College GameDay Does In-Depth Preview of WVU-Iowa State Matchup

ESPN did an in-depth preview of the Mountaineers and Cyclones.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The picks are still to come, but the ESPN College GameDay crew has already tabbed tonight's matchup between West Virginia and Iowa State as one of the best games in college football this weekend.

In the first hour of this morning's show from Eugene, the panel gave an in-depth look at the matchup. Here's what each member of the broadcast had to say.

Pat McAfee

“Should be 4-1, but obviously we gave that one to Pitt away and it seems like we’ve talked about that forever on this particular program. But Coach (Matt Campbell) becomes the all-time winningest coach in Iowa State history. He’s a dog. His speech to the team there was incredibly motivating.

"But you mentioned it, they do have a little bit of a weakness on the defensive side thus far and this is a matchup game. West Virginia can run the rock. Last week against Oklahoma State they went for 389 yards on the ground. You got (Jahiem) White, you got (CJ) Donaldson, you got GG (Garrett Greene) who’s going to run wild.

"And you talked about Anthony Becht, the father of Rocco Becht who is an absolute dog, Anthony is as well. West Virginia legend. Went on to play in the NFL and is now the coach of the (St. Louis) BattleHawks of the UFL.

"But today is about the coal miners, this is a coal rush game. This is an all-black, coal rush game honoring the coal miners. This is a blue-collar game for West Virginia. I would say a must-win for Neal Brown. And if we get past Iowa State today…haha, twelve-team playoff West Virginia’s dancing. That is where we need to be mentally at this point because there’s a big one and a big opportunity on the line.”

Nick Saban

“You know, what happens about this time of the season, you start to see teams that create an identity. This Iowa State team, I’m from West Virginia and I’m for the Mountaineers, but this Iowa State team has been a very disciplined team, they play complementary football, they play well on defense.

"The 3-3 stack lends itself to being a little weak against the run, but it is a good defense and they got to create some negative plays to stop West Virginia’s run. But this is a team that I think people are going to start to recognize because they do play the kind of football that is winning football and hopefully that will continue for them.”

Desmond Howard

“What I like about Iowa State, you can run the ball on their defense, but they’re number one in scoring, passing, and total defense in the conference.

"I like their offense. Their personnel groupings, they normally play 12 personnel which they do 47% of the time, and 13 personnel, meaning they put tight ends on the field a lot. When a team does that normally, usually they’re very good on defense. I think this is a great matchup to see if they can stop the run, but will they (WVU) be able to stop Rocco Becht and that offense?”

Kirk Herbstreit

“I think this is an offensive style that travels well and into a really tough environment. That environment tonight that you’re describing, you know how it is at West Virginia any week. Now you pull out the coal miners’ jerseys, the all-black, I mean they’re going to be wound up.

"But I think Rocco Becht, his poise and decision-making will be the key. What they’ve been able to do the last three weeks, they’re running the football 247 (yards per game). Talk about West Virginia running it, Iowa State’s been running the football too. I think their style travels well into that environment. I like Iowa State to win that one.”

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