5 things every Mizzou fan must know about West Virginia
As the Missouri Tigers prepare for Saturday’s game at West Virginia, they’re readying themselves for a team with a better offense than they normally see in the SEC.
The Mountaineers are a Big 12 squad, and were in the Big East when Missouri was in the Big 12, so the two schools don’t cross paths often.
Here are five things Mizzou fans should know about the Mountaineers heading into Saturday’s opener in Morgantown:
1. They’re missing some key players
West Virginia has gone through almost as much turmoil this fall as the Tigers.
While Mizzou has lost DT Harold Brantley, DE Walter Brady and OL Nate Crawford, among others, the Mountaineers will enter Saturday’s game without star S Dravon Askew-Henry.
Askew-Henry tore his ACL earlier this fall and will miss the entire season.
OL Adam Pankey will be suspended for Saturday’s contest after he was arrested and charged with DUI last week.
2. Their coach is on the hot seat
Even though the Mountaineers went 8-5 and defeated Arizona State in the Cactus Bowl last year, fans and university higher-ups are getting impatient with coach Dana Holgorsen.
West Virginia will need to climb toward the top of the Big 12 standings in order for the sixth-year head coach to keep his job.
A loss to Mizzou would almost certainly show that the Mountaineers aren’t ready to compete for a Big 12 title and would make Holgorsen’s seat that much hotter.
3. They return a star quarterback
As a junior in 2015, QB Skyler Howard ranked ninth nationally (and second in the Big 12) in yards per completion.
Now a senior, Howard will look to improve upon last year’s 3,145 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.
Howard is also a threat with his feet. He ran for 726 yards and six touchdowns in 2015.
Mizzou DE Charles Harris and company are going to have to make Howard uncomfortable in the pocket and limit his effectiveness in the running game in order to have success on Saturday.
4. They have a strong running game, too
With Howard returning to lead the offense, the Mountaineers will have a good passing attack in 2016.
But they’re no slouches on the ground, either. In 2015, West Virginia had the No. 16 rushing attack in college football, averaging 228.2 yards per game.
The Mountaineers will certainly miss RB Wendell Smallwood, who led the Big 12 in rushing yards last season.
Rushel Shell, who led West Virginia in rushing yards in 2014, figures to be the starter, but freshmen Martell Pettaway and Kennedy McCoy and JUCO transfer Justin Crawford have been impressive in fall camp.
With plenty of options, there shouldn’t be too much of a dropoff from last year’s production.
5. They’ll give up some yards defensively
The Mountaineers play in the pass-happy Big 12, so it’s not surprising that they gave up nearly 400 yards per game last season.
Mizzou, on the other hand, only allowed an average of 302 yards per contest in 2015.
The Tigers’ offense won’t come close to matching Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech or the other Big 12 schools’ production in 2016, but there should still be some opportunities for big plays.
If Mizzou can approach the 350-yard mark in the Week 1 showdown, good things could be in the Tigers’ future.
Mizzou and West Virginia will kick off on Saturday at noon Eastern time. The game can be seen on Fox Sports 1.