Texas is preparing to host West Virginia on Nov. 7 in an important conference matchup.
Each team currently has a 4-2 overall record and a realistic path to the Big 12 Championship game. Texas is coming off of a thriller defeat over No. 6 Oklahoma State, while West Virginia easily handled Kansas State at home.
There have been no shortage of memorable moments between these two squads recently. Left tackle Samuel Cosmi lived every lineman’s dream last season by recording a receiving touchdown in Morgantown.
The year prior, West Virginia quarterback Will Grier knocked off No. 15 Texas in Austin by scrambling into the endzone on a 2-point conversion with only seconds left in regulation.
Neither team has truly solidified who they are this season. Both Texas and West Virginia have put together strong performances at times, but also dropped conference games to lesser opponents. Due to the consistency issues on both sides, this game is up for grabs.
Let’s take a look at five interesting facts ahead of this crucial Big 12 matchup between Texas and West Virginia.
Texas ranks No. 105 in tackling per PFF
This is quite the stat considering PFF only included 127 teams. On top of that, 12 teams listed below Texas have not played a game yet in the Pac-12. That labels the Longhorns as one of the bottom ten teams in the country in terms of tackling. This must improve if Texas hopes to make a run for the conference title this season.
Tom Herman is 3-2 in games after beating a ranked team
This solidifies the inconsistency issue that Texas has experienced throughout Tom Herman’s tenure in Austin. The Longhorns typically play well against highly ranked opponents, yet fall flat with a lack of preparation and discipline to teams that they should confidently beat.
Texas hasn’t beat WVU at home since 2014
It’s 2020 after all, so this could certainly be the year that Texas ends this streak. On paper, the Longhorns are clearly the more talented team. Each of the two games that West Virginia has lost this season have come on the road. In the last four meetings between these two squads, the visiting team has been victorious.
Tom Herman is 10-7 when playing an unranked opponent when Texas is an AP Top 25 team
Again, the lack of consistency has haunted head coach Tom Herman. This continues to boil down to playing to the level of their opponents. Right when you think you’ve finally figured out what this Texas team is capable of, they surprise you the next week in underwhelming fashion. If Herman drops this matchup to West Virginia, it will become his eighth loss to an unranked opponent while Texas is ranked as an AP Top 25 team.
Texas is 7-5 in November under Tom Herman
The month of November hasn’t been very kind to Herman. If you want to consistently compete for a national championship, you can only afford one loss (if any) each year. Texas is scheduled to face West Virginia, Kansas and Iowa State in November this season.