No. 15 Texas Tech scored a much-needed Big 12 Conference win over Arizona, a credit to a commitment to the running game.
If the Red Raiders are to follow with another conference win Saturday night against visiting West Virginia in Lubbock, neutralizing the Mountaineers’ potent ground game rates as top priority.
The Red Raiders (7-1, 4-1) outgained Arizona 328-12 on the ground last week, getting 175 yards from J’Koby Williams and 117 from first-time starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos. Their defense has been stout against the run this year, allowing 94.9 yards per game.
West Virginia (5-3, 2-3) will give that run defense a stiff test. Its run offense ranks fifth in FBS at 261.6 yards per game. In Cam Cook and quarterback Michael Hawkins, the Mountaineers have players with a combined 1,759 yards on the ground.
After rushing for 1,623 yards last year at Jacksonville State, Cook needs just 77 yards to get to 1,000 for his new team. Hawkins has added 836 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground while throwing for 1,598 yards and 11 scores.
“We’ve got to come up with a great plan,” said Texas Tech defensive coordinator Shiel Wood. “They’re an option-style offense, the way I look at it, out of the shotgun. Tempo is a big factor in everything they do. They want to play really hard, they want to play really fast and they want to outnumber you at the point of attack.”
The best defense for the Red Raiders just might be the same type of offense they employed last week.
That’s where the presence of Castellanos comes in. The former starter at Boston College and Florida State is a lot like Hawkins in that his biggest impact as a quarterback comes with his legs instead of his feet.
Will Hammond started the first seven games but didn’t play well in an October 24 loss at Cincinnati, leading coach Joey McGuire to turn to Castellanos.
“He plays with confidence. He’s played a lot of football,” McGuire said.
While Texas Tech looks to maintain its new-found momentum, West Virginia comes into this one as a refreshed team after having last week off. The Mountaineers earned a 24-20 win at TCU October 24 to move within a game of bowl eligibility.
Coach Rich Rodriguez used the break to get key players rest and get others healthy. Defensive lineman Corey McIntyre Jr., defensive back Jason Chambers and defensive back Nick Taylor could all return at Texas Tech.
West Virginia could use everyone it can get. Its finishing kick is tough, with a home game against Kansas followed by matchups with No. 17 Houston and at No. 3 Utah.
“We needed last week to recover a little bit,” Rodriguez said. “We have gone for a while. I hope they feel refreshed because we got a big stretch obviously coming up.”
Another factor for the Mountaineers this week could be motivation. They might like some payback for what the Red Raiders did to them last year during a 49-0 blowout in Morgantown.