The Big 12 has set West Virginia’s Week 10 trip to Texas Tech for a late-night national TV slot, giving the Mountaineers one of the weekend’s spotlight games after the Week 9 slate wrapped up.
West Virginia and Texas Tech will meet with the Mountaineers sitting at 5-3 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play, while the Red Raiders come in at 7-1 and 4-1 in the league. Radio coverage will come through the Mountaineers Sports Network, with affiliates listed across West Virginia and beyond.
The timing comes as West Virginia tries to keep its recent surge going. After a three-game skid, the Mountaineers answered with back-to-back wins over Cincinnati and TCU.
Against Cincinnati, they finally got the stop they needed late and then won on a walk-off field goal after the drive began at their own 2-yard line. Then last week, the defense delivered its strongest outing of the season at the perfect moment.
David Afogho forced the game-changing strip-sack on Jaden Craig, and Ben Cutter recovered the loose ball to finish it off.
Now the challenge gets bigger in Lubbock, where Texas Tech brings a quarterback change that has already paid off. The Red Raiders moved from Will Hammond to Florida State transfer Thomas Castellanos, and he responded with 144 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding 117 rushing yards and a score. His mobility is the part that jumps off the page, and that could create problems for a West Virginia defense that has struggled against quarterbacks who can run.
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WVU Faces A Nonconference Test That Could Define Its March Hopes
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For a program trying to build a March rsum, the margin for error is already thin. A strong run through nonconference play would give WVU a chance to stack meaningful wins before the league grind begins, while a rough stretch could leave the Mountaineers chasing quality victories for the rest of the winter. If they can come out of this opening stretch with only a few losses, the path to the tournament picture gets a lot cleaner. [Read more 🡒]