WVU to Face No. 13 Texas Tech in Rare 9:30 Kickoff Time on Saturday Night

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The most treacherous portion of West Virginia University's football season begins Saturday night in Lubbock, Texas, when the Mountaineers face 13^th-ranked Texas Tech, coming off an impressive 34-26 victory over then-22^nd ranked Arizona last Saturday.

The Red Raiders (7-1 overall and 4-1 in Big 12 play) made a change at quarterback following their surprising 37-24 loss at Cincinnati two weeks ago, and fifth-year senior Thomas Castellanos responded with 117 yards rushing against the Wildcats.

Overall, Texas Tech ran for 328 yards while holding Arizona to just 12 yards rushing to dominate the ground.

"Probably the most talented team for the last couple of years in the league, they got a big win, and I know they are going to be fired up with a late-night kick so it's going to be a great challenge," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said, adding, "but also like I told the team, 'It's a great opportunity to play a ranked team, on national TV in a hostile environment and it should be fun."

Castellanos has taken a nomadic path to Lubbock with stops at UCF, Boston College and Florida State along the way, and his career passing totals include 6,638 yards and 52 touchdowns, in addition to 2,166 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground.

The quarterback rushed for more than 1,100 yards during his sophomore season at Boston College in 2023.

"He's got 33 starts at the Power Four level, so he's an experienced guy and I think they run a different plan with him (instead of prior starter Will Hammond)," Rodriguez explained. "Last week was his first start and he played pretty well, so I think they will add a few more things for him coming into our game."

J'Koby Williams, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound junior from Beckville, Texas, is coming off a career-best, 175-yard rushing effort against Arizona and shows 794 yards and six touchdowns through eight games.

The folks in Lubbock believe the Castellanos-Williams backfield combo compares favorably to West Virginia's rushing duo of Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook.

Hawkins has passed and run for more than 2,400 yards and accounted for 27 total touchdowns while topping more than 100 yards on the ground four times so far this year.

Cook's rushing totals show 923 yards, seven touchdowns and an average of five yards per carry through eight games. He has eclipsed 100 yards five times in a game, including a season-high 193 yards against Oklahoma State.

But both Hawkins and Cook have failed to reach 100 yards in West Virginia's last games against Cincinnati and TCU, both victories.

The Mountaineers (5-3 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play) were beginning to show the wear and tear of playing eight games in a row before getting their first off weekend of the season last Saturday. Rodriguez said the team used the idle weekend to get healthy and work on fundamentals.

A good week of fundamental work will be required against a Texas Tech defense Rodriguez describes as the "most athletic" West Virginia has faced so far this year with NFL-caliber talent at all three levels.

Tech's defensive players who departed for the NFL last year have been replaced by another wave of pros, led by fifth-year senior A.J. Holmes Jr., who goes by the nickname "Showtime."

Holmes was the Big 12's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year who is widely regarded as a top-tier NFL prospect.

Senior cornerback Brice Pollock is another. The 6-foot, 195-pounder led Texas Tech with five interceptions last season and is regarded as one of the best cover corners in college football.

Linebacker Ben Roberts is yet another high-motor player who is attracting lots of interest from pro scouts.

"They've got NFL guys at every level," Rodriguez noted. "Up front, I think they've got a couple of first rounders, both linebackers I think will be playing in the league, and the secondary has lots of experience. There are really no weak spots, and they make everybody play and execute to beat them, and that's the challenge."

On the other side of the ball, 6-foot-2, 245-pound tight end Terrance Carter Jr. and complimentary running back Cameron Dickey, a physical 5-foot-10, 215-pounder, will likely be playing NFL football in the future.

Carter shows 20 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns, 15 catches fewer than senior wide receiver Kenny Johnson, who leads the team with 35 receptions for 548 yards and two touchdowns.

Dickey has contributed 276 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in six games so far this season.

Collectively, Texas Tech has boasted the most talented rosters in the Big 12 during the NIL era, thanks to mega-booster Cody Campbell's funding.

The difference has been really evident in the last two meetings against West Virginia with the Red Raiders coming away with 52-15 and 49-0 triumphs.

Prior to those two contests, the games were extremely competitive with the Mountaineers winning five in a row from 2014 to 2018 and capturing a 20-13 victory in Morgantown in 2023.

West Virginia holds a slim 8-7 advantage in overall series play that includes a 7-6 triumph in the 1938 Sun Bowl played in El Paso, Texas.

Texas Tech is one of three remaining teams on West Virginia's schedule in this week's initial College Football Playoff rankings. The Red Raiders are 15^th, 12 spots below Utah, which concludes the regular season against West Virginia on Friday, Nov. 27.

A game against No. 17 Houston will take place in Morgantown on Saturday, Nov. 21.

"We need another win to get to a bowl game and all that, but I just want our guys to remain focused on getting better," Rodriguez said. "There are moments this year when we've played really well and there were moments when we needed to play better. This is the time for us to play better."

Saturday night's Texas Tech contest will kick off at the unusual time of 9:30 p.m. ET. An ESPN crew consisting of Jay Alter, Tom Luginbill and Sherree Burruss have been assigned for the telecast.

Regular Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace and Jed Drenning will get underway at 8:30 p.m. - two hours after the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show begins at 6:30 p.m. – on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.

Texas Tech has been designated a 16.5-point favorite by the oddsmakers as of Wednesday morning.

Tale of the Tape	TT (7-1)	WVU (5-3)
Points Per Game	35.6	35.9
Points Against	21.3	32.3
Rushing Yards Per Game	207.0	261.6
Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game	94.9	166.0
Passing Yards Per Game	218.7	206.5
Passing Yards Allowed Per Game	285.0	317.9
Total Yards Per Game	425.8	468.1
Total Yards Allowed Per Game	379.9	483.9
First Downs For	176	184
First Downs Against	155	189
Fumbles/Lost	14/6	8/6
Interceptions/Return Yards	13/177	5/55
Net Punting	45.4	39.9
Field Goal/Attempts	17/21	7/8
Time of Possession	28:21	28:02
Penalties/Yards	51/451	46/389
3rd Down Conversions	39/102	57/119
3rd Down Conversion Defense	47/123	40/98
4th Down Conversions	9/14	8/16
4th Down Conversion Defense	6/20	6/112
Sacks By/Yards Lost	25/163	18/120

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Cam Cook

Michael Hawkins Jr.

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