes off of play-action."
Texas Tech, coming off a bye week, last saw the field two weeks ago when it fell 31-15 to Iowa State (3-1, 3-0) and will have a new quarterback calling the shots this time around.
Henry Colombi will make his first career start after coming in relief in that setback and completing 10 of 12 passes for 115 yards and a TD.
"They are a spread offense and they are the fastest tempo team we'll play all year," Coach Brown said. "They have a dual threat quarterback making his first start. He gets the ball out of his hands super fast and we know he's going to be a challenge."
Opposite of Colombi is WVU QB Jarret Doege, who is fresh off a 318-yard, three touchdown and one interception performance.
His top target was Bryce Ford-Wheaton who collected five receptions for 89 yards and a score and will be looking to build off that performance against a solid Red Raiders' defense.
"They have a three-down front with different looks in the secondary," Coach Brown said. "Their defensive line is very strong and I thought they really pushed us around last year. They have a lot of talent at linebacker and traditionally they have done a great job of creating turnovers."
The Texas Tech running game only accumulated 58 total yards in its last game and receiver Erik Ezukanma caught five passes for 61 yards and a TD. Ja'Lynn Polk also hauled in five passes for 54 yards.
"They are talented and tall at wide out," Coach Brown said. "It's like a basketball team. They can go up and get it.
"(SaRodorick) Thompson is a very underrated running back, too. I think he'll be an NFL guy who can run inside, outside and catch the ball out of the backfield."
West Virginia leads the head-to-head series 6-3, with Texas Tech's last home win over the Mountaineers coming in 2012.