Kansas Jayhawks football vs. West Virginia Mountaineers: Prediction, kickoff time, TV
The details
Kickoff: 11 a.m. central Saturday
Where: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, W.Va.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: WHB (810 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM) in Wichita
The line: West Virginia by 28
Prediction
I have two conflicting thoughts when trying to pick a score for this game.
For one ... I think KU’s defense will be better after an awful effort last week against Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks were beaten too often with the deep ball, and I’d be surprised if defensive coordinator Clint Bowen doesn’t scheme something up to help his defense improve this week.
I also think this’ll be the week that KU brings more pressure defensively. The Jayhawks have been ultra-conservative to this point, mostly dropping eight into coverage while trying to confuse opposing quarterbacks. That worked well against Central Michigan and Rutgers but has not been as effective in Big 12 play, and it’s also made things difficult on talented defensive lineman Daniel Wise, who has had graded well according to Pro Football Focus the last two weeks while still having little statistical impact because of all the double teams he’s received.
To play devil’s advocate, though ... KU has been awful in Big 12 road games in recent history. The Jayhawks, who have not won an away conference game since Oct. 4, 2008 — yes, it’s officially been 10 years now — have gone 9-22 against the spread in its last 31 Big 12 road contests. Translation: When bad things happen on the road for KU football, too often players drop their heads and are unable to stop the snowball of negative momentum, which has resulted in uncompetitive games.
My gut feeling is that this game will be a bit better for KU. Look for the Jayhawks defense to have a strong performance, and combine that with a solid outing from quarterback Carter Stanley, and I think this ends up closer than Vegas expects.
West Virginia 35, KU 19
Jesse Newell
Jesse Newell covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.
