TCU Football Week 5 Opponent Preview: West Virginia Mountaineers

TCU continues their Big 12 Conference slate in Week 5 as the Horned Frogs host the West Virginia Mountaineers.

The 2023 college football season marches on. Fresh off a win over rival SMU, the TCU Horned Frogs (3-1, 1-0) host the West Virginia Mountaineers (3-1, 1-0) on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium. West Virginia comes into the match over-shooting preseason expectations, already notching a Big 12 Conference win over Texas Tech last week.

WVU at TCU kicks off Saturday, Sept. 30, at 7:00 p.m. CT. Catch the game on ESPN2 or on the radio at 88.7 FM KTCU. The Mountaineers head into their bye week after the game.

West Virginia Mountaineers running back CJ Donaldson / © Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia vs. TCU Series History

Before joining the Big 12, TCU and West Virginia met just once, in the 1984 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. The 8-4 Mountaineers upended the 8-4 Horned Frogs 31-17.

WVU has a slight edge in the all-time series since becoming conference foes, beating TCU six times versus TCU's five wins. Notable matchups include 2012, 2013, and 2014, where just five total points separated the teams, with TCU winning both games in Morgantown and WVU winning the one in Fort Worth. WVU also beat TCU 29-17 during the 2021 season in what would be Gary Patterson's final home game as head coach of TCU.

Last season, the Horned Frogs picked up a 41-31 victory in Morgantown.

West Virginia Players To Note

Starting quarterback Garrett Greene missed last week's win due to an ankle injury. Greene dressed, but Nicco Marchiol played the game in its entirety. The status of the QB room – and who may get the start Saturday – is unknown at this time.

Although the Mountaineers have struggled to find the end zone this year, their offense runs through back CJ Donaldson, a converted tight end who found success in the run game a season ago. At 6-foot-1 and nearly 240 pounds, Donaldson is a bruising back with surprising versatility. Remove him from the game, and WVU is limited in their other options.

On the offensive line, Zach Frazier leads notable players as a preseason All-American selection.

The defense is led by corner Beanie Bishop (two interceptions, allowed 10 receptions on 20 targets) and linebacker Trey Lathan (11 pressures, team-high 15 tackles). The Mountaineers succeed in the pass rush, which is a top-25 rush in the country, and clean up with sound tackling. 

Sizing Up The Mountaineers

Before this season began, Neal Brown was a popular choice to be the first coach dismissed. Through four seasons, Brown has yet to lead WVU to a full winning season (note: they went 6-4 in a COVID-altered year), and, after a 5-7 finish last year, fans were starting to call for change. Instead, WVU started fast out of the gate, going 3-1 with their lone loss coming to a top-10 Penn State team in Happy Valley.

Now, WVU faces TCU before heading into a bye week. Beyond that, they face a slew of flawed teams like Houston, Oklahoma State, and BYU.

However, wins may be scant unless the offense begins to pick it up. They've been inefficient in the red zone, scoring at just the 84th-highest rate in the country (77%), and in the pass game, posting bottom-20 efficiency numbers. This is a run-first team, and that may inhibit their ability to play behind against faster teams like TCU.

So far, WVU has played plodding and methodical offenses like Penn State, Pitt, and Texas Tech. The Mountaineers are allowing 4.9 yards per play (37th) but only pick up 3.9 yards per play themselves (fourth-worst). Against a higher-octane offense, WVU will struggle.

Thus far, TCU's been that higher-octane offense. Emani Bailey continues to dazzle with 6.0 yards per carry and 4.3 yards per carry after contact (third-most). However, WVU fields a stout run defense that could slow the Horned Frogs' offense down.

Ultimately, TCU cannot allow themselves to get sucked into a slow-paced slugfest. Playing their game and keeping the pace up offensively should help them cruise to their fourth win of the year.

Opponent Rundown

Team: West Virginia Mountaineers

Record: 3-1 (1-0 Big 12)

Coach: Neal Brown (5th season)

Scoring Offense: 17.3 points per game (109th)

Scoring Defense: 19.0 points allowed per game (32nd)

West Virginia 2023 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Result
Sept. 2	at Penn State	L 38-15
Sept. 9	Duquesne (FCS)	W 56-17
Sept. 16	Pitt	W 17-6
Sept. 23	Texas Tech	W 20-13
Sept. 30	at TCU
Oct. 7	BYE
Oct. 12	at Houston
Oct. 21	Oklahoma State
Oct. 28	at UCF
Nov. 4	BYU
Nov. 11	at Oklahoma
Nov. 18	Cincinnati
Nov. 25	at Baylor

TCU vs. West Virginia Game Info

• When: Saturday, Sept. 30, 7:00 p.m. CT
• Where: Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, TX)
• TV: ESPN2

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Visit Mountaineers Now, West Virginia's FanNation site, to see what they are saying about the upcoming game with TCU.