Three-minute preview: West Virginia at Kansas football
When/where: 11 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence
TV/radio: Fox Sports KC; KCSP (610 AM)
The series: West Virginia leads 3-1
The line: West Virginia by 28
What’s at stake
In the aftermath of a 23-17 loss at TCU, Kansas, 0-10, has two more chances to avoid its first winless season since 1954. Two years ago, the Jayhawks broke a long Big 12 losing streak with a victory over West Virginia in Lawrence. Last year, the Mountaineers struck back with a 33-14 victory in Morgantown, W.Va. West Virginia, meanwhile, can gain bowl eligibility with a win on Saturday. After suffering through a four-game losing streak to the top four teams in the Big 12, the Mountaineers have won two straight and will finish with KU, Iowa State and K-State.
Cheers if ...
The KU defense backs up its performance at TCU. The Jayhawks held the TCU offense to 16 points last week. Junior safety Fish Smithson, who leads the FBS with 7.8 solo tackles per game, added an interception while the Jayhawks’ defense came up clutch in the red zone.
Jeers if ...
KU quarterback Ryan Willis continues to take a beating. Last week, Willis broke the KU freshman record for passing yards. He has 1,377 passing yards on the season, surpassing Mario Kinsey’s total of 1,215, set in 2001. Willis has two more games to gain experience. It’d be nice if he can stay upright.
Rustin Dodd’s pick: West Virginia 38-21
In a 23-17 loss at TCU, the Jayhawks proved they can play with a top-25 team … if the conditions are right. Can they back up that performance this week? West Virginia looks like a team coming together after a four-game losing streak. The Jayhawks can be competitive, but do they have the offense to stay in this one?
KANSAS (0-10, 0-7 Big 12)
Date | Opponent | Result/time |
Sept. 5 | South Dakota State | L, 41-38 |
Sept. 12 | Memphis | L, 55-23 |
Sept. 26 | at Rutgers | L, 27-14 |
Oct. 3 | at Iowa State | L, 38-13 |
Oct. 10 | Baylor | L, 66-7 |
Oct. 17 | Texas Tech | L, 30-20 |
Oct. 24 | at Oklahoma State | L, 58-10 |
Oct. 31 | Oklahoma | L, 62-7 |
Nov. 7 | at Texas | L, 59-20 |
Nov. 14 | at TCU | L, 23-17 |
Saturday | West Virginia | 11 a.m. |
Nov. 28 | Kansas State | 3 p.m. |
WEST VIRGINIA (5-4, 2-4 Big 12)
Date | Opponent | Result/time |
Sept. 5 | Georgia Southern | W, 44-0 |
Sept. 12 | Liberty | W, 41-7 |
Sept. 26 | Maryland | W, 45-6 |
Oct. 3 | at Oklahoma | L, 44-24 |
Oct. 10 | Oklahoma State | L, 33-26 |
Oct. 17 | at Baylor | L, 62-28 |
Oct. 29 | at TCU | L, 40-10 |
Nov. 7 | Texas Tech | W, 31-26 |
Nov. 14 | Texas | W, 38-20 |
Saturday | at Kansas | 11 a.m. |
Nov. 28 | Iowa State | 11 a.m. |
Dec. 5 | at Kansas State | 3:30 p.m. |
Three things about West Virginia
1 In his fifth season at West Virginia, coach Dana Holgorsen is 33-27 overall and has led the Mountaineers to bowl games in three of four seasons. West Virginia needs a victory on Saturday to become bowl eligible.
2 The Mountaineers rank 18th in the country in rushing yards per game, averaging 224.2 yards per contest. Junior running back Wendell Smallwood is the biggest threat, rushing for 1,119 yards and averaging 6.7 yards per carry.
3 Junior quarterback Skyler Howard has taken over the starting job after starting two games last season in place of an injured Clint Trickett. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Howard has thrown for 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 57 percent of his passes.
Key matchup
West Virginia running game vs. the KU defense: The Mountaineers feature an Air Raid-style offense, but don’t let the name fool you. West Virginia is at its best when running the ball. A week ago, the Mountaineers put up 257 rushing yards in a 38-20 victory over Texas. Kansas must find a way to remain disciplined up front and contain Wendell Smallwood and Rushel Shell.
KANSAS OFFENSE
P | No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. |
WR | 5 | Bobby Hartzog Jr. | 5-11 | 189 | So. |
WR | 11 | Tre’ Parmalee | 5-10 | 171 | Sr. |
LT | 79 | Jordan Shelley-Smith | 6-5 | 296 | Jr. |
LG | 55 | Jacob Bragg | 6-4 | 284 | Fr. |
C | 70 | Keyon Haughton | 6-2 | 285 | Sr. |
RG | 62 | De’Andre Banks | 6-3 | 309 | Jr. |
RT | 78 | Larry Mazyck | 6-8 | 335 | Sr. |
TE | 84 | Ben Johnson | 6-5 | 234 | So. |
WR | 88 | Jeremiah Booker | 6-2 | 195 | Fr. |
QB | 13 | Ryan Willis | 6-4 | 211 | Fr. |
RB | 23 | De’Andre Mann | 5-9 | 205 | Sr. |
K | 7 | Matthew Wyman | 6-1 | 218 | Jr. |
KANSAS DEFENSE
P | No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. |
DE | 10 | Ben Goodman | 6-3 | 253 | Sr. |
DT | 99 | Corey King | 6-1 | 295 | Sr. |
DT | 96 | Daniel Wise | 6-3 | 280 | Fr. |
DE | 56 | Anthony Olobia | 6-5 | 240 | Jr. |
LB | 28 | Courtney Arnick | 6-2 | 207 | Jr. |
LB | 5 | Marcquis Roberts | 6-1 | 220 | Jr. |
NB | 30 | Tevin Shaw | 5-11 | 194 | Jr. |
CB | 25 | Marnez Ogletree | 5-10 | 190 | Jr. |
S | 9 | Fish Smithson | 5-11 | 193 | Jr. |
S | 39 | Michael Glatczak | 5-10 | 173 | Sr. |
CB | 19 | Tyrone Miller Jr. | 6-0 | 180 | Fr. |
P | 7 | Matthew Wyman | 6-1 | 218 | Jr. |
WEST VIRGINIA OFFENSE
P | No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. |
WR | 1 | Shelton Gibson | 5-11 | 192 | So. |
WR | 6 | Daikiel Shorts Jr. | 6-1 | 201 | Jr. |
LT | 78 | Marquis Lucas | 6-4 | 315 | Sr. |
LG | 57 | Adam Pankey | 6-5 | 312 | Jr. |
C | 65 | Tyler Orlosky | 6-4 | 296 | Jr. |
RG | 62 | Kyle Bosch | 6-5 | 310 | So. |
RT | 77 | Marcell Lazard | 6-5 | 306 | So. |
TE | 88 | Cody Clay | 6-4 | 262 | Sr. |
WR | 2 | Ka’Raun White | 6-1 | 198 | So. |
QB | 3 | Skyler Howard | 6-0 | 206 | Jr. |
RB | 4 | Wendell Smallwood | 5-11 | 202 | Jr. |
K | 86 | Josh Lambert | 5-11 | 212 | Jr. |
WEST VIRGINIA DEFENSE
P | No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. |
DE | 95 | Christian Brown | 6-2 | 290 | Jr. |
DT | 93 | Kyle Rose | 6-4 | 294 | Sr. |
DE | 97 | Noble Nwachukwu | 6-2 | 271 | Jr. |
LB | 35 | Nick Kwiatkoski | 6-2 | 238 | Sr. |
LB | 42 | Jared Barber | 6-0 | 232 | Sr. |
LB | 36 | Shaq Petteway | 6-0 | 232 | Sr. |
NB | 9 | KJ Dillon | 6-1 | 209 | Sr. |
CB | 7 | Daryl Worley | 6-1 | 202 | Jr. |
S | 6 | Dravon Askew-Henry | 5-11 | 202 | So. |
S | 22 | Jarrod Harper | 6-1 | 211 | Jr. |
CB | 16 | Terrell Chestnut | 5-11 | 193 | Sr. |
P | 91 | Nick O’Toole | 6-3 | 216 | Sr. |
Rustin Dodd: 816-234-4937, @rustindodd
This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Three-minute preview: West Virginia at Kansas football."