The West Virginia Mountaineers (0-0) open the season at home against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (0-1) of the Ohio Valley Conference. Eastern Kentucky was blown out in their first game last week against Marshall, losing 59-0 to the Thundering Herd in Huntington.
In the opener against Marshall, Eastern Kentucky’s defense gave up 627 yards (345 passing, 282 rushing) and their offense only accounted for 166 total yards (86 yards rushing, 80 yards passing).
This should be a relatively easy opener for the Mountaineers and a great tune up opportunity before the Big 12 Conference opener in two weeks at Oklahoma State.
Here’s how our experts think today’s matchup will go:
Clark Johnson, Football Columnist, The Voice of Motown (0-0 on the season)
Mountaineer Nation wants to shut out Eastern Kentucky just like little brother Marshall – but it’s just not going to happen. The Colonels have a game under their belts, and will play better with a week of film and practice to help work out their kinks.
However, this game will not be close. West Virginia will not score as much as the Herd, nor will they secure a shutout. Neal Brown is too classy for that. The Mountaineers will jump out early and coast to a game one victory. Jarret Doege goes for over 300 yards and throws for 3 touchdowns.
WVU 48 EKU 7
Brad Smith, Senior Writer/Owner, The Voice of Motown (0-0 on the season)
Neal Brown wants his team to be the “most improved team in the country” this season and this is a perfect opportunity to start the year off with a bang.
Having said that, the Mountaineers will come out tight. The environment is going to be weird and this is not a typical home game. Although Eastern Kentucky struggled last week against Marshall, they didn’t make a lot of mistakes offensively (only one turnover) and didn’t fold despite being blown out.
I think we’ll see a 14-3 halftime lead for West Virginia opens up a bit in the second half. Neal Brown will talk about all of the areas that the Mountaineers need to clean up before they travel to Oklahoma State on September 26.
West Virginia wins, but it won’t be pretty and there will be a lot to correct before the Big 12 Conference slate opens.
WVU 35 EKU 10
