Two teams having entirely opposite seasons to this point clash at noon Saturday inside TDECU Stadium when West Virginia takes on 22nd-ranked Houston.
The Mountaineers (2-6, 0-5) enter the FS1-televised matchup on a five-game skid, while the Cougars (7-1, 4-1) have reeled off three straight victories since their only setback to Texas Tech.
WVU was competitive in a Big 12 Conference game into the fourth quarter for the first time this season a week ago when it lost to TCU, 23-17.
Still, the Mountaineers, 0-4 away from home, have lost three league road contests by an average of 25.7 points and been outscored 35-0 in the first quarter of those games. Falling behind early against a Houston team that has been success operating methodically and has next to no intention of playing with tempo would again be problematic for a team that’s yet to prove it can overcome an early deficit.
True freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. helped lead the charge back from a 10-0 deficit last week and finished with 301 yards passing, though the Mountaineers struggled mightily to find success rushing and managed only 41 yards on the ground.
“There are things we have to be able to expand a little bit and try to be a little creative offensively,” West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “Simply, some of the stuff, had we executed a little bit better, too, you might not have gotten a big play, but you’d have gotten a big enough play. It’s a combination of that, but our guys understand that.
“Like I told them after the game, we’re mad because we lost. The effort was good, but the effort is supposed to be good all the time. That’s non-negotiable. We don’t have enough margin for error to just play hard and win. We have to play hard and execute well, because our margin for error is pretty thin right now.”
While West Virginia averages the sixth most rushing yards (176.1) among Big 12 teams, the Mountaineers’ 44.5 attempts per game lead the conference and their 3.96 yards per attempt ranks 13th.
Improvement on the ground won’t be easy to come by against a Houston defense allowing 18.6 points and 120.4 rushing yards on average, both marks that leave the Cougars in the top 5 among Big 12 teams.
“Their defensive front is really good,” Rodriguez said. “Athletic at linebacker and in the back end. Fundamentally, getting a little bit more push up front and being solid with our techniques. There’s things we need to add to our package so to speak, but I’m a little hesitant to do that with young guys in key roles.”
Houston will also look to establish the run and averages nearly 42 rushing attempts and 171.2 yards.
Cougars’ tailback Dean Connors leads all Big 12 players with an average of 16.9 rushing attempts and is fifth in the conference with 586 yards.
Oct 25, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Houston Cougars tight end Tanner Koziol (9) catches a touchdown pass against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the second half at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Wideout Stephon Johnson, a name that may be familiar to West Virginia fans from his Hail Mary reception in the Cougars’ 2023 win over the Mountaineers, leads the Big 12 with an average of 21.1 yards per reception over 13 catches. Receiver Amare Thomas has a team-best 535 receiving yards and four scores on 30 receptions.
Tight end Tanner Koziol is fourth in the Big 12 with 43 receptions that have totaled 450 yards and four touchdowns.
“Have to disrupt him early. You can’t get him going down the field, because we’re not very big in the back end,” Rodriguez said. “You have to play with some physicality against guys like that.”
Because of Koziol’s 6-foot-7, 250-pound frame, WVU defensive coordinator Zac Alley says his unit must be wary of getting caught in unfavorable positions and do its part to wear down one of the Cougars’ top targets.
“They do a great job of finding matchups,” Alley said. “They want him on the linebacker, they want him on somebody that can’t cover him or they want him on a defensive back that’s 5-9 or 5-10 and he just boxes them out for the ball. A really good player, so you have to beat up on him a little bit in the run game and try to get him out of his rhythm by attacking him physically when you can. Hopefully, you can slow him down catching the ball and breaking away, because they do a great job of getting him the ball in critical moments and in open space.”
West Virginia’s defense held up well against TCU, but is looking to force turnovers at a higher rate. That will also be a significant challenge against the Cougars as they’re tied for the league low in giveaways with four.
Quarterback Conner Weigman has only nine career interceptions over 558 passing attempts between his time at Texas A&M and Houston, and the 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior has thrown for 1,581 yards with 12 touchdowns and two picks this season.
“They have an experienced quarterback that’s played in a lot of big games,” Rodriguez said, “and seen a little bit of everything.”