Game preview: #22 Longhorns face West Virginia at home

The Texas Longhorns were able to pick up momentum after a win against then undefeated Oklahoma State last week. That win propelled the 'Horns back into the Associated Press' Top 25 rankings, but this weekend they face a tough test with 4-2 West Virginia Mountaineers.

The Longhorns looked average in the 41-34 overtime win against Oklahoma State last week, marking the second time in three weeks that Head Coach Tom Herman was able to have his team battle back in the fourth quarter.

It took timely turnovers for the Longhorns to pull off the upset, but the trend of late comebacks spits in the face of the idea that Herman might have lost the team earlier in the season. Last week's win was big for Texas because it put them over .500 in the conference, but the opponent they face this weekend is more similar than any opponent they have faced this year.

The Mountaineers beat #16 Kansas State last weekend, in a game that was all West Virginia from the start. Junior quarterback Jarret Doege had his third straight 300-plus yard passing game and also threw for two touchdowns against K-State defense.

University of Texas fans should be very worried about Doege, who is the second in the conference in passing yards (1,690) with 40 more yards than Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger who is third. The Texas defense gave up 400 yards and four touchdowns last week to Oklahoma State and it would not be a surprise if they struggled against an even better passer this weekend in Doege.

Texas will also be without lead running back, junior Keaontay Ingram. Ingram suffered a high ankle sprain in the win against Oklahoma State last weekend and was announced out on Tuesday by Herman.

This means the Longhorns will use freshmen Bijan Robinson and sophomore Roschon Johnson against the Mountaineers. Robinson and Johnson both have averaged 4.6 yards per carry, similar to Ingram, so the drop off should not be that large for Texas. However, West Virginia has allowed the fewest rushing yards per game in the conference, so fans should expect Texas to throw more if they can't establish a consistent run game.

Texas and West Virginia are two of the three teams in the conference who are 3-2, with Oklahoma being the other one. If Texas wants to right the ship and get back into the conversation for a Big 12 title, the Longhorns will have to win at home on Saturday.

Like every week, it will be on the back, legs and arm of quarterback Ehlinger. The difference in this game will come from which quarterback has more time in the pockets, that will be the deciding factor in a Texas win.

The West Virginia and Texas game kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday from the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game will be available on ABC, or KVUE.